Enten te  Cord ia l e ,   1902 -­‐1905  Class:                                                        MA  1    Prepared  by:                          Hadhami  Walhazi  Date:                                        26  Feb  2015  Module  :                                        GB  Studies  

     

         

OUTLINE      

I. Introduction  II. The  Entente  Cordiale  

1. Definition  2. The  Run  Up  To  The  Entente  3. What  Makes  The  Entente  Resonates?  4. Critique  5. Entente  In  Caricature  

III. Conclusion  IV. Bibliography  

   

Introduction      

     

è Basing  on  the  Otte’s  metaphor,  it  seems  that  the  entente  cordiale  is  considered  as  a  colorful  representation  of  the  gloomy  past.    

è Thus,  it  is  quite  crucial  to  understand  the  process  throughout  a  historiographical  approach.  

è So  let’s  see  together  how  the  Anglo-­‐French  relations  shifted  from  an  ambiguous  and  complicated  status  in  Pax  Britannica  to  a  ‘honeymoon’  thanks  to  Entente  Cordiale.    

   

                                                                                                               1  Source:  Article  entitled:  FROM  ‘’WAR  IN  SIGHT’  TO  NEARLY  WAR  ANGLO  FRENSH  RELATIONS  IN  THE  AGE  OF  HIGH  IMPERIALISM,1875-­‐1898  ,written  by  T.G  Otte,  published  in  2006.  

‘ The entente cordiale was very much a case of painting the recent past in colours that suited present tastes and needs ’1

Definitions      v Literal  meaning:    

è ‘entente  cordiale’  is  a  French  term  which  literally  means  ‘warm  understanding’  v What  is  the  Entente  Cordiale?  

è The  Entente  Cordiale,  which  meant  to  be  as  "cordial  agreement",  was  a  group  of  agreements  made  between  the  two  European  countries,  France  and  Great  Britain.    

è  Both  France  and  Great  Britain  representatives  signed  the  agreements,  which  they  came  to  by  solving  their  disputes  and  compromising  with  each  other.2    

 Ø Primary source of the front page of the Parisian newspaper, Le Petit

Journal, written on August 20, 1905 after the Entente Cordiale was made in 1904.3

 

                                                                                                               2  Source:  (Events  Leading  to  World  War  1,  Historyannex.com;  Entente  Cordiale  (European  History),  Encyclopedia  Britannica  Online.  3  Sources: www.irishhistoricaltextiles.com +    http://colonizationofmorocco.weebly.com/entente-­‐cordiale.html    

v Protagonists:  France  +  Britain  

v Date:    9  April  1904  

v Formal  (official)  Title:  The  Declaration  between  UK  and  France  Respecting  Egypt  and  morocco,  together  with  the  secret  Articles  signed  at  the  same  time.  

v Goals:    

è Quoting  from  a  comment  written  in  the  Pall  Mall  Magazine  in  1904:    

‘ The entente cordiale is a reality established and perpetuated by the Anglo-French treaty long before so happy a consummation, there were influences at work to change the misunderstandings and misrepresentations between the two peoples into something akin to good feeling.’

è The  Entente  Cordiale  was  beneficial  for  both  nations  because  it  gave  them  freedom  to  pursue  their  own  interests  in  colonizing  other  countries.    France  was  able  to  act  on  their  interests  in  Morocco  without  interference  from  the  British.    Also,  Britain  was  allowed  to  continue  their  actions  in  Egypt  and  the  French  couldn’t  do  anything  to  stop  their  activity4  

v Historical  Importance/value:  è It  was  considered  the  cradle  5  of  cooperation  between  the  two  nations  in  internal  

affairs.  è Entente  relations  were  seen  as  a  milestone  in  the  structure  of  the  anti-­‐German  

bloc.    

v Franco-British Declaration, 1904: Articles and comments on them  

Article 1 His Britannic Majesty's Government declare that they have no intention of altering the political status of Egypt. The Government of the French Republic, for their part, declare that

In the first article of the Entente Cordiale agreement between the British and France, the British government promises that they will not change the political status or government of Egypt. In return, the French government will not interfere

                                                                                                               4  Source:  (Events  Leading  to  World  War  1,  Historyannex.com;  Entente  Cordiale  (European  History),  Encyclopedia  Britannica  Online.    5  cradle(n)  =  infant’s  bed  

they will not obstruct the action of Great Britain in that country. It is agreed that the post of Director-General of Antiquities in Egypt shall continue, as in the past, to be entrusted to a French savant. The French schools in Egypt shall continue to enjoy the same liberty as in the past. Article 2 The Government of the French Republic declare that they have no intention of altering the political status of Morocco. His Britannic Majesty's Government, for their part, recognise that it appertains to France, more particularly as a Power whose dominions are conterminous for a great distance with those of Morocco, to preserve order in that country, and to provide assistance for the purpose of all administrative, economic, financial, and military reforms which it may require. They declare that they will not obstruct the action taken by France for this purpose, provided that such action shall leave intact the rights which Great Britain, in virtue of treaties, conventions, and usage, enjoys in Morocco, including the right of coasting trade between the ports of Morocco, enjoyed by British vessels since 1901.

Article 8 The two Governments, inspired by

with Britain's activity in Egypt. Even though Britain is able to colonize Egypt, both countries agree that some of France's activity in Egypt in the past will remain the same. For example, France is still able to run its schools in Egypt with the same freedom as they had before. The second article of the Franco-British Declaration talks about France and Great Britain's agreement on Morocco. The French government is allowed to colonize Morocco if they don't mess with Morocco's political status. The British government says that they will not restrict France's actions in Morocco as long as the French activity doesn't prevent Great Britain's rights with Morocco. Great Britain must be allowed to continue its trading with Morocco.

their feeling of sincere friendship for Spain, take into special consideration the interests which that country derives from her geographical position and from her territorial possessions on the Moorish coast of the Mediterranean. In regard to these interests the French Government will come to an understanding with the Spanish Government. The agreement which may be come to on the subject between France and Spain shall be communicated to His Britannic Majesty's Government. (Primary Documents- Entente Cordiale 8 April 1904, First WorldWar.com)

Article 8 of the Franco-British Declaration brings Spain into the agreement because both France and Great Britain have friendships with Spain. This article talks about how both nations also want to think about what Spain's interest are. The declaration describes Spain's interests as being based off of their location, because Spain is close to North Africa, and the territory that they already have. For those reasons, France says that they will make an agreement with Spain because both countries have shown interest in Morocco. Also, when the agreement is made, Britain needs to be informed about it.

   

v Remarks:  è Entente  Cordiale  consisted  three  crucial  records.  The  leading  document  was  

about  the  proclamation  of  the  futures  of  both  Egypt  and  Morocco.    è Through  this  informal  agreement,  France  acknowledged  British  dominance  over  

Egypt  while  Britain  recognized  France  in  Morocco.    è In  addition,  the  Entente  Cordiale  recognized  the  right  of  free  passage  through  the  

Suez  Canal.  Moreover,  Convention  of  Constantinople  was  brought  into  force.    è When  second  document  is  examined,  it  was  relevant  to  Newfoundland,  west  and  

central  Africa.  It  was  marked  that  France  gave  up  special  fishery  rights  on  the  Newfoundland  coastline  and  in  return,  France  collected  reparation  and  territory  in  Senegal  and  Nigeria.    

è A  final  declaration  was  about  Siam.  The  British  accepted  French  effect  on  the  eastern  part  of  the  Menam  river  basin  in  return,  French  acknowledged  British  dominance  over  the  area  to  the  west  of  the  Menam  basin.    

è It  is  important  to  highlight  that  British  isolation  and  constant  feelings  of  supremacy6  was  reduced  by  the  Entente  Cordiale.    

                                                                                                               6  Speaking to the BBC in 1994 Hurd reminisced that “When I was a young diplomat I was really rather terrified of the French […] There lingered for a long time a feeling that it was not quite safe to have a discussion with a Frenchman, not because he would deceive you but because he was actually cleverer” (Sir Charles Powell, “Entente Cordiale”, broadcast by the BBC, 8 September 1994)  

The  run  up  to  the  Entente    1843:          Guizot7  uses  the  expression  Entente  Cordiale  for  the  first  time,  officially,  in  September  1843.  Then  it  enters  the  British  political  lexicon.    1853:    The  Crimean  War  8in  which  England’s  entrance  into  it,  aggravated  the  tensions  with  France.    1854:  

-­‐ a  cloudy  atmosphere  of  fear  and  xenophobic  attitudes  towards  Britain.  -­‐ The  Politian  John  Crocker,  when  feared-­‐as  many  other  French  politians-­‐  a  war  

with  France,  suggested  to  resuscitate  the  entente  through  commerce.  1860:  -­‐Two  great  traders:  Richard  Cobden  and  Michel  Chevalier  brought  their  free  trade  agreement  which  attempted  to  calm  down  the  tensions  by  establishing  Britain  and  France  as  trading  partners.  -­‐Though  the  commercial  agreement  was  fiercely  opposed  by  English  invasionists  and  French  protectionists,  it  successfully  stirred  up  commerce  and  succeed  to  smoothen  the  atmosphere.  1871:  -­‐The  civil  war  broke  out  in  Paris,  France.  -­‐It  ended  with  la  Semaine  sanglante  (=  bloody  week)  in  which  20.000  French  citizen  were  shot.    -­‐It  engendered  shock  and  horror  in  Britain  and  jarred  the  fragile  entente.  

è Collapse  of  the  commercial  agreements.  1886:  The  expression  ‘entente’  was  brought  to  the  floor  by  an  English  company  which  aimed  for  an  Franco-­‐English  ‘rapprochement’.  Similar  company  appeared  in  France,  one  year  after,  aiming  for  the  development  of  more  cordial  relations  between  the  two  nations.    1989:  ‘The Fashoda incident demonstrated, in time, to many French politicians that there was no hope of ending the resented British occupation of Egypt and the Nile valley. Confrontation with Britain in Africa was clearly futile, and accommodation potentially advantageous.’9  1903:  Reciprocal  visits:  Eduard  à  Paris  ,  Loubetà  London  

                                                                                                               7  Guizot  is  the  Minister  of  Foreign  French  Affairs  8  Crimean  War  is  a  war  (1853–56)  between  Russia  and  an  alliance  of  Great  Britain,  France,  Sardinia,  and  Turkey.  Russian  aggression  against  Turkey  led  to  war,  with  Turkey's  European  allies  intervening  to  destroy  Russian  naval  power  in  the  Black  Sea  in  1854;  eventually  the  allies  captured  the  fortress  city  of  Sebastopol  in  1855  after  a  lengthy  siege.  9  James  K.  Hiller,  "The  1904  Anglo-­‐French  Newfoundland  Fisheries  Convention:  Another  Look",  Acadiensis,  pp.  82-­‐98  

‘Offended  memories  about  Fashoda  Crisis  had  poisoned  Anglo-­‐French  relations  but  this  icy  atmosphere  of  hostility  replaced  with  hot  climate  by  reciprocal  state  visits  in  1903’10  1904:    Signing  the  Entente  agreements.  

-­‐ Paris  visit  of  Edward  VII  as  a  British  king,  and  French  President’s  visit  to  London    were  resulted  in  signing  an  informal  alliance  in  April  1904  which  is  known  as  the  Entente  Cordiale.11  

-­‐  This  symbolizes  the  beginning  of  Anglo-­‐French  friendship,  and  solved  long-­‐standing  colonial  conflicts  in  North  Africa.  

 1905:  -­‐  Germany  tried  to  use  the  question  of  Morocco’s  independence  to  create  disharmony  between  Britain  and  France  as  well  as  encourage  German  commercial  considerations  in  Morocco.    -­‐  Kaiser  Wilhelm  II’s  visit  to  Tangier  on  31  March  1905  led  to  alarm  France  and  stir  international  crisis.    -­‐  Expectedly,  first  Moroccan  crisis  made  German  relations  bitter  with  Britain  and  France.    -­‐  In  1906,  international  crisis  was  solved  in  favor  of  France  at  the  Algeciras  Conference.  At  the  end  of  the  conference,  Morocco  would  have  controlled  by  France.  Most  fundamentally,  cooperation  between  Britain  and  France  was  reaffirmed.12      

                                                                                                               10  from:  ‘British  Foreign  &  Strategic  Policy:  Entente  Cordiale’  By  ACADEMIC  PERSPECTIVE  ,pub  on  November  25,  2013        11  Harold  Nicolson,  ‘‘The  Origins  and  Development  of  the  Anglo-­‐French  Entente,’’  International  Affairs  ,p29-­‐30  (1954)  12  Nicolson,  ’The  Origins  and  Development  of  the  Anglo-­‐French  Entente,’’  p412.  

What  makes  the  Entente  resonates?    

In  an  article,  it  is  said:  the  entente    ‘neither abolished all argument between the two nations nor inaugurated an era of perpetual cross-Channel harmony. ’    

è As  it  is  expressed  in  The  Guardian  and  shared  by  other  press  and  politicians,  it  was  a  common  belief  that  the  Entente  between  Britain  and  France  is  build  upon  fake  relationship.  To  add  its  diplomatic  aims  were  not  achieved.    

Yet, there is a constant call for reviving and resigning it. So what makes French and British governments interested in rebuilding ties between each other through reviving the entente of 1904?

è The answer could be as mentioned in The  Best  of  Rivals  ,  an  article  published  in  The  Guardian:  

It is partly because the entente defined relations between the two nations in the context of the wider world - a very modern concept. Yet mostly because the Entente embodied two principles that are essential to 21st-century Europe.

The first - for which the Entente was much criticised then and since by nationalists in both countries - is that the treaty was a lasting victory for the principle that disputes between states are better settled by diplomacy than by war. Britain and France had fought bloody conflicts against each other for centuries before 1904.

The second lesson, which is less well understood here than it should be, is that Britain and France are nations with shared problems, interests and values. The problems that face modern France are very close to the problems that face modern Britain. The countries occupy comparable places in the global order. Our peoples have a common inheritance of ideas and culture. We mislead ourselves if we think that modern Britain has more to learn from America than from France. A British official, quoted in our coverage, says Britain and France are "condemned to work together". We put it more positively. Vive l'entente cordiale!

 Critiques  

Let’s  see  how  the  French  press  saw  the  Entente    

To  begin  with,  the  Franco-­‐British  ‘declaration’,  as  LE  MONDE  expressed,  was  the  product  of  toughly  negotiated  diplomatic  reconciliation.  De  facto,  ‘it  contains  no  flowery  proclamations  of  eternal  friendship’.    French  papers  asked  why  the  countries  had  signed  the  1904  entente  in  the  1st  place.  It  enables  the  British  royal  family  ‘to  forget  their  German  roots’  It  was  a  means  of  ending  both  countries  ‘diplomatic  isolation’.    Above  all,  the  entente  was  ‘an  agreement  on  how  to  share  the  world’s  colonies’,  suggested  LES  ECHOS,  ‘the  countries  are  a  long  way  from  having  a  shared  vision  of  the  world.’    LE  PARISIEN's  Anne-­‐Sophie  Damecour  mingled  with  the  cheering  crowds  on  the  Champs-­‐Elysées  and  thought  the  entente  was  "more  than  cordial".  But  for  Christophe  Forcari  in  LIBÉRATION,  Anglophobia  is  as  much  part  "of  the  national  folklore  as  the  baguette".  The  paper's  website  invited  readers  to  list  the  best  and  worst  things  about  England.  Baked  beans,  ginger  biscuits,  beer  and  post  offices  were  among  the  surprising  favourites.  The  royal  family,  tabloids,  nightclubs  and  football  fans  all  met  with  a  disdainful  Gallic  shrug.      Other  news  papers  believe  that  the  historical  essence  of  the  Entente  cordiale  was  a  colonial  carve  up  rather  than  a  warm  understanding  between  Britain  and  France.              

Entente  Cordiale  in  Caricature    The  cartoonist  Jean  Veber  drew  a  caricature  entitled  ‘Perfidious  Albion’.  It  was  published  on  18th  September  1901  in  L’Assiette  au  Beurre  .  This  cartoon  has  drawn  the  attention  of  many  readers,  politicians  and  historians.  It  has  already  been  spotted  by  many  different  studies,  all-­‐insisting  on  the  anti-­‐British  feeling:  Anglophobia.    

   Let’s  describe  it  rapidly:  Albion  is  depicted  as  an  quite  old  woman,  bearing  Albion’s  helmet  bowing  and  laughing,  seen  from  behind.  Her  skirts  are  lifted;  displaying  her  backside,  on  the  reader  can  identify  the  features  of  king  Eduard.      According  to  the  French  ambassador  Paul  Cambon,  ‘it  is  shocking  but  very  well  made’.  

Focusing  on  the  title  of  this  caricature,  one  could  say  that  it  is  quite  important  as  it  refers  to  the  long-­‐term  habit  of  British  diplomacy  as  ‘Perfidious  Albion‘.      It  continues  the  story  of  Anglo-­‐  French  rivalry  by  responding  to  pejorative  British  cartoons.  It  adds  something  more  by  attacking  the  making  of  Victorian  society,  underlining  the  opposition  between  the  moral  values  and  the  atrocities  of  the  bloody  wars.    The  French  government,  after  signing  the  entente  cordiale,  sought  to  ban  this  the  caricature  that  could  damage  bilateral  relations.  In  theory,  the  Republic  had  to  respect  the  liberty  of  press.  It  could  not  impose  censorship.      Yet,  the  police  was  ordered  to  burn  all  publication.  The  cartoonist  was  obliged  to  made  new  versions  in  which  he  covers  or  modify  the  face  of  the  king.    The  French  authorities  were  very  careful  not  to  hurt  the  British  diplomacy.  After  1904,  they  intensify  the  fight  against  the  reprinting  of  the  cartoon.  But  they  also  encourage  a  new  historical  use:  against  Germany;  Albion  was  replaced  by  Germania  and  Eduard  By  Wilhem.  

   That  is  to  say,  new  caricature  replaced  the  original  one.  Thus,  the  new  postcard  reflected  the  evolution  of  the  political  relations  between  Britain  and  France13.  Indeed,  the  building  

                                                                                                               13  this  idea  is  further  explained  in  ‘The  Centre  for  the  Study  of  Cartoons  and  Caricature,  University  of  Kent’  ,  http://library.ukc.ac.uk/cartoons.  

of  the  Entente  in  1904  changed  the  representation  of  foreign  policies  in  France,  and  identified  the  main  enemy  to  fear:  Germany.    Perfidious  Albion  is  used  to  evoke  tensions  between  Britain  and  France,  and  between  the  latter  and  Germany  in  a  sharp  sense  of  humor.  It  is  the  modal  of  the  political  caricature  that  depicts  the  international  complications  and  justifies  for  evolution  of  the  Anglo-­‐French  relations  before  and  after  the  Entente.    In  this  context  the  caricature  took  a  further  dimensions.  Though  it  was  mainly  created  for  commercial  use,  it  becomes  a  pressure  on  diplomacy,  a  tool  of  war  propaganda,  an  instrument  of  reconciliation  and  an  identifier  of  the  real  enemy.      

   

Conclusion    

 It  marked  a  growing  friendship,  which  is  a  hopeful  sign  in  international  politics.  But  it  is  deceitful  to  pretend  that  it  had  roots  in  popular  sentiments  in  both  countries.  After  all,  France  and  Britain  are  rivals,  thus  the  idea  of  friendship  is  curiously  antagonistic  to  the  Imperial  spirit.  Therefore,  the  entente  is  rather  the  product  of  popular  weariness  and  disillusionment  with  a  fashionable  political  creed.14  It  was  considered  as  an  urgent  need  for  the  furtherance  of  a  common  democratic  cause.      

                                                                                                               14  From  the  archive,  9  April  1904:  The  growth  of  the  "entente  cordiale"  Originally  published  in  the  Manchester  Guardian  on  9  April  1904    

Bibliography  

i. Used Books and E-books

Antoine Capet, Historical Use Of Caricature: The Destiny Of The Perfidious Albion (2009) Antoine Capet, Introduction: ‘Britain’s Most Enduring Special Relationship’, (2006) p 1-7 from the book: Britain, France and the Entente Cordiale since 1904 Christopher Andrew, Théophile Delcassé and the Making of the Entente Cordiale: A Reappraisal of French Foreign Policy 1989-1905, (St. Martin’s Press, 1968), p206.

Harold Nicolson, The Origins and Development of the Anglo-French Entente,’’ International Affairs , (1954),p29-30,p411-420 James K. Hiller, The 1904 Anglo-French Newfoundland Fisheries Convention: Another Look, Acadiensis, XXV, 1 (1995), p. 82-98.

Richard Davis, « The Anglo-French Relationship as seen through British Political Cartoons, from the Third to the Fifth Republic », Revue LISA/LISA e-journal [En ligne], Vol. I - n°1 | 2003, online save: 27/08/2009, consulted 18/02/2015.

Syln Stone,Thomas G. Otte , Anglo-French relations since the late Eighteenth century

Thomas G. Otte,War In Sight To Nearly War: Anglo French Relations In The Age Of High Imperialism,1875-1898 , (2006) p 693-714

i. Used Websites

http://colonizationofmorocco.weebly.com/entente-cordiale.html http://en.akademikperspektif.com/2013/11/25/british-foreign-strategic-policy-entente-cordiale/ http://library.ukc.ac.uk/cartoon http://lisa.revues.org/3118 http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/188822/Entente-Cordiale http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/71095/andre-geraud-pertinax/rise-and-fall-of-the-anglo-french-entente http://www.heritage.nf.ca/exploration/entente.html http://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/modulecatalogue/modules/HI6034