A Dictionary of British History », Subjects: The German Government was unwise enough to explain in the Reichstag in very plain terms that the famous Kruger telegram had been sent in order to ascertain whether, under the pretext of defending the independence of the Transvaal Republic, an anti-British coalition embracing the Powers of the Dual Alliance and of the Triple Alliance might be formed, and that the attempt had failed because France had placed herself on England's side. “Splendid isolation” – Great Britain’s foreign policy doctrine from around the end of the 19th century – is making a comeback. It turned into insecurity when the European political atmosphere became menacing, esp. A free English nation residing in an island citadel gave the greatest encouragement to revolt to subject nations on the Continent, and was therefore an ever-present danger to rulers such as Philip the Second, Louis the Fourteenth, and Napoleon the First. The foreign plan adopted by Britain to stay out of the war and not make any alliances. script.setAttribute("async", true); Splendid this isolation will not be. The first breach in the policy of splendid isolation was made in 1902 when Great Britain entered into a Treaty of Alliance with Japan. Chance, not the ability of British statesmen, preserved Britain from a war with all Europe. The British Empire could be attacked in many parts and in unexpected ways. (1784—1865) prime minister, Joseph Chamberlain What does SPLENDID ISOLATION mean? var d = new Date(); ‘We are here as a senior club in an area of splendid isolation in a sense.’. Numerous attempts were made by Germany to arrive at a working understanding with France and Russia in extra-European affairs, and to merge the two European alliances into a single one for action over sea. During these years, Victoria had won not only the love and devotion of her subjects, the respect and veneration of the outside world for her nobility of life and character, but also the admiration of statesmen for her sanity of judgment and inflexible honorableness of conduct in politics and diplomacy. document.getElementsByTagName("head")[0].appendChild(script); In Gladstone’s first ministry he was President of the Poor-law Board (1868—71), and subsequentl First Lord of the Admiralty 1871-4).  The link was not copied. In 1895 a controversy arose between Great Britain and the United States over the question of the boundary between British Guiana and Venezuela. As late as 1905 Great Britain stood practically alone in the world. As descriptive of British foreign policy, the phrase was most famously used by Lord Goschen, First Lord of the Admiralty, during a speech at Lewes, Sussex, on February 26, 1896, when he said: . #ga-ad {display: none;} ‘We preferred to decline in splendid isolation rather than prosper in a mundane community of Continentals under the Treaty of Rome which set up … Britain was in a latent state of war with Russia. For most of the 19th cent. The international anti-British press campaign during the South African War had shown that such a coalition would be very popular. script.setAttribute("onerror", "setNptTechAdblockerCookie(true);"); Why, then, should they exert themselves in England's favor? Source for information on ‘splendid isolation’: The Oxford Companion to British History dictionary. Splendid isolation: ‘Philosopher’s islands’ and the reimagination of space ... Part of Britain’s semi-mythical history centred specifically around the nature of Britain as an island world by destiny placed apart from the rest of the earth and thus singled out for a special role in history. Your current browser may not support copying via this button. Largely owing to the skilful policy of Germany, there was constant friction between France and England in Siam, Egypt, West Africa and Newfoundland, and once or twice Britain was on the brink of war with that France. The security of Great Britain from European attack rested upon the preservation of the balance of power on the Continent. Great Britain's security was bound up with the maintenance of the balance of power in Europe, and Brtain must defend that balance of power as determinedly as did her greatest rulers and statesmen—Queen Elizabeth, Cromwell, Marlborough, Chatham, Pitt. Britain was diplomatically isolated, in the sense of having what Palmerston called ‘no eternal allies’ to whom she owed favours, except in circumstances where her own interests were affected. The UK’s approach is, like its geographical position, diametrically opposed to what is happening in the South Pacific. In many important crises the powers acted together in common accord, in order to promote peace and to avoid war. March 24, 2021. Britain was diplomatically isolated, having what Palmerston called ‘no eternal allies’ to whom she owed favours. In January, 1901, alarming reports began to be circulated regarding the health of the queen; and on January 22, she died at the advanced age of eighty-two years. Under these circumstances it was only natural that the sympathies of Great Britain went towards the Triple Alliance. The Berlin Conference of 1878 — the last great event of the kind — restrained Russia from assuming the "Protectorate" of the enfranchised States of the Ottoman empire; and as Lord Beaconsfield had previously bought up the greater part of the Suez Canal shares, and obtained Cyprus for a British station in the Levant, he left his mark upon the "Eastern Question" as only second to that of Palmerston. (function(src){var a=document.createElement("script");a.type="text/javascript";a.async=true;a.src=src;var b=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];b.parentNode.insertBefore(a,b)})("//experience.tinypass.com/xbuilder/experience/load?aid=bYdYZQml5V"); Following the Crimean War, since Lord Palmerston's time [Prime Minister 1855-1858], England had claimed that its policy was one of "splendid isolation." Up to 1901 British relations with the Powers of the Dual Alliance were very unsatisfactory. The naval forces of France were concentrated in Toulon and Bizerta, and threatened demonstratively Malta and Britain's route to the East via the Suez Canal. Great Britain met with more or less disguised Russian opposition, intrigue and hostility in Turkey, Persia, Afghanistan, Thibet, China, in the Yellow Sea and in the Persian Gulf. } . Even the period of so-called ‘Splendid Isolation’ of the late 19 th century was not really such: it was a period during which Britain did not sign treaties, but it remained active in global and European affairs. In a speech at Lewes on 26 February 1896, Viscount Goschen said "We are said to be isolated, but I say that which I know when I say that we have but to hold out our hands and our isolation will terminate, and we shall receive welcome into several groups of other Powers. You could not be signed in, please check and try again. These have unhinged hallowed custom and tradition. After 1885, foreign ministers were interested, not only in questions concerning dynasties and treaties, but in colonial boundaries, spheres of influence, rights of possession, trade routes and markets, tariffs and tariff treaties. Content in Canadian Historical Review published by @utpjournals. Britain and France settle all outstanding colonial disputes in Africa. Between 1837 and 1901, the material, political, and social life, not only of England, but of Europe as a whole, had undergone a great transformation. "true" : "false") + "; expires=" + d.toUTCString() + "; path=/"; ‘We are here as a senior club in an area of splendid isolation in a sense.’. Russia, following her traditional policy in Asia, advanced with sap and mine sometimes from the one side, sometimes from the other, upon the British position in India. Arched volumes define Casona Sforza resort in Mexico by Alberto Kalach. There were even several proposals for a formal treaty relationship between Germany and Britain, but they went nowhere, as Britain preferred to stand in what it called "splendid isolation." used for saying that someone or something is kept separate from other people or things in a way that makes them seem special Synonyms and related words Definition and synonyms of in splendid isolation from the online English dictionary from Macmillan Education. French and German ships and Russian and German ships were frequently seen side by side. How neuroscience principles can lead to better learning Britain could afford to follow the policy of 'splendid isolation' because of her naval supremacy. History showed that each nation which became supreme in Europe — Spain under Philip the Second, France under Louis the Fourteenth and Fifteenth and Napoleon the First — came into collision with Britain. when Kaiser Wilhelm II was about to challenge British naval supremacy. Ended with Britain's alliance in the Triple Entente. Joseph Chamberlain in particular feared for the future of the British empire if it could not find an ally in Europe, and negotiated with Germany. This was the context of Canadian premier Sir Wilfrid Laurier's description of Britain's situation in February 1896 as one of ‘splendid’ isolation, arising, he claimed, ‘from her superiority’. . From 1889 to 1896 Britain had a Two-Power standard of equality with the navies of France and Russia. While Great Britain was inclined to support the Triple Alliance against the Dual Alliance, the Powers of the Triple Alliance were not by any means inclined reciprocally to support Great Britain against France and Russia. However 'splendid isolation' is a misleading term as it was not that Britain was deliberately refusing to have anything to do with the rest of the world as she signed the Mediterranean Agreements and negotiated boundary settlements in Africa. A diplomatic milestone that saw an end to Britain's splendid isolation, the alliance was renewed and expanded in scope twice, in 1905 and 1911, … Copy this link, or click below to email it to a friend. . For the term splendid isolation may also exist other definitions and meanings, the meaning and definition indicated above are indicative not be used for medical and legal or special purposes. The reason for this phenomenon is obvious. 03-08-2012 18:33:58 ZULU. document.cookie = "__adblocker=; expires=Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 GMT; path=/"; . In the modern system of European politics we could at any moment, I believe, make such alliances as we chose. "Constantinople must be either French or Cossack," said Napoleon I. — The obverse of this, of course, was that no other country owed favours to her. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an individual user may print out a PDF of a single entry from a reference work in OR for personal use (for details see Privacy Policy and Legal Notice). Anglo-German arms race. The course of events had deprived Russia of the sole "Protectorship" of Turkey, and the French policy under Napoleon I was openly directed towards its conquest. British Foreign Policy - Splendid Isolation - 1860-1905 Following the Crimean War, since Lord Palmerston's time [Prime Minister 1855-1858], England had claimed that its … Beginning with the Berlin conference of 1885, the European powers were able to complete the partition of Africa in fourteen years, without war. ‘splendid isolation’. Our isolation is not an isolation of weakness, or of contempt for ourselves: it is deliberately chosen; the freedom to act as we choose in any circumstances that may arise.". script.setAttribute("src", "//www.npttech.com/advertising.js"); ». And from 1897 to 1905 Britain had a Two-Power standard based on the strength of the French and Russian Fleets, with a margin over of 10 percent, to provide for contingencies in view of the growing power of the German Fleet. d.setTime(d.getTime() + 60 * 60 * 24 * 2 * 1000); Britain was diplomatically isolated, having what Palmerston called ‘no eternal allies’ to whom she owed favours. With the first, war was more than once imminent; with the second it actually took place. Treaty of Brest-Litovsk Foreign relations were no longer limited to the European continent. An Anglo-Russian or an Anglo-French war, which would have weakened the Dual Alliance, was evidently advantageous to the three central-European Powers, especially to the leading one, the more so if it was long drawn out and exhaustive to both combatants. @media only screen and (min-device-width : 320px) and (max-device-width : 480px) { British statesmen had, for instance, to be prepared for an expedition against India in which Russian weight of numbers would be reinforced by German intelligence, thoroughness, and foresight. The term was actually coined by a Canadian politician to praise Britain's lack of involvement Splendid Isolation is a popular conception of the foreign policy pursued by Britain during the late 19th century, under the Conservative premierships of Benjamin Disraeli and the Marquess of Salisbury. Splendid Isolation: Term used to describe Britain's diplomatic isolation and attitude towards foreign policy before the outbreak of the First World War. 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