The name Palmerston may be unfamiliar to Chinese people, but many Chinese people know his famous saying: "The British Empire has neither eternal allies nor eternal allies." "Eternal enemies have only eternal interests." In the mid-19th century in Europe, Lord Palmerston was known to everyone. The Duke first served as the British Foreign Secretary in 1830.
He served as Foreign Secretary for sixteen years and twice as the British Prime Minister in 1855 and 1859. , until his death in 1865. During these thirty-five years, the foreign policy of the Victorian Empire was deeply influenced by Palmerston
. Looking at the history of world diplomacy over the past several hundred years, no one can compare with it except Zhou Enlai, the great Chinese diplomat.
The Opium War that the Chinese people will never forget was launched by Palmerston, who was then the Foreign Secretary. When Hong Kong returned to China in 1997, the famous director Xie Jin's blockbuster "The Opium War" truly recorded this period of history.
As the epigraph at the beginning of this masterpiece says, "Only when a nation truly stands up can it face
and reflect on its history of humiliation."
In 1839, Lin Zexu’s destruction of opium in Humen was a heroic act that turned the tide of collapse, and he also showed his spirit of knowing what was impossible and doing it
Serving the country loyally. However, with Lin Zexu's shrewdness and ability, as long as he had a basic understanding of the overseas situation, he would never choose to ban opium in 1839. Lin Zexu's failure was that he failed to realize that his real opponent was not the group of opium dealers in Guangzhou, but Palmerston in London.
History is a mixture of necessity and contingency. It was inevitable that the British would march eastward until they broke through the Qing Dynasty with strong ships and cannons. However, the outbreak of this war in 1839 was accidental. The Qing Dynasty, which lacked a basic understanding of the West, chose the worst time by mistake. It was precisely in 1839 that Palmerston accomplished a major event with far-reaching influence in the history of European diplomacy: he created a country.
The coastal areas of northeastern France and southern Netherlands are an undefendable plain. Any hostile force that controls this area will put tremendous pressure on the British Isles. In 1815, it was at Waterloo on this plain that the Duke of Wellington defeated Napoleon and removed the greatest threat to Britain in history. Since then, it has been Britain's goal to ensure that this land does not fall into the hands of any continental European power. Britain's first attempt failed. Vienna and
would transfer this land to the Netherlands. The result was the outbreak of the 1830 Revolution. For a time, armies from France, Prussia, Russia and Austria gathered together, and they saw that a big war was about to come.
Palmerston, who had just become Foreign Secretary, clearly realized that the only way to ensure that this plain would not become a springboard for anti-British forces was to make it an independent country. This country must not only be independent, but also neutral, and its neutrality must be unanimously recognized by Europe. After nine years of unremitting efforts to mediate and unite, and using the British main fleet several times to demonstrate in the English Channel at critical moments, Palmerston finally became a miracle
Who. In 1839, the five major European powers, Britain, France, Prussia, Austria and Russia, signed a convention recognizing Belgium's independence and solemnly swore to recognize Belgium as a permanently neutral country. The troops of the contracting states are not allowed to enter Belgium without Belgium's request.
If Lin Zexu had banned smoking in 1830, Palmerston, who was fully engaged in Belgian affairs, would probably have had no time to visit.
The British fleet that was concentrated in the mainland would not have been able to do so. Unable to spare the troops to march to the Far East.
The Belgian Convention of 1839 had just been signed, and the whole of Europe was trembling upon hearing the name of Lord Palmerston. At a cabinet meeting to discuss the "Guangzhou Incident"
the Foreign Secretary banged his fist on the table and roared: "This is not only related to the interests of British businessmen, but also to Her Majesty the Queen
dignity." The decision for the war was thus made.
The Belgian Convention has little to do with Russia and Austria, and they are happy to be a favor; France and Germany are both restricted by this buffer zone.
The only one who takes advantage is the British. . Palmerston's success established Britain's foreign policy of "balance of power on the European continent" in one fell swoop, and the national interests of the British Empire became Europe's "justice and justice." In 1870
During the Franco-Prussian War, British Prime Minister Gladstone invoked this convention to require the warring parties not to violate Belgium's neutrality
As if he was the defender of the European order style. In 1914, Britain also invoked the Belgian Convention when it declared war on Germany. In his speech, Lloyd George publicly denounced Germany's treacherous invasion of Belgium as "an out-and-out villain." Compared with the United States
which fully accepted China's conditions in the "Shanghai Communique", and now it is branding a villain everywhere, it cannot but reflect the British gentleman's "Empire" "How sophisticated is his skill"!
Had Palmerston’s first-class methods been used, he would have signed a peace treaty with Saddam from a superior position after the Gulf War, and then resumed trade with Iraq; at the same time, Saudi Arabia signed a treaty with Kuwait to legally determine the right of the United States to station troops; it then seized the opportunity to pressure Israel to make concessions and achieve the partition of Israel and Palestine in accordance with the United Nations resolutions formulated by the United States itself. rule. If Israel is worried, it can formally sign a US-Israel mutual defense treaty or even arrange for Israel to join NATO. Looking back now, that was the only chance to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian dispute peacefully and free the United States from its burdens in the Middle East.
If these three moves had been made back then, the Middle East would have become the sphere of influence of the United States long ago. Why is it so passive now!
The Decline of the Victoria Empire
No matter how powerful the "imperial skill" is, it must be based on strength. Palmerston dared to launch the Opium War, not because the British Admiralty told him: "As long as one British warship can wipe out the entire navy of the Qing Dynasty in half a summer." The dominance of the Victoria Empire was paved the way in 1865 The climax was reached at the time of Merston's death: "The plains of North America and Russia are our barns; Chicago and Odessa are our mining districts; Canada and the Nordic peninsula plant our trees; Australia herds our sheep; and Argentina We raise cattle; the Poles send us silver, and South Africa sends us gold; the Indians and the Chinese grow tea for us, and the Mediterranean is our orchard; and our cotton plantations are spreading from the southern United States to all warm places on the earth." p>
When Queen Victoria died in 1901, how many British people could realize that the century-old heyday of the British Empire was about to die with her, and could foresee the two terrible wars that were about to come? In fact, the reasons for the rise of the Victorian Empire were precisely the reasons for its inevitable decline. How can the rise and fall of great countries be forced by human power?
England's overwhelming manufacturing industry, England's indestructible maritime superiority and England's unparalleled financial system formed the three pillars of the prosperity of the Victoria Empire. In 1860, with only 2% of the world's population, Britain produced 53% of the world's steel and 50% of its coal, consumed half of the world's raw cotton, and controlled three-thirds of the world's raw cotton. One of the world's shipping. The British Empire's annual energy consumption is one hundred and fifty-five times that of Russia! Economists estimate that at that time, Britain's industry accounted for about 60% in Europe and about 45% in the world. It could be described as the "world's factory".
Strong production capacity and Britain's unique geographical conditions give her maritime hegemony. As an island nation, Britain's security does not rely on a strong army like continental European countries.
When Napoleon's army was invincible, the almost crazy shipbuilding movement made the Royal Navy far more powerful than its main opponents combined. During the Crimean War, the Russian fleet showed off its prowess before the British entered the war, and the Russians hid in Tibet under long-range artillery bombardment after the British entered the war, which left a deep impression on the whole of Europe. The monopoly of sea power allowed the British to expand their colonies freely. The British Empire's "overseas possessions" increased at a rate of 100,000 square miles per year during the Victorian period.
When Britain's first postage stamps were issued, wherever the sun rose, there was a portrait of Queen Victoria.
The British Isles under the protection of sea power have become a safe paradise in Europe. The developed industry and commerce and vast colonies provide ideal investment places. Parliament has also formulated laws to protect the rights and interests of investors. Since the mid-19th century, London's financial industry has entered a period of unprecedented prosperity, and Britain has become the center of manufacturing, trade and capital flows. It can be seen that these three major advantages of the UK complement each other and form a virtuous cycle that continues again and again, supporting the sun that never sets on the empire.
However, the sun also sets sometimes. After the global Great Depression of 1873, the three pillars of the British Empire were shaken rapidly, and the speed seemed to be directly proportional to Britain's arrogant dominance.