View source for First Moroccan Crisis

{{Short description|1905-06 disagreement between France, Germany, and Britain over control of Morocco}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Tangier Crisis
| partof            = the [[causes of World War I]]
| date              = 31 March 1905 – 7 April 1906<br />({{Age in years, months, weeks and days|month1=03|day1=31|year1=1905|month2=04|day2=07|year2=1906}})
| place             = [[Tangier]], [[Morocco]]
| image             = Guglielmo II a Tangeri (1905).jpg
| image_size        = 300px
| caption           = [[Wilhelm II|Kaiser Wilhelm]] parades through Tangier escorted by the [[Black Guard]].
| result            = [[Algeciras Conference|Treaty of Algeciras]]
| combatant1        = {{Plainlist|
* {{flagcountry|French Third Republic}}
* {{flagcountry|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland}}
}}
| combatant2        = {{flagcountry|German Empire}}
| commander1        = {{flagicon|French Third Republic}} [[Théophile Delcassé]]
| commander2        = {{flagicon|German Empire}} [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|Wilhelm II]]
| notes             = 
}}
{{Scramble for Africa}}{{Events leading to World War I}}

The '''First Moroccan Crisis''' or the '''Tangier Crisis''' was an [[international crisis]] between March 31, 1905, and April 7, 1906, over the status of [[Morocco]].<ref>{{Cite journal |date=1907 |title=General Act of the International Conference of Algeciras, signed April 7, 1906 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2212340 |journal=The American Journal of International Law |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=47–78 |doi=10.2307/2212340 |jstor=2212340 |s2cid=246012107 |issn=0002-9300|url-access=subscription }}</ref> [[German Empire|Germany]] wanted to challenge [[French Third Republic|France]]'s growing control over Morocco, aggravating France and Great Britain. The crisis was resolved by the [[Algeciras Conference]] of 1906, a conference of mostly European countries that affirmed French control; this worsened German relations with both France and Britain and helped enhance the new Anglo-French [[Entente Cordiale|Entente]].

== Kaiser's visit ==
On 31 March 1905 [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany]] arrived at [[Tangier]], [[Morocco]] and conferred with representatives of Sultan [[Abdelaziz of Morocco]].<ref name="Britannica">{{EB1911|noprescript=1|wstitle=Morocco|volume=18|page=858 |first1=James |last1=Meakin |first2=Kate |last2=Meakin}}</ref> The Kaiser toured the city on the back of a white horse. In a speech given at the [[Mendoubia|German legation]],<ref>{{cite news |author=Chris Trueman |title=The First Moroccan Crisis |website=The History Learning Site |date={{date|2015/03/31}} |url= https://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-one/causes-of-world-war-one/the-first-moroccan-crisis/}}</ref> the Kaiser declared he had come to support the sovereignty of the Sultan—a statement which amounted to a provocative challenge to French influence in Morocco. The Sultan subsequently rejected a set of French-proposed governmental reforms and issued invitations to major world powers to a [[Algeciras Conference|conference]] which would advise him on necessary reforms.

== French response ==
Germany sought a multilateral conference where the French could be called to account before other European powers. The French foreign minister, [[Théophile Delcassé]], took a defiant line, holding that there was no need for such a conference. In response, Count [[Bernhard von Bülow]], the German Chancellor, threatened war over the issue, although this was a bluff.<ref name="Grey">{{cite book |author=Viscount Grey of Fallodon |author-link=Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon |title=Twenty-Five Years, Vol. 1 |publisher=Frederick A. Stokes |location=New York |date=1925 |url=https://archive.org/stream/GreyViscountOfFallodonTwentyFiveYears/Grey%2C%20Viscount%20of%20Fallodon%20-%20Twenty-Five%20Years%201892-1916%20-%20Volume%201#page/n85/mode/2up |pages=49–52}}</ref><ref name="Massie">{{cite book|last1=Massie|first1=Robert K.|author-link1=Robert K. Massie|title=[[Dreadnought (book)|Dreadnought: Britain, Germany, and the coming of the Great War]]|date=1992|publisher=Cape|location=London|isbn=0-224-03260-7}}</ref> Kaiser Wilhelm did not want war, stating in Bremen just before he set off: "My study of history hasn't encouraged me to strive for world domination. In the empire of which I dream, the German emperor will be trusted by other countries and must be seen as a honest and peaceful neighbour".<ref>{{Cite book|title=Ereignisse und Gestalten|pages=270–271}}</ref> The crisis peaked in mid-June. The French cancelled all military leave (15 June) and Germany threatened to sign a defensive alliance with the Sultan (22 June). French Prime Minister [[Maurice Rouvier]] refused to risk war with Germany over the issue. Delcassé resigned, as the French government would no longer support his policy. On 1 July France agreed to attend the conference.

The crisis continued up to the eve of the conference at Algeciras, with Germany calling up reserve units (30 December) and France moving troops to the German border (3 January).

=== Algeciras Conference ===
The [[Algeciras Conference]], lasting from 16 January to 7 April 1906, was called to settle the dispute. Of the 13 nations present, the German representatives found that their only supporter was [[Austria-Hungary]]. A German attempt at compromise was rejected by all but Austria-Hungary.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Kerr |first1=Anne |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=POAwBwAAQBAJ |title=A Dictionary of World History |last2=Wright |first2=Edmund |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2015 |isbn=9780199685691 |edition=3rd |pages=17}}</ref> France had firm support from Britain, Russia, Italy, Spain, and the United States. The Germans decided to accept a face-saving compromise agreement that was signed on 31 March 1906.

== Consequence ==
Although the Algeciras Conference temporarily solved the First Moroccan Crisis, it only worsened the tensions between the [[Triple Alliance (1882)|Triple Alliance]] and [[Triple Entente]] that ultimately led to the [[First World War]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Soroka|first1=Marina|title=Britain, Russia, and the Road to the First World War|date=2011|publisher=Ashgate|location=Farnham|isbn=9781409422464|page=114|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dCqfoqpMs78C&pg=PA114}}</ref>

The First Moroccan Crisis also showed that the [[Entente Cordiale]] was strong, as Britain had defended France in the crisis. The crisis can be seen as a reason for the [[Anglo-Russian Entente]] and the Anglo-Franco-Spanish [[Pact of Cartagena]] being signed the following year. Kaiser Wilhelm II was angry at being humiliated and was determined not to back down again, which led to the German involvement in the [[Agadir Crisis|Second Moroccan Crisis]].

== See also ==
* [[Perdicaris affair]]
* [[Agadir Crisis]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* Esthus, Raymond A. ''Theodore Roosevelt and the International Rivalries'' (1970) pp 66–111.
* Gifford, Prosser, and Alison Smith, eds. ''Britain and Germany in Africa: imperial rivalry and colonial rule'' (1967) ch 7
* Massie, Robert K. ''Dreadnought: Britain, Germany, and the coming of the Great War'' (Random House, 1991) [https://www.amazon.com/Dreadnought-Britain-Germany-Coming-Great/dp/0345375564 excerpt] see [[Dreadnought (book)]], popular history; pp 351–372.
* Mayer, Martin: ''Geheime Diplomatie und öffentliche Meinung: Die Parlamente in Frankreich, Deutschland und Großbritannien und die erste Marokkokrise 1904–1906''. Droste, Düsseldorf 2002, ISBN 3-7700-5242-0 (Beiträge zur Geschichte des Parlamentarismus und der politischen Parteien 133) [https://kgparl.de/publikationen/geheime-diplomatie-und-oeffentliche-meinung-die-parlamente-in-frankreich-deutschland-und-grossbritannien-und-die-erste-marokkokrise-1904-1906/]

{{Great power diplomacy}}
{{Tangier}}
{{Franco-Spanish conquest of Morocco}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:French colonisation in Africa|Morocco, 1st Crisis]]
[[Category:Spanish Africa]]
[[Category:History of Tangier]]
[[Category:Diplomatic crises of the 20th century|Morocco, 1st Crisis]]
[[Category:1905 in France|Morocco, 1st Crisis]]
[[Category:1906 in France|Morocco, 1st Crisis]]
[[Category:1906 in international relations]]
[[Category:1905 in international relations]]
[[Category:1905 in Morocco]]
[[Category:1906 in Morocco]]
[[Category:France–Germany relations]]
[[Category:Germany–United Kingdom relations]]
[[Category:France–United Kingdom relations]]
[[Category:France–Morocco relations]]
[[Category:Germany–Morocco relations]]