Owner Comments:
Continuing to set the world stage around 1900, let’s look at Britain’s foreign policy. Throughout the 19th century, Britain practiced “splendid isolation.” They avoided lasting alliances with other powers, and thus avoided becoming entangled in the many continental wars. Britain sought to maintain its trade routes, and would defend itself as necessary to protects its interests and colonies. However, as the Foreign Secretary Lord Derby stated in 1866, “It is the duty of the Government of this country, placed as it is with regard to geographical position, to keep itself upon terms of goodwill with all surrounding nations, but not to entangle itself with any single or monopolising alliance with any one of them; above all to endeavour not to interfere needlessly and vexatiously with the internal affairs of any foreign country.”
This policy lasted until 1902. In 1902, Britain signed the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, promising mutual defence if either country was attacked by 2 or more other countries. This treaty had significant impacts for the next 20 years. Also in 1902, France signed a similar pact with Russia. In 1904, Russia and Japan fought the Russo-Japanese War over influence in Manchuria and Korea. Russia was seeking warm water ports on the Pacific coast, and Japan didn’t want to lose influence in the area. Because of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, France was unwilling to declare war on Japan, because then Britain would have declared war on France. What a tangled web of alliances!
The most significant result of the end of the splendid isolation was the Entente Cordiale. This was an agreement between Britain and France, signed in 1904. For a thousand years, the two countries had been either at war or uneasy truce – numerous times, they had invaded and conquered parts of each other. With the Entente, this came to an end and a friendship began to grow between the two powers. Significant agreements between the two countries were made, including a recognition of the power’s colonial interests. France agree to recognize Britain’s control of Egypt, and Britain recognized French control of Morocco (although this was not formalized yet, it was basically in control). Numerous other colonial interests were recognized, beyond the scope of this discussion. Germany, in particular, was displeased with this Entente, because for many decades it had relied on stirring up the antagonism between France and Britain to further Germany’s interests. (more to come….)
This is a beautiful coin! Well made (as you would expect from Birmingham), and extremely high grade compared to most of the examples you’ll find. The luster is not strong, but it is present (especially on the reverse). While this coin is designated brown, there is significant red remaining. The reverse of this coin is one of the nicest I’ve seen!