First Moroccan Crisis
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The First Moroccan Crisis (also known as the Tangier Crisis) refers to the international crisis over the colonial status of Morocco between March 1905 and May 1906.
The crisis was brought about by the visit of Kaiser Wilhelm II to Tangier in Morocco on March 31, 1905. The Kaiser made certain remarks in favour of Moroccan independence, a challenge to French influence in Morocco. France had her influence in Morocco reaffirmed by Britain (by the Entente Cordiale) and Spain in 1904, a move that Germany saw as a blow to her interests and took diplomatic action to challenge. The German government sought a pan-European conference and Wilhelm II's provocation can be seen as a test of the strength of the Entente Cordiale.
The speech turned the French public against Germany and with British support the French foreign minister, Théophile Delcassé, took a defiant line. The crisis peaked in mid-June, when Delcassé was forced out of the ministry by the more conciliation minded premier Maurice Rouvier. But by July, Germany was becoming isolated and the French agreed to a conference to solve the crisis. Both France and Germany continued to posture up to the conference, with Germany mobilizing reserve army units in late December and France actually moving troops to the border in January 1906.
The Algeciras Conference was called to settle the dispute, lasting from January 16 to April 7, 1906. Of the thirteen nations present the German representatives found their only supporter was Austria-Hungary. France had firm support from Britain, Russia, Italy, Spain, and the United States. The Germans eventually accepted an agreement in April that was signed on May 31, 1906 where France yielded certain domestic changes in Morocco but retained control of key areas.
Although the Algeciras Conference temporarily solved the First Moroccan Crisis, continuing German dissatisfaction with the Moroccan situation led to the Second Moroccan Crisis in 1911 and a worsening of the international tensions that ultimately led to World War I (1914 - 1918).
[edit] See also
- Agadir Crisis (Second Moroccan Crisis)
- Tangier Garrison
- Perdicaris incident
