Anglo-Tongan Relations 1899-1905

Abstract

This work deals with the period of maximum imperialist intervention in the South Pacific Kingdom of Tonga. It argues that the Treaty of Friendship and Protection which made Tonga a British Protectorate in May 1900, was not signed because of any concern over the welfare of the Tongans. Motivated by interest in the strategic value of the Tongan harbours Britain reached an agreement with Germany that Tonga, rather than Samoa, was a British sphere of influence. Once this agreement had been made the imperialist attitudes at the turn of the century made formal definition of British authority in Tonga inevitable. Tonga was to be a Protectorate because it was the form of control which would incur the least expense and was least likely to antagonize other powers.