Anglo-German Declarations about the Western Pacific Ocean
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In 1886, the
British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...
and the
German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
made two declarations about their spheres of interest in the Western
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
. Their complete names are: *Declaration between the Governments of Great Britain and the German Empire relating to the Demarcation of the British and German Spheres of Influence in the Western Pacific; April 6, 1886 *Declaration between the Governments of Great Britain and the German Empire relating to the Reciprocal Freedom of Trade and Commerce in the British and German Possessions and Protectorates in the Western Pacific; April 10, 1886 Great Britain and Germany agreed in 1885 to negotiate a common declaration about their spheres of interest in the western Pacific. Previously, German plans of an annexation of
New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...
, outlined in a German newspaper, and the rapid development of both German and French trade led to unrest among
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n politicians.Fabricius 1992 (see External links), p. 167 Both powers wanted to protect the interests of their particular citizens and enterprises, but the western Pacific was too less important for them to risk a conflict about it. The negotiation about the declarations began in 1885, they were led between Mr. Thurston for Great Britain and Mr. Krauel for Germany. In April 1886, they were signed by
Herbert von Bismarck Nikolaus Heinrich Ferdinand Herbert, Prince of Bismarck (born Nikolaus Heinrich Ferdinand Herbert Graf von Bismarck-Schönhausen; 28 December 1849 – 18 September 1904) was a German politician, who served as Foreign Secretary from 1886 to 1890. H ...
, State Secretary in the German Foreign Office, and the British ambassador to Germany, Sir
Edward Malet Sir Edward Baldwin Malet, 4th Baronet (10 October 1837 – 29 June 1908) was a British diplomat. Edward Malet came from a family of diplomats; his father was Sir Alexander Malet, British minister to Württemberg and later to the German Co ...
. The declaration was valid in the whole area between the 15th parallel of north latitude and the 30th parallel of south latitude, and between the 165th meridian of longitude west and the 130th meridian of longitude east.Fabricius 1992, p. 131-132 The border between the spheres of interest should be a line beginning near Mitre Rock in North East New Guinea, on the 8th parallel of south latitude, then it should follow the points: *A. 8° south latitude, 154° longitude east *B. 7°10' south latitude, 155°25' east longitude. *C. 7°15' south latitude, 155°35' east longitude. *D. 7°25' south latitude, 156°40' east longitude. *E. 8°50' south latitude, 159°50' east longitude. *F. 6° north latitude, 173°30' east longitude. *G. 15° north latitude, 173°30' east longitude. The area in the north and west of this line should be the German, the area in the south and east should be the British sphere of influence. The islands of
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,
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and
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were excluded. Also excluded were areas under control of other
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. The second declaration guaranteed free trade and enterprise and freedom of establishment and domicile to the citizens of both nations in the whole area. Disputed claims to land prior to the declaration of sovereignty or protectorate, should be settled by a mixed commission, unless the plaintiff did not request the settlement by the local authority alone. Great Britain and Germany should treat each other as most-favoured nation, equal law for citizens of each nation in the area of the other one should be applicated. Religious freedom should be granted. No convicts should be brought in the area and no penal colonies should be founded. After the declaration, Great Britain colonised the
Gilbert and Ellice Islands The Gilbert and Ellice Islands (GEIC as a colony) in the Pacific Ocean were part of the British Empire from 1892 to 1976. They were a protectorate from 1892 to 12 January 1916, and then a colony until 1 January 1976. The history of the colony w ...
and the
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, Germany took over the
Caroline Islands The Caroline Islands (or the Carolines) are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically, they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) in the centra ...
,
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and Bougainville. The British rule lasted up to the 1970s, while the German colonial rule ended in 1920 and was followed by
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mandates, after World War II
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, which ended in Nauru in 1968.''Nauru: Introduction''
CIA World Factbook, retrieved Jan 15, 2017


References


External Links and Literature

* Fabricius, Wilhelm
''Nauru 1888-1900''
Edited and translated by Dymphna Clark und Stewart Firth, published by: Division of Pacific and Asian History, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University, Canberra 1992. {{ISBN, 0-7315-1367-3: The Text of the declarations p. 130-138, in English and German History of Nauru Treaties of the German Empire History of Tuvalu British colonisation of Oceania German colonial empire