Compare And Contrast The Conflict Between Britain And Australia

The conflicts between Britain and Australia in the years following Federation through to the Second World War, arose mainly in the diplomatic policies with Asian countries. Among them, Japan, which promoted modernization rapidly and grew dramatically both economically and militarily, was a big factor. British Empire at that time had colonies or interests all over the world, but was a European country after all, in terms of its location. Therefore, what it regarded as the top priority was the international relations with European countries, especially those who joined in the imperialism movements, such as Russia, French and Germany. Britain often seemed to determine the foreign policies in Asia, reflecting the power balance in Europe. It could be said, in a sense, that for Britain, matters in Asia was not their mainstream, but merely an extension of those in Europe. However, for Australia, Asia was too close to make light of geographically despite the distance of cultural or ethnical identity; this gap lied at the center of conflicts between the two.

Seeking an ally to counter the emergent threat, Britain formally concluded the Anglo-Japanese Alliance in 1902. Its attitude to regard Japan as a supporter to match opposing power in Europe continued until the First World War. In contrast, sudden Britain’s alliance with Japan “without any consultant with Australia” gave the sense of being betrayed and hurt its pride, because Australia thought they had had special relation with Britain tied by