Policy Of British Salisbury Administration Towards The United States(1895-1902)

Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil(1830-1903)was the third Marquess of Salisbury,serving as Prime Minister three times over thirteen years,and he was the last Prime Minister to head his full administration from the House of Lords.During Salisbury’s term of office,the special foreign policy he made became a shield keeping Britain out of the war about ten years.Therefore,in his third term of office,there was a great leap between the relationship of Britain and the United States.His foreign policy was prudent and down-to-earth,which made sure not only the achievement of the great rapprochement,but the peaceful transfer of the great power between Britain and the United States.This article is divided into three parts,the first part describes the background of the foreign policy that Britain towards the United States.Before Salisbury was in office,Britain and the United States had been in conflict a long time because of history problem,territorial issues,trade disputes and so forth,especially after American Civil War.The Special Relationship was in a quite hard time.At the turn of the 20 th century,there were several disputes between Britain and the United States around Americas because of resource and territorial issues.Ultimately,the special relationship went back to the schedule,and became the increasingly significant part during the history of British Foreign Policy.The second part analyses the changes of the policy of Salisbury Administration towards the United States.At first,it mainly discusses the transformation of the attitude of Lord Salisbury,under the pressure of the international situation and national pressure,which was from denying the United States’ intervention in Venezuela Crisis by using the cause of Monroeism to being forced to agree thepropose of arbitration that was suggested by the United States.For Britain,this change means she has no choice but to step back from Americas,but from the whole picture,it is good for the special relationship.Second,at the beginning of the Spanish-American War,Lord Salisbury refused the meeting that aimed to advise the United States to give up starting the war,which is put forward by Germany,Austro-Hungary,France and so on.When the Spanish-American War outbroke,Salisbury also rejected the “ International Intervention ” to sit on the fence which presented by European countries,for the purpose of keeping the friendship between Britain and the United States.Fortunately,it turned out great,and at this time,the unique support of Britain pushed the relationship between those two countries into“ honeymoon ”.Last,Lord Salisbury made a compromise that is drawing the line through arbitration with the United States in Alaskan Boundary Question when there was a dispute on territory between them,in order to maintain their friendship and maximize the British benefits.It was Salisbury’s efforts that Britain made an understanding with the United States.Last part is the evaluation of the diplomatic policy which made by Salisbury towards the United States.In Venezuela Crisis,Spanish-American War,and Alaskan Boundary Question,Salisbury made a flexible foreign policy,which not only relaxed the Anglo-American relations and made an understanding between those two countries,but changed the situation of the Britain in the international community.Salisbury’s American policy,in his third term of office,is the top of his flexible foreign affairs that played an extremely important role during the British Foreign Policy,which also maintained the friendship between Britain and the United States,and maximized the benefit and minimized the loss when the empire was about to face the challenge of several new powerful countries during the competition of Colonies.Above all,there was a fresh method arbitration put forward when those two countries handled their disputes,which offered an different thought to settle disputes among countries peacefully.