E. Belfort Bax Quotes
We seem at, the present time to have arrived at the acute stage of the colonial fever which during the last three or four years has afflicted the various powers of Europe. Germany is vying with France, England with both, in the haste to seize upon “unoccupied” countries, and to establish “protectorates” – the cant diplomatic for incomplete annexation – over uncivilized peoples.
E. Belfort Bax, 1854–1925, English Attorney, Journalist & Philosopher, Imperialism v. Socialism, February 1885
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
The basic treaty sold some of Ethiopia’s colonial territory (Eritrea and Tigray) to Italy in exchange for arms. Italy had tried to conquer the area but lost 500 men in the Battle of Dogali. However, after this peace treaty, Italy maintained that Article 17 of the treaty gave them the right to declare Ethiopia an Italian Protectorate which they did. However, there were two different versions of the treaty that the Italians had drawn up—one in Italian, the other in Aramaic. Britain, Belgium and Germany supported Italy; France, Turkey and Russia supported Ethiopia. Menelik then, to make matters clear, repudiated the treaty in 1893. Italy send an invasion force that was soundly thrashed by the Ethiopians setting the stage for the Italian attack on Ethiopia in World War II years later. Parties to International treaties thereafter have paid close attention to the different language versions.
On July 7, 1898 the United States annexed Hawaii through a transparent aggression posing as a revolution.
The fascist, military clique that ran Japan at the time had no respect for treaties or International Law as understood by most Western nations. China was a land of warlords and corrupt military leaders. There was then an extensive history of Anti-Asian feeling and activity in America. Stimson, made the classic mistake of correctly assessing the Japanese leaders but generalizing from them and some Chinese corrupt military leaders to all Asians and their governments. Indeed, after the American occupation of Japan ending WWII, the Japanese adapted to democracy very well and have been instrumental in making and keeping many international treaties,
Ernest Belfort Bax was an English barrister, journalist, philosopher, men's rights advocate, socialist, and historian.
