~1900s: The genesis of federation
January 1900: The US attempts to obtain agreement from the Great Powers to pursue an "Open Door" policy in China.
January 1900: The Dowager Empress Cixi allies with the mystic Righteous Fist movement, or Boxers, in an effort to drive the Europeans out of China.
April 1900: The Irish Foot Guards Regiment is raised by order of Queen Victoria to honour Irish participation in the Boer war.
June 1900: Boxers in China besiege the European legations in Beijing.
June 1900: Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirptiz takes advantage of German sympathy for the Boers to pass the Second Naval Law. This is intended to double the strength of the German navy over next 17 years. It is part of his "Risk Flotte" theory. The plan is to build a fleet strong enough that the British will not be able enter war with Germany without risking suffering losses which will cost their naval superiority. The law causes great concern in Britain, sparking a naval arms race and eventually forcing the British to reengage with Europe.
July 1900: The Adelaide Imperial Conference adopts a policy of forming Imperial free trade zone.
August 1900: A multinational force reaches Beijing and relieves the besieged legations. The Dowager Empress flees but Emperor Zaitian is captured by US troops and sent to Shanghai.
August 1900: Despite initial setbacks, the Boer Republics are conquered. However the Boers refuse to surrender and a bitter guerrilla war develops.
November 1900: Charles Tupper again narrowly wins the Canadian federal elections. He begins instituting a free trade policy with Britain and the other Dominions.
January 1901: Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South and West Australia unify as the Commonwealth of Australia. Despite being invited to join, New Zealand and Tasmania remain out of the federation.
January 1901: Queen Victoria dies and is succeeded by Edward VII
April 1901: Chancellor of the Exchequer Henry Campbell-Bannerman introduces a radical budget featuring many social welfare reforms. The budget is rejected by the Conservative dominated Lords creating a constitutional crisis. Chamberlain goes to the polls and wins a mandate for a constitutional reform and the Unionists become the second party in the Commons. Chamberlain's second son, Neville is elected as a Liberal MP.
September 1901: A massive indemnity is imposed on the Chinese in the wake of the Boxer Rebellion. Emperor Zaitian remains in Shanghai.
November 1901: The British relinquish their right to dual control of any trans American canal in the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty. However they retain the right to equal access to the canal even in times of war.
January 1902: The Anglo-Japanese Alliance is signed, ending Britain's "splendid isolation."
May 1902: The Treaty of Vereeniging ends the Boer War. The Boers are given generous terms and promised self government within five years.
June 1902: The Parliament Act removes the Lords power of veto over legislation and ability to reject a budget.
October 1902: The Welsh and Imperial Foot Guards Regiments are raised in the wake of the Boer War.
January 1903: The Hay-Herbert Treaty sends a dispute over the Alaskan border to arbitration.
February 1903: In response to the deficiencies shown by the Boer War, Secretary of State for War Richard Haldane begins a comprehensive series of reforms to the British army. One of the first moves is to create a General Staff to coordinate Imperial defence. This General Staff includes permanent representation from the Dominions.
March 1903: The arbitration of the Alaskan border dispute fails when the British support the Canadian suspicions of lack of impartiality on the part of the US appointed arbiters.
May 1903: The US adopt the M1903 Springfield Mauser in 0.30" as their standard infantry rifle.
June 1903: The Power Industry in the UK is rationalised into six large privately owned regional companies in a series of government mandated mergers.
July 1903: The British and US agree to submit the Alaskan border dispute to international arbitration.
August 1903: The Experimental Motor Force is formed in the British army to investigate the potential use of automobiles in war. The force consists of two platoons of lorried infantry supported by a troop of five Rolls Royce 30hp cars mounting a Madsen light machine gun.
September 1903: Compulsory education in India is extended to age 15.
October 1903: International arbitration of the Alaskan border finds generally in favour of the US, but negotiations produce significant concessions over Canadian access with a permanent lease on the port of Haines. The British support of the Canadian position in the face of US aggressiveness greatly strengthens Imperialist feeling in Canada.
November 1903: The US incites a rebellion in Panama, separating it from Colombia in order to construct a trans American canal. The rebellion is followed by the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty negotiated by telegraph between the US Secretary of State and the French lead engineer of the canal project. The treaty gives the US the right to control and garrison the canal, separate from Panamanian jurisdiction. The treaty will be met with great opposition by the Panamanian population and be an issue in relations between the two nations immediately.
February 1904: After years of growing tensions over Korea and Manchuria, Japan launches a surprise attack on the Russian Pacific Fleet in Port Arthur.
April 1904: Concerned by growing German naval aspirations, the British sign the Entente Cordiale, a defensive alliance, with France.
May 1904: Work begins on the Panama canal.
July 1904: The Wellington Imperial Conference agrees set up an officer training corp at universities throughout the Empire to provide a pool of potential officers.
October 1904: Admiral John Fisher is appointed First Sea Lord and begins to reform the Royal Navy.
October 1904: The Russians dispatch their Baltic Fleet to the Pacific to participate in the Russo-Japanese War.
November 1904: Prime Minister Tupper of Canada retires. His Conservative Party under Robert Borden is defeated by Wilfred Laurier's Liberals. The Liberals reverse the Conservatives pro Imperial policies for closer engagement with the US, however the previously agreed Imperial free trade policy is maintained.
December 1904: The Experimental Motor Force is regularised as the single squadron Motor Corp.
January 1905: Port Arthur falls to the Japanese.
May 1905: The Russian Baltic Fleet is destroyed by the Japanese at the Battle of Tsushima. This defeat, and the Japanese occupation of Sakhalin Island, results in the Russians suing for peace.
June 1905: The vote is extended to non whites in the Cape Colony and Natal.
August 1905: Haldane's reforms create a Territorial Army of 21 divisions for home defence and Regular Expeditionary Force of nine divisions for service overseas.
August 1905: The Treaty of Portsmouth ends the Russo-Japanese War, ceding the entirety of Sakhalin Island (as Karafuto) and the Kuriles to Japan in return for the Japanese dropping claims for reparations.
September 1905: Fisher wins the support of Chamberlain in developing specialist amphibious warfare techniques, ostensibly for colonial deployment, but focused on Fisher's favoured Baltic project in the event of war with Germany.
October 1905: In the response to widespread unrest, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia proclaims limited democratic reforms and the country's first constitution.
November 1905: Korea becomes a Japanese protectorate.
February 1906: Chamberlain wins the scheduled election but suffers a stroke in September and is replaced by Cambell-Bannerman, who rebuffs calls for new elections.
March 1906: The British army adopts the Madsen light machine gun to replace the Maxim with cavalry battalions, issuing two Madsens per squadron to each battalion.
July 1906: The Cape Town Imperial Conference Agrees to expand the National Development Board to cover the entire Empire, creating a second Dominion cabinet post. The Australian, Joseph Cook is appointed to the post.
December 1906: The first all big gun battleship, HMS Dreadnought, is commissioned in the RN. This sparks a world wide naval arms race.
February 1907: In response to continued agitation for Irish home rule Campbell-Bannerman introduces the Devolution of Government bill. This would creates six regional assemblies (England, Wales, Northumbria, Scotland, Ireland and a reduced six county Ulster) with significant, but below that the Dominions, competence for home rule. Many nationalists reject this, calling for the full competence granted to the Dominions, the more radical republicans still calling for complete independence. The bill narrowly passes the Commons but is sent back by the Lords. The bill will not finally become law until 1910. Both Austin and Neville Chamberlain oppose the bill and defect to the Unionists.
June 1907: Five armoured cars based on the Rolls Royce Silver Ghost chassis are ordered to replace the unarmoured 30hp cars in the Motor Corp.
August 1907: The signing of the Anglo-Russian Entente forms the Triple Entente as a counter balance to the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy.
November 1907: The former Boer Republics are granted self government. The immediately set about instituting racist policies excluding non whites from power.
May 1908: A second squadron is formed in the Motor Corp.
April 1908: Campbell-Bannerman resigns due to his failing health and is succeeded by Herbert Asquith. Asquith continues Campbell-Bannerman's reforms, albeit a reduced pace. By now the political climate in the UK is becoming increasingly favourable to social reform and economic intervention.
June 1908: HMS Invincible, the world's first battlecruiser is commissioned.
October 1908: Backlash against the pro US policies of Laurier's Liberals in the wake of the Alaska border settlement allows Robert Borden's conservatives to win the Canadian federal elections. Borden resumes a pro Imperial policy.
November 1908: The Dowager Empress Cixi dies and Emperor Zaitian is finally released to resume power. He immediately resumes his program of reform.
February 1909: The RN policy of allowing shell manufacturers to resubmit shells for testing if the fail acceptance is abandoned.
March 1909: The Industrial Development Act brings incentives to electrify industry and adopt modern mass production techniques.
March 1909: New Zealand offers to fund the construction of a new Indefatigable class battlecruiser for the RN.
June 1909: The Imperial Cricket Conference is formed to promote the sport throughout the Empire.
December 1909: Australia orders a battlecruiser of the Indefatigable class as the flagship for the Royal Australian Navy. Three light cruisers and six destroyers are also ordered, one cruiser to be built in Australia.
