(This thread is a contination of a discussion in the Eurofighter thread)
But, I would argue that Britain leaves its periode of "Splendied isolation" much because the rise of Germany destabilizes the european balance of power (many would agree that maintaining that balance was a fundamental tenet of british foreign policy in post napoleonic time).
The understanding with France is quite logic in the view of a power balance relation. France was the second strongest power on the continent, which could be surported to balance the rising Germany, and in order to make that work France and Britain would need to sort out their issues, which is what the entente cordiale was; A sorting out of conflicts between France and Britain to reach an understanding.
The moroccan crisis showed the disposition of Britain and that Britain had the will to back France against germany, and so to speak underlined that the entente cordiale was real and anti german.
The purpose of the understanding (entente cordiale) is even more apparent when Britain shortly after joins the Franco-russian entente, forming the triple entente of UK, Fr and Russia, which was obviously targeted at Germany (Russia and France was the traditional main enemies of Germany). And it is this allience that, from some viewpoints, provokes war, by trying to strong arm Austria-Hungary, not realizing (or perhaps, exactly realizing) that Germany would not stand idle at the fall of the weakened Habsburg empire,Germany's only major ally.
Well we can't get into the heads of the political decission makers of the time.....Except that Britain was quite unconcerned with German industrialization at the time, it's a hindsight argument. British position shfited with events like the moroccan crisis.
Its is a slow shift for the anglo-german antagonism, it pivots as late as 1905 imv, perhaps bounded by the Boer War (German sympaties for the Boer) and the second moroccan crisis.
Btw, fun to remember stuff long forgotten, but this is an eurofighter thread.(sorry for the pollution)
But, I would argue that Britain leaves its periode of "Splendied isolation" much because the rise of Germany destabilizes the european balance of power (many would agree that maintaining that balance was a fundamental tenet of british foreign policy in post napoleonic time).
The understanding with France is quite logic in the view of a power balance relation. France was the second strongest power on the continent, which could be surported to balance the rising Germany, and in order to make that work France and Britain would need to sort out their issues, which is what the entente cordiale was; A sorting out of conflicts between France and Britain to reach an understanding.
The moroccan crisis showed the disposition of Britain and that Britain had the will to back France against germany, and so to speak underlined that the entente cordiale was real and anti german.
The purpose of the understanding (entente cordiale) is even more apparent when Britain shortly after joins the Franco-russian entente, forming the triple entente of UK, Fr and Russia, which was obviously targeted at Germany (Russia and France was the traditional main enemies of Germany). And it is this allience that, from some viewpoints, provokes war, by trying to strong arm Austria-Hungary, not realizing (or perhaps, exactly realizing) that Germany would not stand idle at the fall of the weakened Habsburg empire,Germany's only major ally.