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Berlin West Africa Conference
In 1884, following Germany's emergence in the scramble, the main 13 powers in Europe and the US all met in Berlin to discuss the European colonization of Africa. The conference ended in 1885 with the General Act of Berlin, which regulated the trade and colonialism between the European powers in the Scramble for Africa. It ended up heightening colonialism in Europe and led to the Scramble for Africa. This is important because it shows all of Europe's powers working together and collaborating. -
Boxer Rebellion
Fed up with the imperial powers taking advantage of China, Chinese nationalists started the Boxer Rebellion in 1899. The Chinese government backed the movement and declared war on the imperial powers. This led to all of the imperial powers forming the 8-power alliance, decimating the rebellion in a month. This is important because it shows cooperation between the imperial powers during imperialism. -
Spanish American War
Following the explosion of the USS Maine, the US declared war on Spain, starting the Spanish Civil War. The war only lasted for around 4 months, with the US being victorious. The Treaty of Paris ended the war, freed Cuba, and gave the US Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines, which they payed $20 million for. This is important because it marked the emergence of the US as an imperial power. -
Anglo-Japanese Alliance
In 1902, Britain and Japan agreed to the Anglo-Japanese Alliance. In this, if either country went to war, the other country would only intervene if a third power became involved. For Japan, this would deter German and French intervention if they went to war with Russia, enabling them to win the Russo-Japanese war. This is important because it was the first time that Japan was seen as an equal power by a major European one. -
Russo-Japanese War
Following disputes over Korea, Japan launched a surprise attack against Russia in Port Author in 1904. They destroyed a lot of the Russia fleet, which along with the Anglo-Japanese Alliance and Britain closing the Suez Canal, enabled Japan to win the war. Thanks to the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, France and Germany were unable to come to Russia's aid. This was important because it marked the first time that an Asian nation defeated a major European power -
Entente Cordiale
In 1904, Britain and France agreed on the Entente Cordiale, a non-formal agreement between the 2 nations that ended their rivalries in Africa. The negotiations were sped up due to the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese war, as the countries could have to fight each other in it. The agreement was the start of a positive relationship between Britain and France, which was intensified in the 2nd Moroccan Crisis. This was important because it showed cooperation between Britain and France over imperialism -
First Moroccan Crisis
In March of 1905, the Kaiser made it clear that Germany did not accept France's position in Morocco and Germany demanded a conference on the future of Morocco and the resignation of Delcasse. At first this was a success for Germany, as France agreed to a conference and Delcasse resigned. However, at the conference, the majority of states agreed that France had special economic and security interest in Morocco. This event was important because it made a Franco-German war a real possibility. -
Second Moroccan Crisis
In May of 1911, when it became clear that France was not going to occupy Morocco, Germany sent a gunboat to Agadir. Britain intervened and made it clear that it would not tolerate German influence in Morocco. They feared that Germany would build a naval base there, which would threaten British sea power. This was important because it strengthened Britain's ties with France and Russia while making Germany more isolated -
WW1 Starts
The assassination of the Heir to the throne in Austria-Hungary in 1914 started a chain-reaction that led to the outbreak of the First World War. Most of the major imperial powers were immediately involve, with the ones who weren't joining later. This was important because it clearly showed that the attempts to build peaceful relations during the late 1800s and early 1900s had failed -
US enters WW1
In 1917, the US entered WW1. While they already had ties to the allies, they joined due to German U-boats killing US citizens and the Zimmerman Telegram, which encourage Mexico to take back all of the land it lost to the US. While they were only in the war for a year, the US troops provided fresh forces for the exhausted European soldiers and helped push the Central Powers back. This is important because now every World Power was in a wasr against one another, showing that they failed at peace