Reaction
The telegram was applauded by the German press but caused huge indignation in Great Britain and led to a further deterioration in relations between the two countries. The telegram was taken to mean that the Kaiser endorsed the Transvaal's independence in what was seen by the British as their sphere of influence, and the reference to "friendly powers" was interpreted by them as meaning that assistance would have been available from Germany if necessary and that such assistance might be available in the future.
The Times newspaper proclaimed that "England will concede nothing to menaces and will not lie down under insult." The windows of German shops were broken, and German sailors were attacked in London. The German diplomatic response was essentially conciliatory, with the Kaiser responding to a letter from Queen Victoria (his grandmother) with "Never was the Telegram intended as a step against England or your Government...."
The Kruger Telegram is often seen as marking the point at which Anglo-German antagonism became firmly established. This antagonism and the naval arms race which it promoted were important factors behind the outbreak of the First World War.
Read more about this topic: Kruger Telegram
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In reaction and recoil,
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“In contrast to revenge, which is the natural, automatic reaction to transgression and which, because of the irreversibility of the action process can be expected and even calculated, the act of forgiving can never be predicted; it is the only reaction that acts in an unexpected way and thus retains, though being a reaction, something of the original character of action.”
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“The excessive increase of anything often causes a reaction in the opposite direction.”
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