Chapter 1: The Conservative Watershed
Queen Victoria's death in the beginning of 1901 ended one age and ushered in a new one.
The Political Pattern
It was a time of flux for both major political sides. The Conservative Part was gaining many of the new suburbian, Whig, and wealthy voters that used to side with the Liberals. The Liberal party was loosing numbers, but still withstood the Conservative challenge. The power of both groups was being challenged after 1900, with the introduction of a new kind of candidate: men from professional classes who had made names as intellectualy. The power of this new group increased as the old basis of support of the Liberal party shrunk.
Another growing group was the Labour Representation Committee (LRC). In the 1906 election, five LRC members wom their elections. The LRC worked closely with the radical wing of the Liberal party.
In 1906, the Liberal party won the election under the leadership of Campbell-Bannerman.
The Economic Background
The urbanization of population created a increased in demand for imported grain and cereal products. Exports (which had declined in the past two decades) also increased. However, the increase in exports did not compare with the increased value and volume of imports.
The US and Germany were industrials machines compared to Britain in this period. Along with the fall in productivity figures and in the output per man hours, the British government feared falling far behind their powerful counterparts.
Question: What is an 'invisible export?' (I was sitting next to an Econ major when I was reading this. I asked him and he made some sly Harry Potter comment.)
Forms of Imperialism
Factors that backed Imperialism: spread of Liberalism and Christianity, betterment of mankind, Social Dawminism. The economic motive was the most official in popular thoughts.
"The flag had followed the Bible and trade had followed the flag."
The debate over Imperialism created a more nationalistic and imperial-minded public.
The Boer War as Catalyst
In fact, trade did not follow the flag. The greatest exchange of goods occurred not between Britain and her colonies but between Britain and her European rivals.
Most people agreed on the war's necessity, but the longer the war drug on the more people began speaking out against it. Many Conservatives and Liberal Imperialists began arguing for a "more unified and efficient" empire, instead of expansion.
Chapter 2: The Diplomatic Response
The diplomatic realignment was a response to Britain's shifting imperial position.
The Turn Towards Germany
As Britain's interest shifted away from Turkey their interest in working with the Triple Alliance deteriorated.
Chamberlain's bid for alliance speech in 1899 proved only that the German government was cool and the British public hostile. A German alliance was never really practical because the interests of the two nations did not mesh.
The Anglo-Japanese Alliance
Lansdowne was still left with the problem of the Russian march into China, so an Anglo-Japanese treaty was signed on January 30, 1902. The tready marked a sharp departure from Britain's "no alliance" policy.
The Anglo-French Entente
The Anglo-French Entente was a colonial arrangement created to settle the French position in Morocco. It was signed two months after the start of the Russo-Japanese War and was renewed in 1905.
Relations with Germany
The Entente was not directed against Germany. The growing German fleet was a worry for the British military leaders and a direct thread to British security. Admiral Fisher (haha) was promoted to First Sea Lord in 1904. He created a number of reforms including the establishment of a new base in the North Sea, directed towards Germany.
Lansdowne did not understand the consequences of his own policies. By signing and Entente with France, he plunged Britain directly into continental affairs.
The First Moroccan Crisis, 1905
The German was seen by Lansdowne as an attempt to shatter the Entente. It actually made it stronger. The events of 1905 hastened a transformation in military strategy. The foreign secretary was forced to consider what would happen if a deterioration in relations with Germany occured.
The Advent of Sir Edward Grey
Grey took office in a moment of crisis. He was a conservative by tradition and inclinatino, yet he remained suprisingly radical in some of his domestic sympathies. "E.G. is like steel. His display of character is immense...it shines out." Grey was a big navy many and favored the Fisher reforms.
"It was essential that the Liberals...be represented by a man whose patriotism was not in doubt and who wuold gain support from both sides of the House." Does anyone exist like that anymore?
He was thought of as a statesmen rather than a politician. Against an alliance with Germany from the beginning, Grey favored alliances with the US, Russia, and France.
