Why did Britain and France stop fighting and become allies? (Short Animated Documentary)

History Matters

22 Dec 202103:33

Summary

TLDRThe video explores the historical relationship between France and Britain, marked by centuries of rivalry. Despite numerous conflicts, the two nations have maintained peace for over 200 years after the fall of Napoleon. This alliance began primarily out of mutual fear, particularly of Russia and later Germany. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, both countries aligned their interests to counter common threats, such as Germany's rise and the spread of communism, ultimately forging a partnership to preserve their global influence and empires.

Takeaways

⚔️ Britain and France historically had a contentious relationship, marked by multiple wars and throne claims.
🕊️ Despite their past conflicts, Britain and France have not fought since the Napoleonic Wars, maintaining peace for over 200 years.
👑 After Napoleon's fall, Britain invited France to the Congress of Vienna, signaling a shift toward cooperation due to a shared fear of Russia.
💥 The Crimean War saw Britain and France team up against Russia, marking the beginning of their mutual cooperation in global conflicts.
🌍 The two nations discovered a shared interest in suppressing other nations, leading to a strategic, mutually beneficial relationship.
🇫🇷 Britain let France handle European affairs while it focused on its global empire, but tensions remained due to colonial ambitions.
🛑 Napoleon III’s attempt to gain Belgium and Luxembourg strained relations with Britain, but tensions eased after his fall.
🌍 Colonial competition in Africa led to further friction, but France backed down due to its isolation and the need for British support against Germany.
⚓ Kaiser Wilhelm II’s aggressive naval policies in Germany pushed Britain and France closer, culminating in the Entente Cordiale.
🤝 After World War I, Britain and France remained aligned due to shared fears of Germany, communism, and the desire to maintain their global empires.

Q & A

Why did Britain and France stop fighting after the Napoleonic Wars?
-After the fall of Napoleon, Britain and France stopped fighting due to a mutual fear of Russia, leading them to work together to maintain the balance of power in Europe.
What was the Congress of Vienna, and how did it impact Britain and France's relationship?
-The Congress of Vienna was a diplomatic meeting in 1814-1815 that restructured Europe after the Napoleonic Wars. Britain invited France to the Congress, marking the beginning of cooperation between the two to counter Russia's influence.
How did Britain and France cooperate in the Crimean War?
-During the Crimean War (1853-1856), Britain and France teamed up to limit Russian expansion, solidifying their cooperative relationship against a common enemy.
What role did colonial ambitions in Africa play in the tensions between Britain and France?
-Both Britain and France had overlapping colonial ambitions in Africa, with Britain wanting a north-to-south empire and France aiming for a west-to-east empire. These competing interests created tension, almost leading to war.
How did Germany’s foreign policy under Kaiser Wilhelm II affect Britain and France's relations?
-Kaiser Wilhelm II’s aggressive foreign policy and naval buildup threatened Britain, leading it to seek closer ties with France. This resulted in the Entente Cordiale, marking a shift from rivalry to cooperation.
What was the Entente Cordiale, and how did it shape future relations between Britain and France?
-The Entente Cordiale, formed in 1904, was a series of agreements between Britain and France. It was not a formal alliance but signaled goodwill, setting the stage for their cooperation in World War I.
Why did Britain ultimately join World War I, and how did this affect its relationship with France?
-Britain joined World War I after Germany invaded Belgium, which threatened British security and its global empire. This decision aligned British and French interests, deepening their cooperation during the war.
How did the Franco-Prussian War and the unification of Germany affect relations between Britain and France?
-The Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) weakened France and led to German unification, which concerned Britain. This event pushed France to seek Britain's friendship, despite colonial tensions.
What role did colonial conflicts play in the deterioration of relations between Britain and France in the 19th century?
-Colonial conflicts, especially in Africa, strained relations between Britain and France. Both nations had ambitious goals that conflicted, creating tensions despite their shared concerns about other European powers.
Why did Britain and France ally together after World War I?
-After World War I, Britain and France allied to prevent the resurgence of Germany and to counter the rise of communism, seeing their cooperation as key to maintaining their global influence.

Outlines

00:00

⚔️ Historical Rivalry Between France and Britain

France and Britain (initially England) have had a tumultuous relationship throughout history, marked by multiple wars and both claiming the other's throne. Despite this long rivalry, their last war occurred during Napoleon’s reign, and since then, they have maintained peace and even forged alliances. This shift leads to the central question: why did they stop fighting?

🤝 Fear of Russia: The Start of Cooperation

Following Napoleon's defeat, Britain invited France to the Congress of Vienna to shape post-war Europe. The two nations agreed to consult each other during any European crises, especially concerning Russia. This marked the beginning of their cooperative relationship, highlighted during conflicts like the Crimean War and Opium Wars.

🔗 Shared Interests: Suppressing Other Nations

Britain and France discovered their mutual interest in keeping other nations, especially Russia, in check. France took the lead in European affairs while Britain focused on its global empire. Despite not being official allies, their interests aligned, allowing them to work together, though not without periods of tension.

🛑 Rising Tensions: Napoleon III and Luxembourg

During the Austro-Prussian War, tensions rose when Napoleon III sought to gain Belgium and Luxembourg. Bismarck initially entertained the idea but later changed his mind, leading to Britain mediating the situation. This strained relations further, and it wasn’t until after Napoleon III’s ousting that these tensions slightly eased.

🌍 Colonial Ambitions in Africa

Britain and France’s relations remained cold due to competing colonial ambitions in Africa. France aimed to control territory across the continent from west to east, while Britain sought dominance from north to south. Although war preparations were made, France backed down due to its international isolation and desire to maintain a positive relationship with Britain.

⚓ Kaiser Wilhelm II’s Aggression and Naval Build-up

The two nations’ distant relationship continued until Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany adopted an aggressive foreign policy, including a significant naval expansion to challenge Britain's Royal Navy. This forced Britain to seek closer ties with France, leading to the formation of the Entente, a loose declaration of goodwill rather than a formal alliance.

🌍 World War I: Joining Forces Against Germany

When World War I broke out, Britain was initially reluctant to join. However, Germany’s invasion of Belgium and its potential challenge to the British Empire prompted Britain to get involved. Afterward, both Britain and France shared common goals of preventing Germany’s resurgence and maintaining their global empires.

🛡️ Fear and Friendship: The Foundation of Alliance

The long-standing rivalry between Britain and France evolved into a partnership driven by fear. Both nations feared losing their global influence to powers like Germany, Russia, and later, the Soviet Union and the United States. This fear became the foundation of their lasting alliance, with both working together to maintain their global status.

🎬 Closing Acknowledgments

The video concludes with a thank-you message to viewers and special recognition of patrons who support the content, including individuals like James Bissonnet, Kelly Moneymaker, and more.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Napoleon

Napoleon refers to Napoleon Bonaparte, the French military leader and emperor whose conquests and reign ended with his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. His fall marked the end of prolonged conflict between France and Britain. In the video, Napoleon's reign is significant as it was the last time Britain and France were at war before they transitioned into a more cooperative relationship.

💡Congress of Vienna

The Congress of Vienna was a diplomatic conference held in 1814-1815, where European powers, including Britain and France, reshaped the continent after the Napoleonic Wars. In the script, it is highlighted as the moment where Britain invited France to participate in the creation of a post-Napoleonic Europe, signaling the beginning of a new relationship based on mutual interests, especially their shared fear of Russia.

💡Crimean War

The Crimean War (1853-1856) was a military conflict where Britain and France allied to counter Russian expansion. This event is critical in the video because it showcases the growing cooperation between the two nations, as they worked together to curb Russian influence in Europe, which further solidified their diplomatic relationship.

💡Opium Wars

The Opium Wars were conflicts primarily between Britain and China over trade imbalances and Britain's illegal opium trade. France later joined Britain in the second Opium War. In the script, this event is an example of Britain and France collaborating outside of Europe, reflecting their common interest in maintaining and expanding their global empires.

💡Luxembourg Crisis

The Luxembourg Crisis occurred in 1867 when Napoleon III of France attempted to purchase Luxembourg from the Netherlands, which threatened the balance of power in Europe. The British mediated the crisis to prevent war. This moment damaged Anglo-French relations temporarily, but it also illustrates the underlying mistrust between the two nations despite their cooperation.

💡Franco-Prussian War

The Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) was a conflict between France and Prussia, resulting in France's defeat and the unification of Germany. The video uses this war to explain how British-French relations soured due to France's defeat, which shifted the balance of power in Europe and led to Germany becoming a mutual concern for both nations.

💡Colonial Ambitions

Colonial ambitions refer to the desire of European powers like Britain and France to expand their territories overseas, particularly in Africa. In the script, the conflict between French ambitions to control Africa from west to east and British plans to dominate from north to south highlights the tensions between the two nations during this period of empire-building.

💡Kaiser Wilhelm II

Kaiser Wilhelm II was the Emperor of Germany from 1888 to 1918, known for his aggressive foreign policy and military expansion, particularly in naval power. In the video, Wilhelm's policies are identified as a key reason why Britain sought closer ties with France, as Germany's rising military might was seen as a threat to Britain's global empire.

💡Entente Cordiale

The Entente Cordiale was a series of agreements between Britain and France in 1904, marking the end of centuries of conflict and the beginning of a cooperative relationship. The script refers to this as the formalization of their alliance, based on shared interests in maintaining their global influence and countering mutual threats, particularly from Germany.

💡Fear

Fear is a central theme in the video, as it explains the driving force behind the shift from conflict to cooperation between Britain and France. After the Napoleonic Wars, both nations feared the rise of powers like Russia and Germany, which pushed them to ally. Fear of losing their status as global powers also led them to collaborate during the World Wars and beyond.

Highlights

France and England (later Britain) had a tumultuous relationship, often claiming each other's throne and fighting many wars.

The last war between Britain and France occurred during the reign of Napoleon, after which the two countries maintained peace for 200 years.

Britain invited France to the Congress of Vienna to shape post-Napoleonic Europe, motivated by mutual fear of Russia.

After Napoleon's fall, Britain and France agreed to consult each other during European crises, particularly involving Russia.

Britain and France teamed up during the Crimean War to limit Russian expansion, further cementing their partnership.

The two countries collaborated during the Opium Wars, discovering a shared interest in controlling other nations.

France led in European affairs, allowing Britain to focus on its global empire, establishing a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Tensions arose during the Austro-Prussian War when Napoleon III sought to acquire Belgium and Luxembourg, but Britain intervened to mediate.

Relations between Britain and France improved after Napoleon III was ousted following the Franco-Prussian War and Germany's unification.

Colonial rivalries in Africa created friction, as France aimed to link west-to-east colonies and Britain sought north-to-south control.

Britain prepared for war with France, but tensions deescalated when France chose to avoid isolation and stay friendly with Britain.

Germany's aggressive naval buildup under Kaiser Wilhelm II pushed Britain to form closer ties with France, leading to the Entente.

Although not a formal alliance, the Entente between Britain and France was a declaration of good intentions and aligned their interests.

Britain joined World War I after Germany invaded Belgium, seeing a threat to its global empire.

Post-World War I, Britain and France united to prevent a resurgent Germany and counter the rise of Communism, securing their global influence.