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The Intro to the Island War of 1894-95
The Island War of 1894-95
The origins of the Island War don’t lie in Venezuela as they would appear on the surface of things. True the shooting did start in Venezuela but to understand the origins of the Island War one has to understand the era both the United States and Germany were in at the tail end of 19th century. It was the age of New Imperialism and empire building. Both the United States of America and the German Empire were late arrivals to this game. The United States didn’t enter the game till its victory over the Spanish in the First Spanish American War of 1873-75. Germany wasn’t even united as a single nation till the tail end of the Franco-Prussian War. Germany was further held back in its effort to build a colonial empire by the renowned Chancellor Otto von Bismarck who viewed colonies as a resource sink.
Both nations were late to the game and by this point in time the map was being filled in with color as the remaining areas that could be colonize were being gobble up quickly by other nations. This limited chances for growth without having a clash of arms with a peer power. Germany was focused on building up its colonial empire in both Africa and the Pacific. For the US they focused solely on the Pacific. The was an outgrowth of the idea of manifest destiny. The United States had pushed all away to the Pacific Coast of North America and with the victory over Spain gave the US a foothold in the Pacific and they were looking to expand it.
Its worth noting that the way both Germany and the United States viewed their efforts. The Germans had the more standard European view on colonial empires. They were for the economic well being and growth of the motherland, or in Germany’s case the Fatherland. This was a civilizing mission it but the colonies were to give economic benefit to the Fatherland first. Even if it rarely did. As to the United States a nation built from 13 former colonies, they had a different view on the subject. They viewed the ideas of colonies as land that in time would become part of their nation as a state, or at the very least an organized territory.
As more of the map filled in the areas left were increasing marginal in their worth. For a host of reasons through these increasing marginal lands which before had been left along were now being fought for by the different great powers. Each had different reasons for wanting these increasing marginal lands but they were fought for. One such of these territories was that the heart of the Island War. This being the Samoan Islands in the Southwest Pacific.
Both the United States of America and the German Empire lay claims to these islands. Further an old hand in the empire game, the British Empire also claimed these islands. For most of the 1880s things held an uneasy truce between all three powers. This was with the understanding that going to war over these islands were simply foolish. The 1889 typhoon however did change the equation. In 1889 all three nations had their navies in Apia Harbor to monitor things.
The natives on the islands were fighting over who their king would be. Both the Germans and Americans it when without saying supported different sizes. To keep things from getting out of control they had naval units at Apia to stop from the other side from directly entering the Samoan Civil War. Yet as signs of the typhoon came neither the German or American commanders refused to leave the harbor like their British counter parts did. Apia was not a harbor where one could ride out a storm. Yet it was pride that was causing both the American and German commanders from withdrawing their ships from Apia Harbor before the typhoon. Because of this both squadrons were wrecked.
In the aftermath of the 1889 typhoon the United States Navy sent another small squadron to Apia to maintain the uneasy truce between Washington and Berlin on these islands. Ever since the end of the Spanish American War the been engage in a slow but steady build up of its naval force. One of the hard lessons of that war for the United States was it needed a navy that was modern to defend itself as no one wanted a repeat of New Orleans on their hands. The fact that Germany could not do this for a few months enraged newly crown Kaiser Wilhelm II who had very different views of a colonial empire than still then Chancellor Bismarck. Yet this wasn’t the spark that let to the war between the two powers.
This did have effects as both nations started to put more money into their naval forces in the after of the 1889 typhoon yet many thought that would be it. Indeed it was. Then the Venezuelan Crisis of 1894 started. Venezuela had trouble with its fiscal policy had had borrowed heavily from Germany and 1894 those loans were due. At the same time they had a growing dispute with the British over Esequiba. Gold had been found in the region and the British wanted to control those gold fields. At this time those in London they saw a way to kill two birds with one stone.
For those in London they had been since the early 1880s had tried to force the United States to choose a side in the international world. The United States had been refusing to do so as they were holding to George Washington’s idea of the dangers of foreign alliances. This was the time of Pax Britannica and London wanted to know where everyone stood so incase they stepped out of line they could be forced back in line. Prior to 1875 and 1879 the United States had not been a player in international affairs which had been acceptable to London. Yet following those event London viewed the US as an international affair and it had to do what all other great powers did, pick a side so London could play them when needed.
With the US refusing they decided to use the Venezuelan Crisis to teach the United States that they had to play ball or there would be consequences. They decided to use the Germans for this instead of acting themselves. With the Venezuelans being in default to German banks the British whispered in Germany’s ear they could go into Venezuela to collect the money due them with their support so long as they supported their border between Venezuela and British Guiana. For Wilhelm the Second he was all to ready for a military adventure and he sent a fleet with an expeditionary force to collect the money due to German banks and force the British terms on Venezuela on the border. Rumors quickly started to spread that he was seeking more than that through.
The German expeditionary force landed in Venezuela on August 17 1894 in Venezuela. President McKinley had no want for a war with Germany. Yet the press was running wild that the Germans were going to force the Venezuelans to surrender the island of Margarita Island. This was clearly, if true, Germany breaking the Monroe Doctrine. This was unacceptable to McKinley and the American people. On August 31, President McKinley via his ambassador in Berlin handed the Germans a note that was all but an ultimatum. In this note McKinley asked for the Germans to withdraw their forces and not to demand any territory from the Venezuelans. Germany’s answer however was nothing short of telling McKinley to piss off.
With Germany’s answer war had moved from a question of if but to when.
The origins of the Island War don’t lie in Venezuela as they would appear on the surface of things. True the shooting did start in Venezuela but to understand the origins of the Island War one has to understand the era both the United States and Germany were in at the tail end of 19th century. It was the age of New Imperialism and empire building. Both the United States of America and the German Empire were late arrivals to this game. The United States didn’t enter the game till its victory over the Spanish in the First Spanish American War of 1873-75. Germany wasn’t even united as a single nation till the tail end of the Franco-Prussian War. Germany was further held back in its effort to build a colonial empire by the renowned Chancellor Otto von Bismarck who viewed colonies as a resource sink.
Both nations were late to the game and by this point in time the map was being filled in with color as the remaining areas that could be colonize were being gobble up quickly by other nations. This limited chances for growth without having a clash of arms with a peer power. Germany was focused on building up its colonial empire in both Africa and the Pacific. For the US they focused solely on the Pacific. The was an outgrowth of the idea of manifest destiny. The United States had pushed all away to the Pacific Coast of North America and with the victory over Spain gave the US a foothold in the Pacific and they were looking to expand it.
Its worth noting that the way both Germany and the United States viewed their efforts. The Germans had the more standard European view on colonial empires. They were for the economic well being and growth of the motherland, or in Germany’s case the Fatherland. This was a civilizing mission it but the colonies were to give economic benefit to the Fatherland first. Even if it rarely did. As to the United States a nation built from 13 former colonies, they had a different view on the subject. They viewed the ideas of colonies as land that in time would become part of their nation as a state, or at the very least an organized territory.
As more of the map filled in the areas left were increasing marginal in their worth. For a host of reasons through these increasing marginal lands which before had been left along were now being fought for by the different great powers. Each had different reasons for wanting these increasing marginal lands but they were fought for. One such of these territories was that the heart of the Island War. This being the Samoan Islands in the Southwest Pacific.
Both the United States of America and the German Empire lay claims to these islands. Further an old hand in the empire game, the British Empire also claimed these islands. For most of the 1880s things held an uneasy truce between all three powers. This was with the understanding that going to war over these islands were simply foolish. The 1889 typhoon however did change the equation. In 1889 all three nations had their navies in Apia Harbor to monitor things.
The natives on the islands were fighting over who their king would be. Both the Germans and Americans it when without saying supported different sizes. To keep things from getting out of control they had naval units at Apia to stop from the other side from directly entering the Samoan Civil War. Yet as signs of the typhoon came neither the German or American commanders refused to leave the harbor like their British counter parts did. Apia was not a harbor where one could ride out a storm. Yet it was pride that was causing both the American and German commanders from withdrawing their ships from Apia Harbor before the typhoon. Because of this both squadrons were wrecked.
In the aftermath of the 1889 typhoon the United States Navy sent another small squadron to Apia to maintain the uneasy truce between Washington and Berlin on these islands. Ever since the end of the Spanish American War the been engage in a slow but steady build up of its naval force. One of the hard lessons of that war for the United States was it needed a navy that was modern to defend itself as no one wanted a repeat of New Orleans on their hands. The fact that Germany could not do this for a few months enraged newly crown Kaiser Wilhelm II who had very different views of a colonial empire than still then Chancellor Bismarck. Yet this wasn’t the spark that let to the war between the two powers.
This did have effects as both nations started to put more money into their naval forces in the after of the 1889 typhoon yet many thought that would be it. Indeed it was. Then the Venezuelan Crisis of 1894 started. Venezuela had trouble with its fiscal policy had had borrowed heavily from Germany and 1894 those loans were due. At the same time they had a growing dispute with the British over Esequiba. Gold had been found in the region and the British wanted to control those gold fields. At this time those in London they saw a way to kill two birds with one stone.
For those in London they had been since the early 1880s had tried to force the United States to choose a side in the international world. The United States had been refusing to do so as they were holding to George Washington’s idea of the dangers of foreign alliances. This was the time of Pax Britannica and London wanted to know where everyone stood so incase they stepped out of line they could be forced back in line. Prior to 1875 and 1879 the United States had not been a player in international affairs which had been acceptable to London. Yet following those event London viewed the US as an international affair and it had to do what all other great powers did, pick a side so London could play them when needed.
With the US refusing they decided to use the Venezuelan Crisis to teach the United States that they had to play ball or there would be consequences. They decided to use the Germans for this instead of acting themselves. With the Venezuelans being in default to German banks the British whispered in Germany’s ear they could go into Venezuela to collect the money due them with their support so long as they supported their border between Venezuela and British Guiana. For Wilhelm the Second he was all to ready for a military adventure and he sent a fleet with an expeditionary force to collect the money due to German banks and force the British terms on Venezuela on the border. Rumors quickly started to spread that he was seeking more than that through.
The German expeditionary force landed in Venezuela on August 17 1894 in Venezuela. President McKinley had no want for a war with Germany. Yet the press was running wild that the Germans were going to force the Venezuelans to surrender the island of Margarita Island. This was clearly, if true, Germany breaking the Monroe Doctrine. This was unacceptable to McKinley and the American people. On August 31, President McKinley via his ambassador in Berlin handed the Germans a note that was all but an ultimatum. In this note McKinley asked for the Germans to withdraw their forces and not to demand any territory from the Venezuelans. Germany’s answer however was nothing short of telling McKinley to piss off.
With Germany’s answer war had moved from a question of if but to when.
- Jim Smitty
- Word Count: 1.3k