Venuzauala Crisis Escalates
- Thread starter catboy637
- Start date
Well, considering that Britain had cooperated with Germany in issuing the ultimatum to Venezuela's government, I can't imagine the US would be in a very good position. Britain and Germany allying against the US in 1902 could also some interesting effects on their overall relations; an Anglo-German alliance is still possible at this point, which would have all kinds of interesting effects on the balance of power.
Can you give a bit more background on the situation please, i'm interested but not knowledgable. Thanks.
Long story short: A Venezuelan dissident (Cipriano Castro) invaded the country from Colombia and seized the presidential seat. Among the first things he did, it was cancelling the payment of debts to foreign bankers. These bankers protested, of course, and their nations - Great Britain, Germany, Italy - sent some ships, in an example of the gunboat diplomacy of the era, to bomb the tiny Venezuelan navy and her coastal fortifications till those payments were restored. The United States, however, stepped in favour of the Venezuelans, and progressively Italy and Britain left the scene. Germany, however, remained in the region, and it was rumoured that they would do so till seizing some island(s) from Venezuela to built a military base in the Caribbean. Roosevelt dispatched a fleet to the Caribbean and issued what was in essence an ultimatum. The Germans reconsidered their position and left.
So depending when things blow out of control, this can mean 1) a US war against Germany 2) against Germany and Britain or 3) against Germany, Britain and Italy.
Great Britain, Germany, and Italy made it clear to the United States that they did not want to make Venezuela a colony and just wanted to recover the debt that was owed. United States foreign policy was based on the Monroe Doctrine that found any attempt by the Europeans to take possession of former Spanish colonies in the Western Hemisphere as acts of aggression against the United States requiring United States intervention
They probably felt that the debt of sixty-two million bolivars was not worth it as the price of war with the United States. Great Britain, Germany, and Italy were probably too busy with their own colonies around the world.
The crisis ocurred in 1902 in the same year that much of the Great White Fleet was ordered.
If Great Britain, Germany, and Italy had felt that the issue was worth asserting, I wonder if the forces of the United States would have been defeated. Great Britain at the time had the world's largest navy. Would this defeat have affected TR's "Big Stick" policy? Would he have shown off the new United States Navy with the Great White Fleet circumnavigation cruises? Would this defeat have affected the United States' efforts to build the Panama Canal?
They probably felt that the debt of sixty-two million bolivars was not worth it as the price of war with the United States. Great Britain, Germany, and Italy were probably too busy with their own colonies around the world.
The crisis ocurred in 1902 in the same year that much of the Great White Fleet was ordered.
If Great Britain, Germany, and Italy had felt that the issue was worth asserting, I wonder if the forces of the United States would have been defeated. Great Britain at the time had the world's largest navy. Would this defeat have affected TR's "Big Stick" policy? Would he have shown off the new United States Navy with the Great White Fleet circumnavigation cruises? Would this defeat have affected the United States' efforts to build the Panama Canal?
Last edited: