British foreign policy and France, 1868-1880: A study in Great Power diplomacy

This is a history of the relations between Great Britain and France in the 1870s, the age of Disraeli and Gladstone. A study of Anglo-French interaction in this period is crucial for an understanding of the international relations in the late nineteenth-century Europe. Traditionally, it has been regarded that political relations between the two Western nations were cordial until vitiated by their competition for colonies during the Age of New Imperialism. What this dissertation argues is that despite apparent cooperation from time to time and a real absence of dramatic conflict overall, relations between Britain and France were continually troubled by differences and friction. This undercurrent of discord and competition prevented the building of any strong friendship between them even though Britain resisted Russian imperialism in Asia, and France opposed German hegemony in Europe. The political, colonial, military, and commercial difficulties that beset bilateral relations are analyzed here in the context of European politics of the day. The Franco-German antagonism, the Russo-Turkish conflict, and the Anglo-French partnership in Egypt are the three main foci of this study. The diplomacy related to these issues highlight the complex intermeshing of collaboration and rivalry between Britain and France on Continental and overseas questions. Although this study is primarily a diplomatic history, it attempts an analysis of the theme from the perspectives of grand strategy and foreign policy as well. And even if its narrow scope is Anglo-French relations, this dissertation explores the contours of great powers politics that shaped its foundation.