Splendid Isolation is a popular conception of the foreign policy pursued by Britain during the late 19th century, under the Conservative premierships of Benjamin Disraeli and the Marquess of Salisbury. The term was actually coined by a Canadian politician to praise Britain's lack of involvement in European affairs. There has been much debate between historians over whether this policy was intentional or whether Britain was simply forced into the position by contemporary events. Some historians, such as John Charmley, have argued that Splendid Isolation was a fiction for the period prior to the Franco-Russian Alliance of 1892, and only something forced on them against their will following it.
Read more about Splendid Isolation: Origin of The Phrase, Background, Change, Abandonment, The Return of The Phrase in The 21st Century
Famous quotes containing the words splendid and/or isolation:
“While making this portage I saw many splendid specimens of the great purple fringed orchis, three feet high. It is remarkable that such delicate flowers should here adorn these wilderness paths.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“But your isolation must not be mechanical, but spiritual, that is, must be elevation.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)