Foreign Policy, Disraeli Flashcards
When was the Eastern Crisis?
1875-7
What foreign policy was Disraeli involved in during his first ministry?
The Eastern Crisis (including the Conference at Constantinople + the Treaty of Berlin)
What happened during the Eastern Crisis?
- The Balkan Christians suffered at the hands of the Turks
- The result of this was a revolt in Herzegovina and Bosnia, which was in effect a Balkan nationalist rising, it offered the chance of European interference
- Great Powers tried to deal with it diplomatically but Disraeli did not wish them to exploit the situation for their own ends
- The Dreikaiserbund issued the Berlin Memorandum which demanded change in the Turkish government, but Disraeli refused to sign on the grounds that he had not been involved in the initial stages, real reason was that it would weaken Turkey to the extent that it would not be able to prevent Russian expansion into the Mediterranean
- Disraeli sent naval vessels to the Dardanelles Straits and this was seen by Turkey as an indication of support
- Turkey committed more atrocities against the Christians and Disraeli initially minimised the importance of it, Gladstone made as much political mileage out of this by issuing the ‘The Bulgarian
Horrors and the Question of the East’ - Disraeli appeared to be indifferent to the sufferings of the Christians
Why was the Conference at Constantinople called?
It was called on Disraeli’s initiative to try and stem the worsening situation, but demands for Turkey to reform were rejected, Disraeli refused to pressurise the Turks.
What was the outcome of the Conference at Constantinople?
- The conference broke out and Russia declared war on Turkey in April 1877, justifying it on the grounds that it was acting on behalf of the Christians
- Disraeli made it clear that he would remain neutral on the condition that Russia did not threaten Britain’s position in Egypt or the Suez Canal or enter Constantinople
- Public opinion returned at home for Disraeli
- The war ended a year later, in which Russia proposed doubling the size of Bulgaria
- Britain and Austria demanded a European Congress
What was the outcome of the Treaty of Berlin?
- The ‘Big Bulgaria’ proposed was broken down and a smaller state was created and returned to Turkish suzerainty
- Britain received Cyprus, Britain could keep a watch on Russian ship movements to the north and south to the Suez Canal
- Turkey promised toleration of the Christians
- It was a great success for Disraeli as it limited Russia’s gains and the overall result strengthened Turkey in the Balkans and therefore the front against Russia, it also averted full scale war
What imperial policy was Disraeli involved in during his first ministry?
1) Egypt and the Suez Canal
2) South Africa and the Zulu War
3) British India
What was Disraeli’s view on Empire?
- The traditional view is that he aimed to pursue the expansion of the empire
- More recently historians have argued that he wished to preserve the empire
- To Disraeli, the empire brought prestige and power, and this gave Britain influence in Europe
What years was Disraeli involved in South Africa and the Zulu War?
1877-9
What year was Disraeli dealing with the Suez Canal?
1875
When was Disraeli dealing with British India?
1878-9
What happened concerning South Africa and the Zulu War?
- In 1877 the Earl of Carnarvon put pressure on the Transvaal Boers to accept annexation of the Transvaal by Britain to deal with the threat of a Zulu attack
- It was meant to be part of a bigger plan to form a South African Federation incorporating British and Dutch settlements, but as part of the British Empire
- Carnarvon appointed Sir Bartle Frere, who disobeyed orders from London and got involved in a war against the Zulus, in which a force of 1,220 British men was wiped out in January 1879
- Disraeli’s reputation suffered as he had given Carnarvon too much of a free hand
How did Disraeli gain influence over Egypt and the Suez Canal?
- The government of the Khedive of Egypt was on the verge if bankruptcy and Disraeli moved quickly to purchase shares
- Money was raised through a loan with the Jewish bankers the Rothschilds
What were the advantages of Britain having shares in the Suez Canal?
- Britain negotiated a low rate for British shipping to pass through the Canal, and this helped achieve cheaper imports and exports and so stimulated trade
- The deal established a solid British interest in Egypt
- It reduced travelling time to India and the Far East
- It provided an easy and speedy means of increasing military and naval forces in the Far East and more especially in India, where security concerns were growing
What happened concerning Disraeli and British India?
- There was a battle of wits between Russia and Britain as to who could gain control of Afghanistan first
- Disraeli thought it would be good to encourage good relations with the Amir of Afghanistan so that he would be sympathetic to British concerns rather than Russian ambitions
- Lord Lytton was appointed as Viceroy with the remit of setting up a British mission in Kabul, the Afghan capital
- In 1878, the Tsar set up a mission in Kabul
- Lytton was ordered to take no action until all diplomatic channels had been tried, but he ignored and sent troops to Afghanistan and chased the Russians out, a British mission was established in Kabul
- In September 1879, resentment against the British spilled over into a massacre of the entire mission, British troops were immediately dispatched to help, but order was not restored until Disraeli left office
- Disraeli was again criticised for giving Lytton too much power and for his lack of control over Lytton
