The Anglo-American Relationship: Race and the Perception of German Threat 1890-1910
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The Anglo-American Relationship: Race and the Perception of German Threat 1890-1910 Arjun Narayan Sharath Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge January 2019 This dissertation is submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. 2 Preface This thesis is the result of my own work and includes nothing which is the outcome of work done in collaboration except as declared in the Preface and specified in the text. It is not substantially the same as any that I have submitted, or, is being concurrently submitted for a degree or diploma or other qualification at the University of Cambridge or any other University or similar institution except as declared in the Preface and specified in the text. I further state that no substantial part of my dissertation has already been submitted, or, is being concurrently submitted for any such degree, diploma or other qualification at the University of Cambridge or any other University or similar institution except as declared in the Preface and specified in the text. It does not exceed the prescribed word limit for the relevant Degree Committee, as per the guidelines for candidates for the PhD in Politics and International Studies admitted prior to December 2017: The word count excluding footnotes, references, and bibliography does not exceed 80,000 words, and footnotes do not exceed 20% of the dissertation. 3 4 Abstract Arjun Sharath The Anglo-American Relationship: Race and the Perception of German Threat 1890-1910 This dissertation set out to examine whether a relationship existed between ideas of race and great power politics, specifically as it influenced the perceptions of key American and British political leaders towards each other and Germany, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It examines private correspondence, key public statements, and contemporary publications, analyzing where theories and fears regarding race influenced the thinking of key individuals during critical international incidents. The dissertation uses a model to conceptualize race as seen by contemporary leaders that incorporates both biological and cultural elements. From here, it furthermore proposes that it is indeed possible to identify at least certain key moments when breaks occurred between Anglo-Saxon and a broader conceptualization of Teuton to political leaders. It first examines contemporary thought on race as seen by these leaders, looks at specific crises in the Americas, Africa, and Asia, and concludes with an analysis of how race impacted views on contemporary immigration to the United States and the process of amalgamation between races. Moreover, it reveals that the weighting of the cultural and biological elements shifted, moving from viewing race as Anglo-Saxon to the paradigm of the English-speaking races. The dissertation highlights that especially during the Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, race indeed increasingly influenced the thinking of the United States and Britain with respect to foreign policy, especially through concerns of migration and settlement, and created a perception of seemingly disproportionate threat from Germany. In doing so, the United States and settler colonies became of paramount importance in this rivalry with Germany, in part due to their ability to turn migrants from Europe into members of the English-speaking race. 5 6 Acknowledgements This dissertation would not have been possible without the support of certain individuals and institutions, to whom I would like to express my gratitude. Firstly, and above all, I’d like to thank my principal supervisor Brendan Simms for his support and guidance over the past few years. His patience, knowledge, and insights were critical at all stages of research and writing. His mentorship has and always will be invaluable to me. Second, I would also like to thank my second supervisor, Duncan Bell. His incisive questioning always sharpened my thinking; this dissertation would have been far weaker without his advice and review. I would further like to thank my examiners, Andrew Preston and Charlie Laderman, who both provided invaluable feedback. I am privileged to have been able to discuss my research with them. I would also like to thank the University of Cambridge and Sidney Sussex College for their funding support, without which this research would have been difficult. Further thanks also go to the librarians at the Library of Congress, British Library, Stanford Special Collections, Cambridge University Library, and the Churchill Archives Centre. Their patience and expertise were always crucial. I am additionally grateful to the various teachers and mentors I have had over the years, including at the University of Virginia, Yale University, and the United States Department of Justice. Special thanks should be made to Richard Oberdorfer, Paul Halliday, Allen Lynch, Taylor Stoermer, Joanne Freeman, Steve Pincus, Adam Tooze, and Tim Snyder, who all at one point or another advised me in research, inspired my thinking, or supported me in pursuing either this PhD or my interests in history and politics. I also owe a great deal to my dear friends and on both sides of the Atlantic for their unwavering support; I would not have made it through the personal and professional challenges of the past few years without their constant loyalty and caring. I am and always will be grateful. Lastly, I would like to thank my family. My parents supported me in every imaginable way throughout my entire life, encouraging me to pursue my interests and inspiring me every step along the way. They have done so more than ever through this PhD process, and my gratitude for them cannot be sufficiently expressed. I’d also like to thank my little brother, who somehow finds a way to always be there for me in the end. 7 8 Table of Contents Preface ................................................................................................................................. 3 Abstract ................................................................................................................................ 5 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. 7 Table of Contents ................................................................................................................ 9 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 11 Justification and Methodology ............................................................................................................ 11 Literature Review .................................................................................................................................. 14 Related Themes ..................................................................................................................................... 21 Terminology .......................................................................................................................................... 28 Sources and Correspondences ............................................................................................................ 31 Scope and Limitations .......................................................................................................................... 34 Chapter One – From the Language of Race to the Race of Language ............................ 36 Destiny and Anglo-Saxon Expansion ................................................................................................ 38 The Federation Response .................................................................................................................... 46 Race and Great Powers ........................................................................................................................ 57 Chapter Two - The Leap of the Panther in the Western Hemisphere ............................. 68 Perceptions of Savagery and Unity .................................................................................................... 70 Countering German Neutrality ........................................................................................................... 76 The Legacy of Manila Bay ................................................................................................................... 84 The Monroe Doctrine and Venezuela ............................................................................................... 87 Chapter Three – The Boer War and the Geopolitics of ‘Fusion’ ..................................... 102 British Intervention ............................................................................................................................ 107 America and the Boer ........................................................................................................................ 117 New York in Africa ............................................................................................................................ 125 Chapter Four – Roosevelt, the East, and ‘The Real Fortress of Our Race’ ..................... 136 The Responsibility of the Russian Problem .................................................................................... 138 The Challenge of Japan ...................................................................................................................... 146 Neutrality and Negotiations .............................................................................................................