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The Fashoda Crisis
The Fashoda Crisis was a climax of African territorial disputes between Britain and France. Britain wanted to link Uganda with Egypt by creating a "Cape to Cairo" Railway, while France wanted to occupy the land from the east to west coast of Africa (headwaters of Nile). Jean Baptiste Marchand (France) and Sir Herbert Kitchener (Britain) eventually had to confront each other at Fashoda over an obscure outpost. Eventually, the French conceded, wanting to gain Britain's support against Germany. -
The Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought between Great Britain and two Boer republics, the South African Republic (Transvaal) and the Orange Free State. The war broke out after the British rejected the Transvaal Ultimatum, which called for arbitration to settle all disputes between the two states, the withdrawal of British troops on the border, and the prevention of troops from invading South Africa by ship. The war ended with British victory, along with the signing of the Treaty of Vereeniging in 1902. -
Anglo-Japanese Alliance
The Anglo-Japanese Alliance was an alliance formed between Britain and Japan, for the purpose of defending their respective interests in China and Korea due to the fear of Russian expansion. The alliance discouraged France, Russia's ally, from defending Russia and also obligated that both countries (Britain and Japan) remain neutral if at war, and to provide military aid to each other if either country is forced to fight a war between two or more powers. -
Entente Cordiale
The Entente Cordiale was an agreement between Britain and France that resolved colonial disputes and established diplomatic relations. France promised not to challenge British control over Egypt, while Britain recognized France’s right to conduct its own affairs in Morocco. However, the alliance also restricted the two nations from providing military aid to each other. Both countries signed the alliance partly due to their fear of German aggression. -
The First Moroccan Crisis
Wanting to challenge the agreement established in the Entente Cordiale, Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany arrived in Tangiers, Morocco, on March 31, 1905, announcing that he looked upon the sultan of Morocco as the ruler of an independent state. Wilhelm also stated that he wanted equal advantages in trade and commerce as that of other countries. However, Britain and France's alliance got even stronger, followed by an international conference in Algeciras, Spain to conclude an agreement about Morocco. -
Anglo-Russian Entente
The Anglo-Russian Entente was a pact in which Britain and Russia settled their colonial disputes in Persia, Afghanistan, and Tibet. It defined spheres of influence in Persia, prevented inference in Tibet’s internal affairs, and recognized British control over Afghanistan. Not only did this entente limit Persian autonomy, it also led to the formation of the Triple Entente, an alliance linking Russia, France, and Great Britain. -
The Bosnian Crisis
The Bosnian Crisis was caused by the decision of Austria-Hungary to annex the province of Bosnia. However, the Serbs living in Bosnia did not want Bosnia to fall under Austrian rule, and expected Russia to support their cause. However, Russia had already signed an agreement with Austria saying that they would support the annexation in exchange for control over the Straits of Constantinople. This crisis led to great instability among European powers and became one of the leading causes to WWI.
