THE BRITISH POLICY OF SPLENDID ISOLATION

THE BRITISH POLICY OF SPLENDID ISOLATION

Definition:

The Policy of Splendid Isolation was a policy that Britain followed in the 19^th Century of not involving herself in the affairs of mainland Europe. Therefore, Britain did not bother to have allies.

WHY DID BRITAIN ADOPT/FOLLOW THE POLICY?

Britain’s Geographical Position

Britain is separated from the rest of Europe by the English Channel. Therefore, she was apparently safe in her island Kingdom which had not suffered any invasion for many years.
Besides, Britain could easily defend herself against any invasions since she had the best Navy in Europe at the time.

Overseas Expansion;

Britain wanted a peaceful Europe so that she could continue to without interruption. During this time, the British Empire comprised of ¼ of the world population.
Therefore, Britain was preoccupied with her overseas expansion. As such, she saw no need of taking part in European quarrels, so she isolated herself.

Self Sufficiencyeconomically and militarily;

Britain enjoyed its naval, commercial, and industrial Supremacy. She was the center of world trade and Banking. Half of the World Merchant shipping was British.
In the 1880s, she was still producing more coal and steel than any other country.
Militarily, Britain had the strongest navy in the world.
With this monopoly, Britain saw no need of involving herself in European affairs since she did not face any challenges from other European countries.
The French Revolution
Britain also wanted to preserve her Monarch after the French Revolution of 1879, which brought an end to the Monarch in France.
Britain wanted to avoid a similar revolution by isolating herself.
The Crimean War of 1854-1856
The Crimean War involved Russia and Turkey over the Balkan Region.
In this war, Britain fully supported Turkey.
The bitter experiences of death and misery caused by the War forced the British Politicians and the public to urge the British government to limit Britain’s costly commitments outside Britain especially in Europe.

WHY THE POLICY WAS ABANDONED

Between 1893 and 1902, Britain was forced to abandon the policy of Splendid Isolation because ofevents that were happening on the international scene.
These events threatened the British Naval supremacy and the entire British Empire.
The following forced the British to abandon the policy;

a)The System of Alliances

- Other European countries were busy making alliances in case of war.

- This made Britain aware that she would be on her own if war broke out.

-Britain was especially threatened when her two enemies Russia and France signed the

Dual Entente in 1894.

b) The Provocative Foreign Policies of Kaiser William II

From 1890, when Kaiser William II became the German Emperor, his foreign policies provoked Britain as follows:
He started challenging the British Naval, colonial and industrial supremacy e.g. in 1906, the British introduced an advanced battleship called the dreadnought, this was the first of its kind in Naval history.
It had heavier guns and it was faster.
However, in 1907, Germany started producing an imitational Dreadnought called the U-BOAT.
This was a direct provocation to Britain.
Kaiser William also sent a congratulatory message to Paul Kruger of the Transvaal for his successful crushing of the British Coup Plot during the Jameson Raid in 1895.
This was also a direct provocation that contributed to the abandoning of the policy.
The Germany government also gave moral and material support to the Boers during the 2^nd Anglo-Boer War of 1899 to 1902.

The 2^nd Anglo-Boer War of 1899 to 1902

This was also significant to the abandonment of the Policy of Splendid Isolation because it revealed the weaknesses of the British Army.
This is because the British suffered a series of defeats by the ill equipped Boer army and the prolonged Guerrilla warfare.

Colonial Rivalries

Britain faced colonial rivalries in North Africa from France, in South East Asia from Russia and in the Middle East from Germany because Kaiser William wanted to build a railway line from Berlin to Baghdad. In addition, Germany also challenged Britain as a world leading colonial power at the Berlin Colonial Conference.

The Armenian Massacre of 1896

The Armenian Massacre that was inflicted by the Turks in 1896 also acted as an eye opener for the British. This involved the killing of about 6,000 Armenian minorities in Turkey.
This was a violation of international laws. Gladstone, the then British Prime Minister led a campaign against the Turks and approached the other countries to take action.
However, other countries did not respond. As such, the British felt the disadvantages of isolation.
The British also realized that it was dangerous to be isolated. Therefore, the British decided to abandon the policy.

HOW THE POLICY WAS ABANDONED

Britain abandoned the policy of Splendid Isolation through the signing of various alliances with other countries. These were;

This was the first step that Britain took towards the abandoning of the policy.
This was signed by Britain and Japan.
The terms were;
Japan agreed to protect British possessions in South East Asia against German and Russian Imperialism.
Britain and Japan also promised to assist each other if two or more countries attacked one of them.

After being angered by Kaiser William II’s encouragement of the Boers in the 2^nd Anglo-Boer War and the suspicions of increased naval competition by Germany, Britain decided to become friends with France.
Britain begun to settle her differences with France in Africa over colonies.
This resulted into the signing of the Anglo-French Entente Cordiale (friendly agreement) of 1904.
The terms were;
Britain recognized the French occupation of Morocco and in turn, France recognized the British occupation of Egypt and Sudan.
They agreed to hold regular consultations on economic and military issues.
They also agreed to assist each other against German aggression.

In 1907, Britain finally abandoned the policy of splendid isolation when she signed the Triple Entente.
France wanted her two allies to come close together.
Therefore, Britain and Russia settled their differences over Persia, Tibet, and Afghanistan,
The treaty was anti-Germany; it prevented Germany from penetrating the Middle East.
It was a military alliance to support each other if attacked.
The members also pledged to work together to counteract the effects of the Triple Alliance.

CONCLUSION

In 1907, there existed two distinct international groups in Europe i.e. the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente.
This was the beginning of rivalries between the two armed camps.
Each was suspicious of the other. This created world tension and increased the chances of the outbreak of a world war.

QUESTIONS

Define the British policy of Splendid Isolation. Why and how was the Policy abandoned? {20}
Why did Britain follow the Policy of Splendid Isolation up to 1895? Why and how was the Policy abandoned? {7,7,7}
Discuss Britain’s Diplomatic position in the 19^th {20}

IMPERIALISM

Imperialism was the extension of European economic, social and political influences in underdeveloped areas of Africa and Asia to benefit European countries.
This was usually done through the acquisition of territories by major European countries such as Britain, France, and Germany.
This new imperialism took place in the 2^nd half of the 20^th Imperialism started in the 16^th century.
However, between 1870 and 1914, European countries quickly acquired colonies, especially in Africa. This was what was referred to as the “Scramble for Africa”.

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