A New Balance, Redux

Sorry for the rough map, but I'm still learning Paint 3D.

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The Pacific Treaties of 1898
The Treaties of 1898

The two wars in the Pacific in 1894-95, the Island War between the United States and Germany and the Sino Japanese War had upset the balance of power in the Pacific. It also caused the British to become increasingly worried that the balance of power their grandfathers had fought Napoleon for was coming part at the seams as new powers who were hungry and wanting their own empires. Even more since the United States was refusing to take part in the European Affairs. Japan was the Yellow Peril not withstanding the fact they have when to great lengths to modernize their nation. The Japanese were even using Europe as their model and even adopting some of European culture to their own as they were trying to find their own voice on the world stage. Then you had the Russians who were looking to expand at the cross of everyone else and had flexed their muscles when they forced the Italians to stop their colonial campaign in East Africa.


For Germany their defeat in the Pacific War ended their hopes of a Pacific base of power within their Empire. Prior to the Island War there had been some serious talk in Berlin about buying the Philippines and other remaining Spanish Pacific colonies to expand their power base in the Pacific. And with the Spanish in need of money from fighting a war with the Filipino people was viewed by Berlin as agreeable to a sell. Yet with the loss of the bulk of their Pacific Colonies and rights to the Samoa Archipelago the only toe hold they had in the Pacific was the rights they held to the Tonga Archipelago and any talk of buying the Philippines died quickly once they admitted defeat in the Island War. However, the British also held the rights to the Tonga Archipelago which meant the Germans had choices to make in the aftermath of the Island War. Like the rest of the world they did see the Chinese get crushed by the Japanese in the Sino-Japanese War.


Germany wanted a part of China so as they could maintain a present in the Pacific along with hold a part of the Chinese markets. However, in the aftermath their ability to project power in the Pacific was questionable at best. So, the Germans turned to the British to achieve their goals. This would lead to the Treaty of London (1898). Under the terms of this treaty the Germans would concede their claims to the Tonga Archipelago to the British. In return the British would help the Germans achieve a German “Hong Kong” on the Shandong Peninsula around Jiaozhou Bay.


As the German were meeting with the British the Americans were getting ready to do the same. They had been holding off on annexing the territories they had won from the Germans in the Island War as they understood they would still need to make a deal with the British to clear up the mess of claims they held between the two nations. Their goal was to trade away part of their gains from the Island war to gain the rights to annex both the Hawaiian and Samoan Archipelagos. The areas they were looking at for these trades were in the form of the part of New Guinea and some of the Solomon Islands.


Going into their meetings with the Americans the British had a simple goal. First and foremost they wanted to force the United States out of the SW Pacific as much as possible. They had become very alarmed by the growth of the United States since the Spanish-American War. Further with the fact they were staying aloof of European affairs made them a wild card, something the British couldn’t have. With the United States having defeated a Great Power the threat that United State presented to the British Empire in its current form was too dangerous to be left loose and needed to be check.


Unlike the meetings between the British and Germans, the Anglo-American meetings was a hard fought affair that when on months and almost came to breaking points on several occasions during the course of the meetings before an agree was reached. Instead of the three week affair and civil affair that led to the Germans and British signing the Treaty of London, the Anglo-American meetings lasted for almost five months and would lead to both nations having bitter taste in their mouths. However, an agreement was reached and this led to the signing of the Treaty of Baltimore being signed and later ratified by both nations.


The Treaty of Baltimore saw the US turn over a number of the gains from the Island War to the British. This including totally withdrawing from New Guinea. However it when far deeper than that. The US withdrew most of their control of the Solomon Islands as well. The United States maintain control of Nauru, the Marshall Islands, New Britain[1], New Ireland, Bougainville Island, and Manus Island along with all of the islands within near New Ireland and Manus[2]. In return the British concede their rights to Hawaii. However the British refused to concede their rights to the Samoan Archipelago[3]. This was at the center of the prolong and painful debate between the British and Americans in Baltimore. It was finally agreed that the United States would be allowed to control Tutuila of the Samoan Archipelago along with all islands east of 171 degree west of Greenwich. The British took full control of all of the Samoan Archipelago that was west of 171 degree west Greenwich.


Even through the Treaty of Baltimore found a peaceful way to end the duel claims of Pacific Islands it would have a profound impact of foreign policy of the United States for decades to come. In the days following the ratification the US would move to formally annex Hawaii, their part of Samoa, and all the islands they had remained from their gains in the Island War.


[1] Once the US took over they returned the name of this and New Ireland back to the names they had in the 1700 only in English not Latin.

[2] At Bougainville Island the British pushed the US into giving up the Shortland Islands which they wanted to keep. At New Britain, the border between the British Territory of Papua and the American held parts of New Britain is the Dampier Straits. The US wanted the Vitiaz Straits. The British for their part wanted to pry Nauru and the Marshall Islands away from the United States as well but the US refused to budge here and made it clear they were keeping thoses.

[3] This was where the bad blood really comes from. The whole Island War started over the Samoa Islands and the British just flat out refuse to allow the US to have them all. This really pissed the US off.
 
So the British are pissing off the one power that can challenge them both Militarily AND naval? God damn what kind of tea are they drinking?
 
So the British gave up the Hawaiian Islands in this version? That does represent a change and interesting to see. Still seeds of bad blood have been sown, and though the US retires to a more isolationist stance the British won't be able to accept that and will try to draw them in. Plus the world has seen US flex its muscle against a European power. Times are changing.
 
So the British are pissing off the one power that can challenge them both Militarily AND naval? God damn what kind of tea are they drinking?
The correct answer is Earl Gray. Bull I just say its the good shit.

So the British gave up the Hawaiian Islands in this version? That does represent a change and interesting to see. Still seeds of bad blood have been sown, and though the US retires to a more isolationist stance the British won't be able to accept that and will try to draw them in. Plus the world has seen US flex its muscle against a European power. Times are changing.
Oh this is going to be a beautiful mess.
 
Chinese Concessions of 1898
Chinese Treaty Ports of 1898

In the aftermath of the Sino Japanese War the Qing Empire looked very weak in the eyes of the world. After all everyone had believed that the Qing Empire would easily defeat Japan at the start of the war only for Japan to beat the Qing like a redhead step-child. The smelled the blood was in the air in China and with the age of empire building in full swing it was only a matter of time before someone struck the still very weak Qing Empire. It wasn’t a question of if but when someone made the first move to cut off a piece of the Qing Empire for their own empire building goals. That question was answered in early 1898 when the Russians made their move. Even through the Russians were the first they would by means the last to make this move.


One of the two major goals of the Russian Empire was to take an ice free port that didn’t have a major choke point. The other was to take the straits that the Ottomans sat on. Yet the easier goal was the warm water port in 1898 in the form of Port Arthur on the Liaodong Peninsula. The Japanese wanting this port however Russian saber rattling caused them to shift their focus to the Shandong Peninsula instead. The Russians a few years after the defeat of the Qing sent an ultimatum to Peking. It was sign a treaty to turn over Port Arthur to them in a 25 year lease for face war. The Chinese knew they stood no chance against the Russians if they couldn’t even defeat the Japanese. To that end they signed the treaty in early February.


Following this it opened the flood gates of nations looking for control of ports in China. The next to move were the British. They had more than a few goals in what they were doing in China. First and foremost they wanted to improve the defensives of Hong Kong against a possible attack. As the Chinese defeat had proven they were weak and they couldn’t be counted on to help defend the British outpost in China. They also wanted to send a message to the Russians don’t push too much in your want of growth. The British were the gate keepers and since the defeat of Napoleon had been the strongest power on the fact of the Earth. As such they increased their holdings in the Far East. First it was the New Territories which enlarged their Hong Kong Colony by a sizeable amount. Secondary they moved to gain a port on the Shandong Peninsula as a reminder to the Russians they were thee naval power of the world. This came to be known as Port Edwards[1] to the rest of the world after the British took over the territory in early May. Both of these leases were 99 years in length.


True to their word the British helped the Germans gain a port in China as well. This would be known as the Kiautschou Bay Concession and was turned over to the German cruiser SMS Hela and the 1. Marinebattalion[2] in early May. For the Germans this was only three years after their defeat at the hands of the United States three years prior this was an impressive performance by the Germans to get a cruiser and a newly raised unit over to China. Like the British the Germans signed a 99 year lease for control of the Kiautschou Bay Concession.


The French were the next to move. Yet the French took their own path. Instead of focusing in the north like the Russians and Germans or trying to focus on the south and north like the British, the French just focused on the southern part of China. This was close to their Indochina colony so it made sense to get something that was close to that. They ended up getting a 99 year lease on the Leizhou Peninsula known as Kouang-Tcheou-Wan which the French hoped to turn into their own Hong Kong.


Following the French it was the Italians with British help who strong armed the Chinese into giving up another concession. This became known as the Sanmen Bay Concession[3]. Like everyone else beside the Russians the Italians gained a 99 year lease on their concession. Not to be outdone by the Italians the Austro-Hungarians rushed to get their own concession in China. This concession became known as the Siyng Bay Concession[4] and this treaty was sign in the early winter of 1898.


There were only two major nations that failed to claim concessions out of China in 1898. The Japanese were currently happy where they sat and needed time to take bring the areas they took in the Sino-Japanese War and turn into profitable parts of the Empire along allowing their Treasury to recover from that war. The United States had been prepping to pass out what they called the Open Door Notes regarding China. However talks with the British quickly consumed the US State Department in 1898. By the time the United States and Great Britain signed the Treaty of Baltimore the Italians had just signed their treaty to get their Sanmen Bay Concession making them the fifth nation to gain one.


With the Austro-Hungarians moving to try and get their own concession this set off a debate in Foggy Bottom Sound. The debate was around if they should even push the Open Door Notes which by this point were in their final form or give up on them and try to grab a piece of China for themselves. However by the time they were ready to make their move over China, China would go up in flames.


[1] Longkou and Changdao County

[2] One of the lessons of the Island War, Germany needed a proper Marine Corp.

[3] Sanmen County

[4] Sheyang County
 
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