The British and German Presses in the Age of Empire
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Mississippi State University Scholars Junction Theses and Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 1-1-2013 The British and German Presses in the Age of Empire Kathryn R. Bruton Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td Recommended Citation Bruton, Kathryn R., "The British and German Presses in the Age of Empire" (2013). Theses and Dissertations. 4280. https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/4280 This Dissertation - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Scholars Junction. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholars Junction. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Automated Template B: Created by James Nail 2011V2.02 The British and German presses in the Age of Empire: 1876-1906 By Kathryn Rose Bruton A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Mississippi State University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History in the Department of History Mississippi State, Mississippi May 2013 Copyright by Kathryn Rose Bruton 2013 The British and German presses in the Age of Empire: 1876-1906 By Kathryn Rose Bruton Approved: _________________________________ _________________________________ Alexandra E. Hui Godfrey N. Uzoigwe Assistant Professor of History Professor of History (Dissertation Director) (Committee Member) _________________________________ _________________________________ Richard V. Damms Alan I Marcus Associate Professor of History Professor of History (Committee Member) (Committee Member) _________________________________ _________________________________ Peter C. Messer R. Gregory Dunaway Associate Professor of History Professor and Interim Dean (Graduate Coordinator) College of Arts & Sciences Name: Kathryn Rose Bruton Date of Degree: May 11, 2013 Institution: Mississippi State University Major Field: History Major Professor: Alexandra E. Hui Title of Study: The British and German presses in the Age of Empire: 1876-1906 Pages in Study: 360 Candidate for Degree of Doctor of Philosophy This is an exploration of the effects of the press on British and German foreign policy between 1876 and 1906. The dissertation considers the growing influence of the press on Anglo-German relations. Historians have provided discussions of how domestic presses can affect their home governments. This dissertation adds to that by analyzing the consequences of the debates between the British and German presses on their governments’ foreign policy. The possibility for Anglo-German cooperation during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries receives significant interest due to debates regarding the origins of World War I. The reasons put forth by historians for the inability to conclude an Anglo-German agreement despite similar interests during this period include the volatility of Wilhelm II’s personality, the growth of the German navy, and the expansion of the German empire. I add to this discussion by analyzing how the British and German presses’ opinions increasingly inhibited Anglo-German diplomacy. In this analysis, I use six journals, representing the ‘official’ (London Times, Kölnische Zeitung), ‘semi-official’ (Pall Mall Gazette, Norddeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung), and satirical (Punch, Kladderadatsch) segments of the British and German presses. I begin with a discussion of the two presses during the Near East Crisis (1876- 1878). During this period, the presses expressed growing interest in international affairs, prompting more concerns with how their governments dealt with other Great Powers. Following this discussion, I consider the effects of colonial competition in Africa between 1878 and 1896 on the diplomatic relations of Great Britain, France, and Germany. This is necessary to establish the background for the final section of the dissertation. The last part of the dissertation explores the British and German presses’ responses to each other between the Jameson Raid and the Algeciras Conference. It is during this later period, when British and German imperial interests conflicted, and when the Russian threat dissolved for Great Britain, that the final efforts for rapprochement between the two governments failed, leading to permanent estrangement. The British and German presses had a significant role in causing this separation, by using their articles to expand the distrust already existent between their governments. DEDICATION To Mom and Grandma, Look, I finished! " ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Writing this dissertation involved more than one graduate student trying to finish a seemingly endless project. The process included numerous other people who facilitated the end result and need recognition. First I would like to thank the Mississippi State Department of History for taking a chance on me. If not for the faith shown by continued funding, I never could have finished. Next, I would like to thank the members of my dissertation committee. Dr. Alexandra E. Hui, thank you for repeatedly reading page after page of my work and providing significant assistance in organizing and editing the work. Dr. Godfrey N. Uzoigwe, thank you for stepping in and helping me formulate my arguments regarding British foreign policy. Dr. Richard V. Damms and Dr. Alan I Marcus, thank you for providing valuable feedback and support throughout this project. Beyond my dissertation committee, I would be remiss not to acknowledge other supportive figures. To Patsy, Pam, and Lonna, thank you for keeping me abreask of the necessary administrative requirements needed to finish my education. To the Interlibrary Loan Departments at the Mississippi State University, UCLA, SUNY-Stony Brook, and University of Memphis Libraries, thank you for your diligent and efficient processing of my numerous requests for microfilm. Without your efforts, I could never have finished this project. Also, I would like to thank the archivists at the Library of Congress and the Ludwig-Maximilian-Universität München for their assistance in procuring necessary materials during my research trips. To the ladies in the Government Documents iii Department, thank you for your encouragement during those 12-hour days sitting at the microfilm machine. To Herr G and Frau Lomangino, thank you for the years of German language classes that made half of this dissertation possible. To my fellow history graduate students at Mississippi State, good luck with your projects, I cannot wait to see how well you do in the future. Finally, I would like to acknowledge the support from my family. To my mom, thank you for making me keep going. To my dad, thank you for always being helping with the heavy lifting. To my Aunt Mary and Uncle Easy, thank you for rescuing me so often. To the Terrible Two, I am sorry I had to miss so much of your childhood to finish this, but I look forward to being called “Dr. Maggie” or “Dr. Tom’s Sister.” Without all of these individuals, I would have settled for not finishing this, I cannot not thank any one of them enough. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION.................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................................... iii LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................1 II. THE NEAR EAST CRISIS AND THE ‘OFFICIAL’ JOURNALS ................23 Times, Kölnische Zeitung, and the Balkan Revolts..........................................25 London Times, Kölnische Zeitung and the Bulgarian Atrocities .....................31 London Times, Kölnische Zeitung and the Conference at Constantinople .....................................................................................39 London Times, Kölnische Zeitung and the Russo-Turkish War ......................43 Times, Kölnische Zeitung, and the Congress of Berlin....................................54 Conclusion .......................................................................................................59 III. THE NEAR EAST CRISIS AND THE ‘SEMI-OFFICIAL’ JOURNALS .........................................................................................60 The Pall Mall Gazette, Norddeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, and Jingoistic Support for Governments ....................................................62 The Pall Mall Gazette, Norddeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, and Distrust of Other European Great Powers in the Near East Crisis ....................75 The Liberal Party in Great Britain and the Near East Crisis ............................91 Conclusion .......................................................................................................97 IV. THE NEAR EAST CRISIS AND THE SATIRICAL JOURNALS ................98 Women Children, and Animals as Metaphors for Diplomacy .......................100 Entertainingly Competitive Diplomacy .........................................................133 Big Men of Diplomacy: Disraeli, Bismarck, and John Bull? ........................144 Conclusion .....................................................................................................161 v V. COMPETITION AND EMPIRE: GREAT BRITAIN, FRANCE, AND GERMANY IN AFRICA BETWEEN THE CONGRESS OF BERLIN AND THE JAMESON RAID ............................................163