British Foreign Policy 1815-1914

Question 1

What is first important to understand regarding British geography?

Answer 1

Britain is a collection of islands off the coast off Europe

Great vulnerability, vulnerable to invasion - Napoleonic wars, Germany before WW1

Question 2

What did Britain have to avoid regarding the continent of Europe?

Answer 2

The threatening European powers grouping together, or a threatening power occupying Holland or Belgium as it could act as a springboard to invade Britain

Question 3

What was important to trade and the growth of trade in the c18?

Answer 3

The port of Antwerp - allowed for unfettered worldwide trade

Question 4

What kind of power was Britain in this period?

Answer 4

A maritime power - its main strength was its Navy.

Didn’t have a strong standing army

Question 5

What acted as the lifeblood and arteries of the British Empire?

Answer 5

Its ports and trade routes

Question 6

How was foreign policy used?

Answer 6

To preserve foreign colonial interests such as India, New Zealand and South Africa etc

Question 7

What area fell under the informal Empire?

Answer 7

The Middle East for example

Question 8

What was needed for Britain to maintain its worldwide interests and why was this?

Answer 8

It didn’t have the power to overcome every challenge it faced trying to maintain its control as the pre-eminent power it was during this time. Had to rely on bluffs to maintain its prestige

Question 9

How are foreign and domestic policy linked?

Answer 9

Foreign policy costs a lot of money - taxpayers, popularity of the govt and parties etc

Question 10

How did the Government and Primeminister contribute to foreign policy?

Answer 10

They felt like they should intervene in determining it - especially the PM

Question 11

How did the Foreign Secretary influence foreign policy?

Answer 11

On aday to day basis - dealt with relations between Britain and foreign countries

Question 12

What constraints were there in formulating foreign policy?

Answer 12

Parliament - HoC - voted a sum of money each year for the govt to use in foreign policy - Parliament would try and reduce foreign policy budget each year
The Monarch - constitutionally - see and alter each and every diplomatic exchange sent from the Foreign office.
Monarch of the day could dig his or her heels in - impediment of some policies

Question 13

What dictated how much the Foreign Office could do with foreign policy?

Answer 13

The Treasury - as they held the money needed

Question 14

How did intelligence gathering change?

Answer 14

There were intelligence gatherers, both covert and overt.
In the late c19 and early c20 intelligence formalised in a way we would recognise today. With the MI5 in 1909 and MI6 at the end of WW1

Question 15

What carried on almost constantly from 1793 and what did it result in?

Answer 15

Was at war with France. Therefore needed coalitions with other powers to ensure victory - exposed weaknesses

Question 16

What did the conflict with France result in economically?

Answer 16

Britain had to subsidise other countries for the war which meant they essentially bankrolled the entire thing.
Britain suffered massively in its trade, in part due to the blockade system by Napoleon - resulted in national debt

Question 17

What fears did the war with France bring up?

Answer 17

The war with France required higher taxes, and there was a fear of civil unrest and maybe even a revolution as seen in France

Question 18

Who did Britain look to for allies? And what was the thinking behind it?

Answer 18

The conservative powers such as Russia, Austria, Prussia etc - Russia only beginning to emerge as a potential rival - tried to get them onside.
To isolate and contain France.
And with an independent and larger Holland, independent Germany states, Switzerland and the restoration of Italian states - it was hoped that France would be surrounded with nations sympathetic to Britain

Question 19

What was the 1815 Settlement?

Answer 19

It was partly driven by commercial interest, but also strategic and wasn’t a pure British initiative
An Alliance of Conservative powers, anti-revolution powers - Russia, Prussia, Austria and Britain - ending Bonapartist dynasty in France
Try to resuscitate France as well - a friendly France

Question 20

How did relations with France change?

Answer 20

Eventually - France and GB came together and supported Belgian revolution
Relations with France improved - allies in Crimean war - still mutual suspicion, rumbled through c19 into early c20
Partly diminished due to concerns about Russia increasing

Question 21

What were the aims of mid c19 foreign policy?

Answer 21

Access to markets, free trade, open door to pursuit of profit

Question 22

What was the ethos and method behind mid c19 foreign policy?

Answer 22

Commerce the ‘pioneer of civilisation’ - gun boat diplomacy and annexations a last resort to attain commercial/strategic goals, where there is no possible policy to hand that would work, as it was obviously expensive and would get you into trouble

Question 23

Who were the practitioners of mid c19 foreign policy?

Answer 23

An imperially minded ruling elite, v wealthy - underpinned by other wealthy people who knew each other, shared common ideas of being the top power

Question 24

What undermined Britain’s position in the early c20?

Answer 24

Its rivals - rapidly industrialising nations - US, Japan, Germany etc - who had their own imperial interests

Question 25

Why did Britain become allied with Japan in 1902?

Answer 25

Partly because Russia was extending its interest towards China (the Great Game.) Fear they were getting the upper hand and this alliance would allow the British Navy to patrol these areas.
Fear that Japan and Russia would ally
Russia and France allied, a powerful adversary - needed an alliance with Japan despite any racial stereotpyes

Question 26

What happened in April 1904?

Answer 26

The Entente Cordiale

Question 27

What was the thinking behind the Entente Cordiale?

Answer 27

If relations between Britain and France improved, relations between Britain and Russia might also improve - which would be beneficial in the Middle East
Relations with Germany worsened and Britain had to decide either to ally with Germany or with France and Russia
Main focus was to improve relations with France

Question 28

What was the main provision of the Entente Cordiale?

Answer 28

Britain recognised the French ascendancy in Morocco, and France recognised British ascendancy in Egypt

Question 29

What wasn’t the Entente Cordiale?

Answer 29

An alliance - it was just a friendly agreement

Question 30

What happened in August 1907?

Answer 30

The Anglo-Russian Convention

Question 31

What was the thinking behind the Anglo-Russian Convention?

Answer 31

Wanted to resolve longstanding tensions with Russia - as with their railways they could send thousands of troops from Russian heartland to Indian frontier or to S Africa.
And Britain was also starting to see Germany as a major threat
Again, was just a friendly agreement rather than an alliance

Question 32

What can it be argued these ‘friendly agreements’ led to and why?

Answer 32

Did they lead to war? As the agreements began to harden into formal alliances and arrangements due to the nature of German policy
As well as the Naval race with Germany

Question 33

What did Sir Walter Grey do?

Answer 33

Manipulated the truth to suggest a greater obligation to ally with France than there was in reality