Algeciras Revisited: European Crisis and Conference Diplomacy,16 January - 7 April 1906

Abstract

In 1905, Europe was faced with a serious diplomatic crisis over Morocco. In fact, the tensions this crisis unleashed were so significant that to this day it is constantly cited as one of the factors that led to the outbreak of war in 1914. Yet despite the almost universal consensus among historians as to the importance of the ‘First Moroccan Crisis’ its peaceful resolution through an international conference at Algeciras in 1906 remains an under-researched theme. Little attention has been paid to how European states successfully defused this crisis situation, without resort to war, through painstaking negotiation. This article aims to reassess Algeciras, through a case study of the conference, which examines its significance in terms of two key questions. First, it will look at what the Algeciras conference reveals about the system of international relations in 1906. Second, it will explore how German imperialism towards Morocco manifested itself and whether in the Moroccan case we can draw any broader conclusions to add to the wider historiographical debate as to whether Germany followed the norms of the international colonial system during this period or broke with them. The article will contend that the German attempt to gain colonial influence in Morocco offers a valuable insight into Germany’s position within the international imperial system and its role in the late imperialism of the immediate prewar years. It will conclude by suggesting that although overall the international system was remarkably robust in 1906, Algeciras marked a diplomatic turning point in German imperial policy and revealed underlying tensions between the evolving European alliance system and an older system of ‘diplomatic imperialism.’