The Anglo-German agreement over Portugal's African colonies, 1898

140 Pages·2017·13.46 MB·English

by  Robert Dennis Fiala

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Student Work
1-1-1963
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Robert Dennis Fiala
University of Nebraska at Omaha
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Fiala, Robert Dennis, "The Anglo-German agreement over Portugal's African colonies, 1898" (1963).
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1898
by
Robert Dennis Pi aim
k fhesis
Presented bo
the Graduate Faculty of the Department of History
University of Omaha
m Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Master of Arte
January 19&3
UMI Number: EP73075
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This study was originally to have examined only the
actual negotiations for the proposed Anglo-German loan, to Por­
tugal in I898# In order to delve into this historical prob­
lem, however, it became necessary to set the stage for the
actual narrative. In this case the stag® has become almost
a panoramic view of th© diplomacy of the late nineteenth cen­
tury. It is difficult to separate any European diplomatic
issue of this period from the Iron Chancellor of Germany,
Otto von Bismarck, and since this m s also a period of bur­
geoning colonies, the author has briefly examined both Bis­
marck! an diplomacy and colonial expansion in Africa. The
author hopes his first two chapters have not become overly
extended in his attempt to portray th© diplomatic and colonial
problems which formed the basis of misunderstanding and dis­
trust in the final negotiations.
In order to avoid possible confusion the author would
like to point out several stylistic adaptations. Following
accepted procedure th© author has insert©! an nen into um-
lauted German words. He has also abbreviated th© headings on
diplomatic exchanges to just th® surname of th© correspondent.
Further Identification is provided either within the texto r
in the Preference Index in Appendix B.
11
AcmoyfmmnimfB
fh# author wishes to express his sincere appreciation
to th© members of th© faculty of th© Department of History,
Uni verslly of Omaha* for the words of criticism and advice
given him while he served as Intern in th# Department* Spe­
cial thanks are due to Drs* Raymond A. Smith, Jr. and Georg#
A# Bothrock, Jr., under whom he served in the above position.
He is particularly indebted to Mr* David Adams for his as­
sistance with the maps to his advisor, Dr* A. Stanley
Trickett, for his patience, advice, criticism, and faithful
prodding of a neophyte historian.
R. D. F*
ill
TABlfB OF COMTMTS
Page
PREFACE......... 11
ACaCNOWUSDOMSHTS .iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS . . . . . . . . . ........... IV
LIST OF M A P S ............ . .......... . ...............Vi
Chapter
I. THE BISMAKCKIAN HHA . ..................... 1
The Opening of Africa . . . * • • • • .......... • 1
Great Britain and Burope ........ 5
Disraeli and the British Colonial Policy . . . . . 9
Bismarck1© Opposition to Colonies . . . . . . . . . 11
Germany Enters the Colonial Field . . . . . . . . . 1 5
Death of Milliam I ......... 22
II. AilGLO-GBRMAJ? RELATIONS, 1890-1896 . . . . . . . . . 2b
The Mew Course in Germany . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 ^
The Heligoland Agreement • • • • . « ............ 25
The Franc o-Bussian Entente • • . • • • • • • • • • 3 3 .
Gladstone’s Third Ministry . . . . . ........ • ♦ 3^
Great Britain and the Triple Alliance......... . 37
Agreements in Central Africa, lQ9b . . . . . . . . V)
The Jameson Raid and the Kruger Telegram . . . . . J+5
III. PORTUGAL’S FINANCIAL CRISIS . ......... . . . . 51
Traditional Anglo-Portuguese Friendship . . . . . . 51
The Dselagoa Bay-Pretoria Railway Crisis * * • * - 53
Anglo-Portuguese Estrangement • • » • 9*
The Proposed British Loan to Portugal, IB97 ft « . 58
IT* ENGLAND, GERMANY, AND THE PORTUGUESE MAN * • ft . <&
Germany Hints at an Anglo-German Agreement ft ft . 65
Negotiations for an Anglo-German Alliance « ft # . 66
Chamberlain Seeks Ties with Germany * . * • ft * . 66
H&tzfeldt Broaches Question of Anglo-Portuguese oan73
German Pressure for a Loan • * • • • • • • ft ft • 75
Pinal Attempt at Bilateral Anglo-Portuguese Loan . 81
Portugal Rejects British Offer * * . 82
Proposals and Counter-proposals • * . 83
Balfour1s Plan for Pinal Settlement ♦ • * .
Signing the Treaty * . . * * * ........ *
V* RESULTS OF THB ANGLO-GERMAN AGRSEl^NT • * . « * . 99
The 'Press Reaction to the .Agreement « . . . • « . 99
German Motives in the Negotiations * • , ♦ e * .101
French Attempt to Secure the Loan to Portugal * .10**
The taglo-Portuguese Negotiations ♦ ♦ . • . • * .106
The Anglo-?ortuguese Agreement * * • * • * • * .110
VI* CONCLUSIONS * * ........
Th© Avowed Purpose was Unsuccessful * • * * * * .112
Review of Purposes of the Two Participants • * .113
The General Attempt at Agreement . . . . . # * .116
APPENDIX A THE ANGM-GSR?!M AGREEMENT, AUGUST 30, 1898 .117
APPENDIX B REFERENCE INDEX . , * * „ * ........ ft ft .122
B TBLIOGR A P H Y ......................... , . * .
V
LIST OF MAPS
Map Page
I. jtffGLO-CONSOLSSS AGBEEMEHT, MAY 12, 189^......... kS
XI. SOUTH AFRICA, 1 8 9 5 ......................... . . . k6
III. GERMAN PROPOSALS, OTT.Y 27, 1898 ................. . 88
IV. AHGLO-GHRKAH AGREEMENT, AUGUST 30, 1898...........97
CHAPTER
I
THE 3ISMAHCKIAK ERA f 1870-1890
The last four decades of the nineteenth century brought
an abrupt shift of European interest from the continent to
other areas of the world* Adventurers explored unknown areas
of Africa and the South Seas. Continental rivals often
worked side by side in colonial areas* The three largest
powers, Germanyf France, and Great Britain claimed territory
and concessions in southeast Asia and Africa* The exploration
and division of the latter provides an excellent example of
continental rivalry in colonial areas in the late nineteenth
century*
Africa had been a lfdark continent*1 prior to th© expedi­
tions of discovery of th© mid-nineteenth century* While there
were European settlements in Africa before this time, most
were along the coasts. Rarely did the claimant attempt to
establish territorial limitations; even more infrequently were
settlements incorporated into integral colonies*
Portugal was the first European power in modern times
to settle African territory south of the Sahara. As early as
l¥fl she had established a slave trade in posts north of the
equator, and by the beginning of the seventeenth century Por­
tuguese settlements existed on both the east and west coasts
2
of southern Africa* Angola, the western settlement, soon
emerged as the more important, due to the thriving slave trade
with the Hew World*^
the leading European colonial power was Great Britain,
a country which had established colonies or interests in North
America, Asia, Australia, and Africa. Ih the latter region, as
in the others, Great Britain originally had entered upon a
colonial policy for economic advantage. Many felt that It
would be possible to realise a favorable balance of trade*
In 1652 the Dutch established the first European settlement
on the south African cape; the British soon followed suit* A
strong rivalry developed between the two powers over the ex­
cellent harbor facilities at the Gape* In 1781 a British
squadron made an unsuccessful attempt to seise the Dutch set­
tlement; a later effort proved more rewarding, however, and
the British established control in 1795* After briefly re­
verting to the Dutch after the Peace of Amiens in 1802, the
territory became permanently British in 1806*'~' From this
date, British interests In Africa continued tc expand, although
at times at a very slow rata*
Dissatisfaction with British rule and particularly with
^ James Duffy, Portuguese Afy,lea, (Cambridge 1 Harvard
University Press, 19W), P* W* Hereafter cited as Duffy,
.Portuguese} Africa. The ' slave trade comprised about eighty
per cent of the total exports of Angola* Ibid*
P
James A* Williamson, £ Bfoort Hi,story o.fr British Ex­
pansion* 2M M o m Smnir^ M ComgiomSlth. vol. 11 (hth
ed*; Londons Macmillan and Co., Ltd., 1958), pp. 116-120.
Hereafter cited as Williamson, British Expansion.