The congress of berlin. Berlin Conference 2022-12-15
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The Congress of Berlin, also known as the Berlin Conference, was a significant international conference held in Berlin, Germany, in 1884-1885. It was convened by the German Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, in an effort to address the various territorial and trade disputes that had arisen in Africa as a result of the Scramble for Africa, a period of rapid colonization and territorial expansion by European powers.
During the Congress of Berlin, representatives from 14 European powers and the United States met to discuss the issues related to Africa and to redraw the map of the continent. The main goal of the conference was to establish rules for the partition and colonization of Africa, as well as to regulate trade and commerce in the region.
One of the most significant outcomes of the Congress of Berlin was the establishment of the principle of "effective occupation," which stated that a European power could only claim ownership of a territory in Africa if it was able to effectively control and govern it. This principle was meant to prevent the territorial disputes that had arisen between European powers in Africa, and to ensure that the process of colonization was conducted in a more orderly and peaceful manner.
Another important outcome of the Congress of Berlin was the establishment of the Congo Free State, a personal possession of King Leopold II of Belgium, which became one of the largest and most lucrative colonies in Africa. The Congo Free State was granted extensive powers and privileges, including the right to make treaties with African states and to maintain an independent military force.
The Congress of Berlin also addressed the issue of the slave trade in Africa, which had been banned by many European powers but was still being practiced in some parts of the continent. The conference adopted a number of measures to suppress the slave trade, including the establishment of a network of consular posts and the establishment of a system of patrols to intercept slave ships.
Overall, the Congress of Berlin had a significant impact on the history of Africa and the relationship between European powers and the continent. It established a framework for the partition and colonization of Africa, and set the stage for the eventual emergence of modern African states. However, it also had negative consequences, as the scramble for Africa led to the exploitation and oppression of African peoples, and the establishment of the Congo Free State was marked by widespread human rights abuses.
Treaty of Berlin (1878)
You can help by September 2020 Historians have long marked the Berlin Conference as the formalisation of the Some have argued the conference central to imperialism. Meisl, Die Durchfuehrung des Artikels 44 des Berliner Vertrages in Rumaenien und die europaeische Diplomatie 1925 ; N. It was held in Potsdam, near Berlin, from July 17 to August 2, 1945. Members of this group were Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, and Bulgaria. The Idea of National Self-Determination and the Recognition of New States at the Congress of Berlin 1878.
This memorandum was listed in the protocol of documents submitted to the congress but was not discussed on the floor. In line with Germany and Britain's opposing views, the powers finally agreed that it could be established by a European power establishing some kind of base on the coast from which it was free to expand into the interior. When a Serbian Pan-Slavic nationalist assassinated Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, this was to prove the catalyst for the First World War. This treaty came at a time where the demand for Pan-Slavism in the Balkans was extremely high. The leader of the congress, German Chancellor The affected territories were instead granted varying degrees of independence. Therefore in the long run it was a colossal failure.
Segel, Rumaenien und seine Juden 1918 ; L. The Belgians originally wanted to include that "effective occupation" required provisions that "cause peace to be administered", but Britain and France were the powers that had that amendment struck out of the final document. These two leaders reformed and expanded their empire. On June 24, 1878, the Jewish problem came up for discussion as part of the general consideration of Bulgarian affairs. . However an argument can be made that many of the decisions made in this conference directly led to the outbreak of war in 1914.
The American Journal of International Law. Large areas of both Austria-Hungary and Serbia were home to differing nationalist groups, all of who wanted freedom from the states in which they lived. Following the recent conclusion of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877, the Congress of Berlin aimed to divide the perennial no-man's-land of Europe, the Balkans, along lines more reflective of the then-current balance of power. These tactics, however, were vehemently condemned and rejected by the representatives of the Alliance. Defeating the allies of Germany to make Germany easier to take down. This became a result of declaring war against Russia on August 1, 1914. When African independence was regained after World War II, it was in the form of fragmented states.
In addition, it sparked new interest in Africa. The colonial powers superimposed their domains on the African continent. The Ottoman Empire would declare war on Russia, and would come in from the Odessa Port, the only usable port — a major port in the Black Sea. The Berlin West African Conference, 1884—1885. Of these 14 nations, France, Germany, Great Britain, and Portugal were the major players in the conference, controlling most of colonial Africa at the time. Oxford History of Modern Europe.
Retrieved 8 February 2019— via Internet Archive. He also wanted to keep Constantinople in the hands of the Ottomans as he felt that Russia would be too powerful if the imperial capital fell into their hands. Due to the decline of the Ottoman Empire, each country was competing for influence in the Middle East, with Russia attempting to gain access to its seas. In order to achieve this, Bismarck tried to divided the Balkans in a way which would avoid future tensions, therefore, on June 1878, the major European powers together with the Ottomans and Balkans came together, and after weeks of negotiations the main outcomes of the Congress were the recognition of Romania, Montenegro and Serbia as independent states, and to redistribute great part of the territorial gains made by Russia thanks to the Treaty of San Stefano. Stone, "Bismarck and Blowitz at the Congress of Berlin. Imperial Russian Foreign Policy. Romania refused to meet her obligation, and the struggle to implement paragraph 44 of the peace treaty in this country extended over decades.
In conclusion, to judge whether this conference was a success one must ask how success is defined. As a result tensions between Russia Germany and Austria-Hungary got worse as Russia felt that Germany was more favorable towards Austria Hungary. Bhambra, Yolande Bouka, Randolph B. In Africa, colonialism was introduced across nearly all the continent. In particular, they were worried about Russian ambitions in the Bosporus. The Scramble for Africa Duke University Press, 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
Federbush 1960 , 117—64; idem, in: Sefer Yugoslavyah Tel Aviv, 1962 ; J. In the subsequent meetings, Great Britain, France, Germany, Portugal, and King Leopold II negotiated their claims to African territory, which were then formalized and mapped. Russia and Austria-Hungary dared agree on the latter's eventual annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina only by a secret agreement 1881 , which caused a storm when implemented in 1908. Britain and the Eastern question, 1875—1878. The decision to place Bosnia under Austrian rule and Serbia's distaste for it was a crucial moment in history that ultimately led to the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. The defeat of the war highlighted the fact that Russia had lost its dominance as a military power, having had its warships banned from the Black Sea. Russia and the Balkans 1870-1880.
