ABSTRACT
Despite the warm glow of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 1897 and the triumph of Fashoda, it was not of imperial power that the Britons were most conscious of during the closing years of the nineteenth century. The evidence of Britain’s decline was much more visible. What Britons noted was that their country was losing its mid-century lead in economic, colonial and naval strength, that despite the end of the economic depression, Britain’s growth rate was less than that of some other countries, and that the balance of economic and military power was shifting towards Germany, Russia and the USA. Between 1880 and 1900 Britain’s share of world manufacturing output declined from 22.9 per cent to 18.5 per cent, while that of Germany increased from 8.5 per cent to 14.8 per cent. 1 The resulting commercial rivalry was featured prominently in the newspapers of the two countries. 2 Besides, the Germans were embarking on weltpolitik, the Russians were busy overcoming the biggest handicap in overland expansion – distance – by building railways, the United States had started flexing its muscles and Japan was making confident moves. On the continent, many a cartoonist portrayed a breathless, ageing and retreating John Bull.
