Suez Canal, Zanzibar and Weihaiwei Flashcards
When was the Suez Canal completed? Who financed it? How large of a stake did the Egyptian Khedive have?
What financial issues did the Canal have to begin with?
What would it eventually become vital for?
What did it make competitive for the first time? Which nation would soon begin to use the canal?
-The Suez Canal was completed in 1869.
-It had been engineered by Frenchman Ferdinand de Lesseps with French finance.
-The Egyptian khedive had a 44% stake.
-The initial finance position was precarious as it had gone well over its budget and demand was low since it could only accept steamships.
-The Canal eventually became vital for long distance trade especially to India.
-It made steamships competitive on Asian trade routes for the first time and lots of British trade began to use the canal.
What concerned British gov’t regarding the Canal?
What was the Khedive eventually forced to do? Who bought stakes for the Canal on behalf the British?
What year?
Were gov’t aware of his purchasing of the stakes?
Where did he receive finance?
What did he argue was his reasoning behind the purchase?
Who criticised this move? Why?
When was this proved?
-The British government was concerned at not having control over such a vital trade route as the stock was mostly French owned.
-The indebted Egyptian Khedive was forced to sell his stock to pay debts.
-Disraeli bought his stake without consulting parliament using finance from the Rothschild’s in 1875.
-Disraeli admitted that buying canal shares was not for financial gain but was for geopolitical reasons.
-Gladstone criticised the move for possibly dragging Britain into military disputes in Egypt.
-This did happen in 1882. (Anglo-Egyptian war)
What type of trading system had Zanzibar been using before British involvement?
What did trade heavily rely on?
When did British interests in Zanzibar increase? Why?
What did it put pressure on the Sultan to do in 1822?
How did Britain involve itself in championing successive Sultans?
Why were tariffs kept low in Zanzibar? Despite losing the slave trade what did it become an important entrepot for?
-Zanzibar had been an entrepot under the Sultanate of Oman before Britain got involved.
-Trade relied on ivory and slaves.
-British interests increased in Zanzibar after 1815 to secure the route to India.
-Britain got increasingly involved in the politics of the area. It put pressure on the Sultan to end the slave trade and exports of slaves were banned in 1822.
-Britain supported candidates for Sultan who were favourable to British interests.
-Zanzibar lost the slave trade but became an important entrepot for ivory and spices. Tariffs were kept low due to European influence.
Why had East Africa never been attractive for European investors?
What did the German Karl Peters do in 1884?
What did the German Chancellor Bismarck declare Peters to be in 1885? How was his Company saved?
What changed the British position in East Africa?
What did William Mackinnon set up after Peters success? What did he win to support this? How much money did he get?
Did the association make money? What was it successful for?
-East Africa had never been attractive for investors due to poor infrastructure.
-Karl Peter’s began an initiative in 1884 with funds from small investors and won trade concessions but seemed likely to fail.
-German Chancellor Bismarck declared Peters to be under German protection in 1885.
-The future of the company was secured when the German Kaiser invested £25,000 of his own money in 1887.
-German expansion changed the British position in East Africa.
-William Mackinnon, who had previously set up a trading company which failed, tried again after Peters succeeded. He won a trade concession and set up a British East Africa association.
-£250,000
-The association never made money but it did establish a British presence in East Africa where Britain had never previously been interested.
Besides German expansionim why else did Britain’s interest grow in East Africa?
What happened between Britain and Germany as a result? The Sultan?
What was eventually agreed between Britain and Germany regarding Zanzibar?
What year did Zanzibar become a British protectorate?
Who took power when the pro-British Sultan died in 1896?
What did Britain do in response?
How many Zanzibars died? British injured?
How long was this war?
-Britain became increasingly interested in East Africa as it wanted to secure upper and lower reaches to the Nile to sustain its permanent looking occupation of Egypt.
-Britain and Germany fought for strategic advantage on mainland Africa.
-The Sultan of Zanzibar’s rights were ignored.
-Britain and Germany agreed that it would become a British protectorate in 1890 without consulting him.
-His cousin seized power.
-Britain preferred another candidate and bombarded the city.
-500 Zanzibars died. 1 injured British sailor.
-This war was 38 minutes.
What did the acquisition of Zanzibar highlight about the relationship between Imperialist European nations and local rulers?
Why was Britain losing its advantage as the most industrialised country by the late 19th century?
Why was Russia considered a Great Power despite slow industrialisation?
-The acquisition of Zanzibar showed that the concerns or status of local rulers were unimportant. Industrialised European countries were greatly superior to any others.
-Britain’s advantage as the most industrialised country was eroding as France, Germany and the USA began to catch up.
-Russia was slow to industrialise but was considered a great power due to its size. Britain had fought in Crimea and had struggled geopolitically during the ‘Great Game’ in Asia.
Why did Russia seek a warm water port in its east?
What happened in its previous advances 1881?
What type of modernisation did China embark on in the 1880s? With support from who? What did they build to guard the Yellow sea?
Who captured Port Arthur in 1894?
Who did Russia gain support from to drive this force from Port Arthur?
Once back in Chinese hands what happened to Port Arthur by 1898?
-Russia sought a warm-water port in its east so that it could take part in lucrative Chinese trade.
-Its previous advances in China failed in 1881 when war loomed.
-China embarked on a military modernisation during the 1880s.
-Used German weapons and commissioned German engineers to build a fortress at Port Arthur to guard the Yellow Sea.
-Japan captured Port Arthur in 1894, looking to expand its own influence.
-Russia got French and German support to drive Japan from Port Arthur in return to support French and German interests elsewhere in Asia.
-China was unable to defend Port Arthur so leased it back to Russia in 1898.
What did Britain do in response to newly Russian acquired Port Arthur?
What year was Weihaiwei leased?
Did it have any other benefits beside geo-politics?
What does this acquistion mirror elsewhere in the Empire?
-Britain was concerned by the Russian growth so demanded another port from China to keep watch of Russian imperialism at Port Arthur.
-Weihaiwei was leased in 1898
-NO. It was not useful for either trade nor navy-the lease was purely for geopolitical reasons as it would expire when Russia left Port Arthur.
-This mirrors the establishment of unprofitable British protectorates in East Africa. (I.E. Sudan)
