THEODORE ROOSEVELT AND THE MOROCCAN CRISIS, 1904-1906 (AMERICAN DIPLOMATIC HISTORY)

This dissertation is an attempt to explain Theodore Roosevelt's involvement in the Moroccan crisis, 1904-1906. There are two clearly distinct stages of the crisis. The first is the so-called "Perdicaris affair"--the abduction by Moorish brigands of a Tangier resident, who was supposed to be an American citizen, and the efforts to have him released. This took place in the spring of 1904. The second stage is the period from February 1905 until April 1906, when Roosevelt was mediating between Germany and France in order to avoid a war over Morocco. The Anglo-French Entente Cordiale of April 8, 1904, had given France a free hand in Morocco in exchange for concessions to Great Britain elsewhere, particularly in Egypt. Germany, which had substantial interests in Morocco, had not been consulted and felt insulted. When France in late 1904 stepped up her efforts to secure control over Morocco, Germany approached Roosevelt and asked him to support the principle of the open door in Morocco.; So far a number of historians have discussed the Moroccan crisis. But none of them has seen the link between the first and the second stages of the crisis and none of them has used a multiarchival approach. Based on American, British, French, and German archival resources, this study argues that there was continuity between the American involvement in the Perdicaris affair and the second stage of the crisis, and that the latter cannot be fully understood without at the same time considering the former.; This study is primarily concerned with exploring the motives behind the policies which Roosevelt pursued, and the ways in which Germany and France tried to win his support for their differing positions. However, although this dissertation is concerned with what might seem to be a "minor incident," it is also an attempt to explain the broader considerations behind American foreign policy in the era of Theodore Roosevelt and the constraints under which the President acted.