Why did Britain emerge from Splendid Isolation between 1890-1904?
Why did Britain emerge from Splendid Isolation between 1890-1904?
The ending of British Isolation with the rest of Europe being controlled in a complex string of alliances and treaties during the later half of the 19th century 1890-1904, Britain remained uninvolved. Their policy of “Splendid Isolation” was to keep themselves out of quarrels and disputes of continental Europe, and allow them to focus on their overseas empire. Britain soon learnt that if she was to maintain her interest in the vast empire this would eventually lead to disputes with other European nations and she needed allies if she was to preserve her role as a world power.
In 1888 Kaiser Wilhelm ascended onto the German throne. His mother Victoria the eldest child of Queen Victoria tried to force on her son the outlook of a 19th-century British Liberal and bring him up as an English gentleman. The result, however, was to make him sympathetic to those who were urging him to fulfill the ideal of the Prussian people. He longed to achieve recognition from the rest of the world that Germany was as great, if not greater than Britain by using diversionary tactics known as Weltpolitik. This meant that Kaiser asserted himself in three ways the navy, empire and economy. He believed that the only way to achieve “a place in the sun” was to build a navy and establish colonies like Britain. With the interest of other nations to hold overseas colonies, Britain’s empire was under attack. This German commercial rivalry with Britain greatened German desire to take control over the rule of the waves. Desperate to become leading power, German businessmen ventured into the construction of a railway running from Berlin to Baghdad. Britain feared that the Germans were too close to the Suez Canal and India. The Suez Canal was an important waterway to India. If this was to fall into the hands of the Germans there would be sever consequences to Britain’s ability to transport to and from India known as “the jewel of the empire” would be disrupted. In 1898 a passage of a naval law provided Germany with nineteen new battleships. This was the beginning of the naval race between Germany and Britain. Even though Germany would not be able to win this race Germany still imposed a great threat. It was not only Germanys aggressive policies that brought Britain out of their” Splendid Isolation” Britain’s interests in Africa would also bring about change to this policy. The Fashoda Crisis and the Boer war played a key role in making Britain seek out alliances with other countries.
