ABSTRACT
This article argues that (dis)respectful behavior and (non-)recognition can have a greater impact on political decisions than considerations of power. To demonstrate this, I analyze Anglo-German interactions during the Anglo-Boer War of 1899–1901, especially the ‘Bundesrath-Affäre’ around the turn of the year 1899/1900. To begin with, the German position concerning the South-Africa question will be examined. The German political shift from initial support for the Boers to later neutrality, which obviously privileged the British position, will be examined next. Specifically, this article asks to what extent questions of status and (dis-)respect motivated German policy towards Great Britain. Contrary to German expectations, the British Government did not recognize German policy as a move in the greater status game. As a result, the German leadership felt disrespected and embarked on a new naval act, which in turn intensified the naval antagonism between the German Empire and Great Britain in the years to come.
The Anglo-German relationship was characterized by misunderstandings, feelings of nonrecognition, and disrespectful behavior on both sides. Problems occurring around the Anglo-Boer war can highlight the consequences of disrespectful behavior and nonrecognition in this special relationship. By reconstructing the ‘Bundesrath-Affäre,’ the political consequences of such behavior will be shown: The Royal Navy seized three German mail boats in the winter of 1899–1900 without any explanation or legitimization. This provoked a diplomatic crisis between the German Kaiserreich and Great Britain. The German leadership felt severely disrespected by the British policy of nondisclosure, and as a consequence, feelings of being inadequately recognized erupted in German society. Although the diplomatic crisis was quickly resolved, the underlying perceptions of disrespect and nonrecognition had a persisting negative effect on the Anglo-German relationship. These subjective experiences dominated political actions on the German side, and classical power-political interests faded into the background.
