Splendid Isolation and the Fashoda Incident

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Splendid Isolation and the Fashoda Incident

• Aim To understand the policies of Salisbury and
  how the Fashoda Incident happened

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Task 1 Using p.242-243 of the textbook, do your
own brainstorm of what splendid Isolation is. I
have provided some quotes and subtitles on the
next slide to prompt you
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WarSupreme Evil
Honour
Splendid Isolation
Limited Liability
Disastrous Inheritance
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Read the following slides but dont take any
notes on them
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• The Suez Canal (opened in 1869) was controlled
  jointly by the French and the Khedive Ishmail.
• In 1875 the Khedive sold his shares to Britain

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• 1881 - there was a major revolt in Egypt led by
  the Arabi Pasha, who aimed at freeing Egypt from
  all European influence.
• 1882 Britain occupied Egypt

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• The French were highly indignant at the British
  occupation of Egypt where French interests were
  involved with the Suez Canal.
• Joint action had been agreed against the
  Egyptian nationalists but the French Congress
  refused to finance the French expedition and so
  Britain proceeded alone and gained the spoils.

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• 1884 - Britain was keen to secure East Africa to
  safeguard the route to India through the Suez
  Canal.
• 1890 The French Africa Committee is established
  to pursue imperial power in Africa. Seeks to
  extend French influence eastwards from the Congo
  to the Upper Nile.
• Sort agreements with the Mahdists of Sudan and
  the Meneliks of Ethiopia to force Britain out of
  Egypt.

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Now try to see if you can fit the build up into a
timeline

• fashoda.xbk

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Now take some notes on the Fashoda crisis itself
so that you can answer a question on it
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• 1895 Britain concerned about French
  encroachments in West Africa and also the Nile
  Valley.
• Grey, Under Foreign Secretary firm language
  any encroachment by France would be seen as an
  unfriendly act.
• No one had a claim to this region since the
  revolt of 1881 but the British felt that it came
  under their influence because it had belonged to
  Egypt.

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(No Transcript)
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• The French ignored Greys declaration. Force,
  led by Captain Marchand, reached Fashoda on 10
  July 1898 8 French, 120 Senegalese, Arms for
  3,000 men.
• Began to rebuild a small fort. Made a treaty
  with the local chief. Isolated. Letters for
  help took 8/9 months to reach France.

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• Sir Herbert Kitchener led a force into the Sudan
  and put down the rising by the Mahdists at the
  Battle of Omdurman (2nd September 1898).

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• Kitchener carried on to Fashoda. Left Marchand
  newspapers with news of the Dreyfus affair.
  Kitchener sent back messages to London.

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• 6 weeks of tension. Newspaper campaigns in
  Britain and France. Possibility of war. Britain
  ready France not. British Channel fleet sent to
  Gibraltar.
• France agreed to withdraw Marchand.
• French Foreign Minister, Delcassé, spent the next
  six years working towards the Anglo-French
  Entente.

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• Source A. Explain briefly what was meant by the
  Fashoda crisis in the context of Britains
  imperial policy. (3) 2002