Salisbury's Triumph: How Britain Won the Scramble for Africa

In 1886, Lord Salisbury inherited a desperate diplomatic position. The 1882 occupation of Egypt had turned France into a permanently hostile foe, leaving Britain dependent on Germany and its wily chancellor to preserve its position.

Over the next 12 years, Salisbury engineered an astonishing reversal of fortunes, securing Britain's position in Egypt without having to cede any territories of importance in the increasingly contested Scramble for Africa.

This video aims to be a short diplomatic history documentary looking at the diplomacy of Lord Salisbury during this period.

Sources:

Modern British Foreign Policy 1880-1939, Paul Hayes

The Empire Project, John Darwin

The Struggle for Mastery in Europe, AJP Taylor

Salisbury: Victorian Titan, Andrew Roberts

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