The colonial division of the world, which began in 1494 with the Treaty of Tordesillas between Spain and Portugal, towards the end of the 19th century. was not completed, despite the fact that over four centuries the world leaders changed, and the number of colonial powers increased several times. The most active players in the territorial division of the world in the last quarter of the XIX century. were Great Britain and France. The socio-economic processes taking place in them became the root cause of the unrestrained expansionist aspirations of these states.
Great Britain, despite the loss of the status of "workshop of the world" after the completion of industrial revolutions in Germany, Italy, Russia, USA, France and Japan, in the last quarter of the XIX century. not only preserved, but also significantly expanded its colonial empire. The seizure of yet undivided territories was the main content of British foreign policy at the time. This became the reason for the numerous colonial wars of Great Britain, which she waged in Asia and Africa. [1]
A remarkable analysis of the foundations of British colonial policy in the period under review was given by regional expert V. L. Bodyansky: “The European economic crisis of 1873 significantly weakened the influence of liberalism in Great Britain with its free-trade slogans and in many ways contributed to raising the authority of the conservatives. One of the leaders of the Conservatives, B. Disraeli, took into account the need for the British bourgeoisie to look for new directions for investment and put forward the slogan of "imperialism", which implied the further strengthening and expansion of the British Empire with the simultaneous transformation of the colonies into stable sources of raw materials and capacious markets, and in the future - in guaranteed areas of capital investment. The slogan was a success, and in 1874 Disraeli took over the cabinet. With his coming to power, “a new era of imperial politics began, preaching the use of force as the best means to strengthen the empire” [2].
B. Disraeli
The new position of the British government on the colonial issue found understanding among the highest colonial officials, especially in India, where it was previously believed that new conquests would lead to the solution of many complex problems. The Anglo-Indian authorities immediately abandoned the "closed border policy" and proclaimed a new course - the "forward policy". [3]
The "offensive policy" developed by the apparatus of the Viceroy of India, Lord Lytton, was based on an extensive program of expansion in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. In particular, in the Persian Gulf region, it was planned to achieve the establishment of a British protectorate not only over the sheikhs of Eastern Arabia, but even over Iran. [4] These kinds of projects were much more "imperialist" than Disraeli's "imperialism". At the same time, they seemed real, which was explained by some peculiarities of the international situation, for example, by the fact that none of the leading Western powers had legal grounds for direct interference in the activities of the British in the Persian Gulf region”[5].
R. Bulwer-Lytton
However, Russia and France, led by Presidents Felix Faure (1895-1899) and Emile Loubet (1899-1906), repeatedly attempted to oppose the establishment of British hegemony in the region, sending their warships there, in particular trying to prevent the establishment of a British protectorate over Oman … In 1902, the last time a Russian-French squadron consisting of the cruisers Varyag and Inferne arrived in Kuwait to prevent its capture by Great Britain. However, in connection with the education in 1904-1907. in contrast to the Triple Alliance of the Entente, Russian-French activity in the Persian Gulf area ceased. [6] In addition, the creation of the Entente provided freedom of action for Great Britain in Egypt and France in Morocco, with the proviso that the final plans of France in Morocco would take into account the interests of Spain in this country. [7] For Great Britain, the formation of the Entente also meant the end of the era of "brilliant isolation" - the foreign policy course that the United Kingdom followed in the second half of the 19th century, which was expressed in the refusal to enter into long-term international alliances. [8]
F. Fore
E. Loubet
In the same period, financial capital began to develop rapidly in France, which was actively exported abroad, especially in the form of investments in foreign securities. The colonies, in addition to continuing to be important as a source of raw materials and a market for industrial products, became a sphere of capital investment, which brought much greater profits. Therefore, France took an active part in the struggle of the major powers in completing the territorial division of the world. Thus, the French colonialists seized vast territories in West and Central Africa and began to advance into East Africa. [9]
France's actions on further seizures on the "Black Continent" met with opposition from Great Britain: France sought to reach the upper Nile and create conditions for the unification of its Central African possessions, and Great Britain claimed the entire valley and the right tributaries of the Nile. This led to the Fashoda crisis, which became the most acute episode of rivalry between these powers for the partition of Africa, as it put them on the brink of war.
Fashoda confrontation
The reason for the Fashoda crisis was the capture in July 1898 by the French detachment of Captain Marchand of the village of Fashoda (now Kodok, South Sudan). In response, the British government in an ultimatum demanded that France recall this detachment and began military preparations. So, in September of the same year, a detachment of the commander of the Anglo-Egyptian army, Major General Kitchener, arrived in Fashoda, shortly before that defeated the army of the Sudanese rebels near Omdurman. France, not ready for war with Great Britain and fearing a weakening of its positions in Europe, on October 3, 1898, decided to withdraw Marchand's detachment from Fashoda. [10]
J.-B. Marchand
G.-G. Kitchener
On March 21, 1899, an agreement was signed between Great Britain and France on the delimitation of spheres of influence in East and Central Africa. France was transferred to Western Sudan, with areas in the Lake Chad region, and was granted the right to trade in the Nile Basin. [11] The parties pledged not to acquire either territory or political influence, respectively, to the east and west of the demarcation line established by this agreement. These agreements marked the beginning of the Anglo-French rapprochement, especially since after Fashoda the German-British and Franco-German conflicts came to the fore, including over the colonies. These contradictions created the preconditions for the formation of the Entente and the joint struggle of Great Britain and France against the countries participating in the Quadruple Alliance in the First World War. [12]
