Foreign affairs

Passing to the subject of foreign policy, we find that the rela­tions of Great Britain with other powers were uniformly friendly throughout the reign of Edward VII. The hostile feelings towards this country during the South African War went no further than words, and nothing occurred to break the peace which had pre­vailed in Europe during those years.

In 1903 the King paid a visit to President Loubet in Paris; and at the same time negotiations were opened with a view to removing the various obstacles which hindered a good understanding between England and France. These negotiations resulted in a general agree­ment between the two countries, which was signed in April 1904. By this treaty France recognized the position of Great Britain in Egypt; and in return Great Britain acknowledged the predominance of French interests in Morocco. The question of the Newfoundland fisheries was settled, and few other questions also.

In February 1902 in connection of some troubles in the Far East, Great Britain took the unusual step of singing a treaty of alliance with an Asiatic power — Japan. The treaty pledged the two States to mutual assistance, under certain conditions, for the de­fence of their respective interests in the Far East; and the alliance was to last for five years.

The effect of this alliance was apparent soon afterwards, when Japan became involved in a dispute with Russia about Korea, over which the Japanese claimed supremacy, and Manchuria, which Rus­sia had practically occupied since 1900. This dispute led, in Febru­ary 1904, to a great war, which lasted for a year and a half.

The Russians were defeated by sea and land. On the 1-st of January Port Arthur, the chief Russian stronghold, was captured after a long siege. With it all that was left of the first Russian fleet fell into the hands of the Japanese. On the 27-th of May the second Russian fleet was destroyed by the Japanese in the Straits of Tsush­ima." This crushing blow brought the war to a close.

Through the mediation of President Roosevelt peace was signed on September 5. By this treaty Russia gave to Japan Port Arthur and the southern half of the island of Sakhalin. She restored Man­churia to the Chinese Empire, and recognized the predominance of Japanese influence in Korea. Japan thus obtained all, and even more than all, at which she had aimed.

Shortly before the conclusion of peace, Great Britain renewed with Japan the treaty of alliance. This treaty was signed on the 12-th of August, 1905, and had to last for ten years. It had for its objects the maintenance of peace in Eastern Asia and India, and of the integrity and independence of the Chinese Empire. If any of the allied powers, in defence of its interests in India or in the Far East, becomes involved in war with another state, its ally must preserve a benevolent neutrality; and if the third power joins in the war against either ally, the other is to come to its assistance.

The Russo-Japanese War, in which Great Britain was vitally interested, though it was Japan's earlier alliance (from 1902), had great effects in other quarters. Russia was greatly weakened in it through the collapse of her fleet and army, accompanied by domes­tic troubles of civil war in 1905. Thus the international relations of European powers were radically effected; and Germany was en­abled to assert a sort of Hegemony in Europe. Consequently, a new grouping of the powers took place; and France and Russia estab­lished a good understanding with Great Britain.

The agreement with France (1904) has already been mentioned.

The Anglo-Russian agreement was signed on the 31-st of Au­gust, 1907. It was agreed to recognize jointly the independence and integrity of Persia; Afghanistan was declared outside the sphere of Russian influence; in Tibet both parties agreed to abstain from intervention. The arrangement was a compromise, not altogether satisfactory, but it has worked well.

The Anglo-French agreement exposed France to some disagreable consequences, in which Great Britain could not remain uncon­cerned. The German Government took occasion from the Russian defeats to demand a revision of the conditions concerning Marocco. Negotiations followed; and in June 1905, M. Delcasse, the min­ister who had promoted the understanding with England, was forced by German insistence to resign. Eventually (November) the French Government consented to submit the question of Marocco, under restriction, to a conference of the Great Powers.

The conference met at Algeria in January 1906, and after nearly three months of discussion an agreement was reached on the 7-th of April. The active support of Great Britain and Russia enabled France to make good her position in regard to the most important point — the control of the police — which was entrust­ed to France and Spain; while Germany obtained certain commer­cial concessions.

Two years later, in the east of Europe, important events oc­curred. A revolution, long prepared by the party of reform in Tur­key, broke out in July 1908. The leaders demanded the revival of the Constitution, which had been granted in 1876, and afterwards suppressed. The Sultan, after his army had deserted him, was forced to give way; and in December 1908 a Turkish Parliament met at Constantinople.

Meanwhile Bulgaria, which, since the Treaty of Berlin in 1878, had been only nominally subject to Turkey, took advantage of these troubles to declare itself independent — on the 5-th of October; and two days later, Austria-Hungary formally annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina, which by the same treaty had been placed under its protectorate. The British Government at once protested against this violation of international law, and was supported by France and Russia. A conference was demanded; but Germany, supported its ally Austria-Hungary, refused its consent.

The Slav population of Servia and Montenegro, connected by race and feeling with those of Bosnia and Herzegovina, now be­came increasingly agitated, and looked for aid from the Russian Czar, the official head of the Slavonic race. This attitude, combined with the demand for a conference, produced a dangerous situation. The difficulty was solved by Germany which in March 1909 pre­sented an ultimatum to Russia. That power, unprepared for resis­tance, gave way and recognized the annexation. The idea of a conference was abandoned.

These events led to a counter-revolution in Constantinople, by which the Sultan momentarily regained power. But the resistance of his troops was speedily suppressed: and the constitutional party, known as the "Young Turks", have since then held undisputed sway.

Little remains to be added concerning British foreign policy in the more distant parts of the world. In 190l) Great Britain made a treaty with the United States, by which she gave up certain claims of little value in Central America in order to make it possible to build the Panama Canal. The efforts of Great Britain to make a general treaty with the United States were not successful.

In the Congo Free State, under the rule of the King of the Belgians, there have been, for years past, complaints of misman­agement, and even of tyranny and brutality, on the part of Belgian officials. The British Government, considering itself partly respon­sible for the condition of this vast territory, as it recognized the Belgian occupation in 1885, has not ceased to remonstrate against this state of affairs.

In 1907, the British Government took part. with representa­tives of some fifty other States, in the Second Peace Conference at Hague. The discussions lasted from June to October; but, as the interests of so many powers were touched, little was achieved.

The Boer War brought to light many defects in the British military system, particularly in the confused and cumbersome ma­chinery of the War Office; the want of a General, which was called the "brain of the army"; the slowness of mobilization; the inade­quate provision for the Intelligence Department; the unsufficiency of the Reserve, especially concerning officers; the need of doctors and trained nurses for the sick and wounded. These wants con­cerned primarly the regular army; but the defective organization of the auxiliary forces — the Militia, Yeomanry, and Volunteers — was equally obvious; and the nation slowly awoke to the fact that these forces were utterly inadequate for the defence of Great Brit­ain, should an invasion take place while the regulars were em­ployed elsewhere.

In 1903 a commission of three was appointed to consider the whole question of army reform. It made its report in January 1904; and great changes at once took place.

The navy has not required any radical transformation as the army; but changes of great importance in training, in the construc­tion of ships, and of the distribution of fleets have been made. In 1903 a new scheme of training for officers was adopted, under which all cadets were to be educated in all branches of the service.

In 1906 a great advance was made in naval construction by the appearance of a larger and more powerful battleship, the "Dread­nought", which has given its name to all later vessels of a similar type. Large craisers, built and armed on a similar plan, have subse­quently appeared; and all other naval powers have in turn adopted these types.

French redistribution of the fleets were made in 1906 and 1907. The reorganization, which was principally due to the rapid growth of the German navy, was completed in 1909.

NAMES AND EXPRESSIONS

passing to the subject — переходя к теме

Loubet (French) [lu: 'bə] (b. 1838)

Morocco [mə'rokəu] — Марокко

Korea [kə 'riə, ko:-] — Корея

with it all that was left of the first Russian fleet... — таким образом, все, что осталось от первого русского флота,..

Roosevelt [ru:svelt], Theodore (1858-1919) — twenty-sixth pres­ident of the United States (1901-1909)

Tsushima ['tsu:∫imə] — Цусима

Sachalin [sæha'lin] — Сахалин

Tibet [ti'bet] —Тибет

Delcasse (French) [del'kasə]

Algeria [æl'd3i(ə)riə] — Алжир

Bosnia ['bozniə] —Босния

Herzegovina [h3:tsigəu'vi;nə] — Терцеговина

Panama Canal [,pænə'ma: kə'næl, pænəma:-] —Панам­ский Канал

Congo ['koŋgəu] — Конго

Belgian ['beld3(ə)n]

the nation slowly awoke to the fact — нация медленно начала осознавать тот факт...

...should an invasion take place while the regulars were em­ployed elsewhere —...случись вторжение врагов в то время как регулярные войска будут заняты где-то в другом месте...

"Dreadnought" — дредноут (букв.— "не знающий страха", "отважный")

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