Why Did Britain Allie with Belgium ?

Question

In 1939 , Britain signed the 'Treaty of london' agreeing to defend belgiums neatrality in european wars. but why was it important to allie with belgium and how did britain benefit ? i need help on some coursework!

Answer 1

Britain had always had special interests in Flanders-Belgium. In the Middle Ages, Flanders was extremly important for exporting wool, later for import and export since Belgium had a modern industry and good harbours (Brugge, Antwerp).
Strategically Belgium was the gateway between the two continental powers Spanish/German (Holly) Empire/Austrian Empire versus France.
For Britain it was also important that not a continental power owned all the good harbours which could made an invasion much easier (Dunkirk owed by the French was already worse enough).
You can even say that Belgium acted has a barameter for England. If one of the powers owned it and started an expansional war, it was time to go to war on the continent because the power balance became uneven. And to much power to one power could be dangerous for the interests of Britain.

The Treaty of London of 1839 (beware you wrote 1939 which is wrong) was in fact to continu this politic.
The 5 great power of that moment signed a treaty to defend the neutrality of Belgium (Britain, France, Austia, Prussia and Russia).
Britain benefitted that there was now a buffer zone owned by a small country that would not be dangerous on economical or military and of which the other powers could not benefit.
If the other great powers would made war they would do it far away from the strategic coastline.
For the Belgians the treaty saved us from a lot of troubles in 1870.

When the Germans were foolish enough to think that Britain would not react in 1914, they had not learned their history. With or without the treaty Britain would have gone to war.

It is very likely that a war between Germany and Britain would one day start, but the invasion of Belgian gave the UK a very good morale reason to go to war. Millions of men of the British Empire rallied under the motto "Remember Belgium".

Answer 2

Belgium was created quite late into the modern age. Britain thought mainly during the Napoleonic Wars to stop France from controlling the Wool trade in Antwerp, one of the biggest export markets we had. Along with the Dutch, Spanish and Prussian problems that came and went throughout the 1500 - 1800's Britain sponsored the creation of Belgium with the Waloonian and Flemish speaking people centered under one banner.
This created a buffer area where Britain could protect its trading interests and control the entrance / exit to the North Sea and English Channel from the Cinque Ports and Medway Squadrons.
Into the late 19th and 20th centuries it helped to keep the peace in the North Flanders area up until the 1914 invasion. Surprisingly if the cold feet the Kaiser got in the first week had won over Moltke and the Generals and the Armies on the flank had stopped in Luxembourg and concentration made on the french Frontier, Britain would have remained Neutral as it did in the Franco - Prussian conflict.

Answer 3

It was believed that if Germany was to attack Britain by an amphibious landing, then she would do so via Belgium as it saves going into France and paying extortionate hotel fees, but anyway, from there, it was one of the shortest and fastest crossings. This Treaty meant that Britain had another line of defence of its coast from Belgium. There was a previous Treaty of London signed in 1839, which meant that if Belgium was invaded then Britain would defend it.

As it so happens, Belgium was invaded in the 19th century (and later in 1914 as part of the Schliffen Plan) as part of the Franco-Prussian war whereby the Prussians were 1 million strong and invaded France through Belgium. Britain managed to defend Belgium through peaceful negotiations as it would have been folly for the British forces based in Britain to attack an army that size. But anyway, Belgium was saved and so we still have chocolate to this day.

Answer 4

It goes back to the time when Belgium was part of the Spanish Netherlands and when they got their independance, Britian was one of the guarantors of their neutrality.

But the real trouble was the long-standing animosity between France and Germany. Since both over-fortified their common border, the only effective way for one to attack the other was to go around the defences. The most obvious way was through poor Belgium!

Answer 5

Because the coast of Belgium faced the coast of Britain and could be used by an enemy to attack British Shipping or to launch an invasion

Answer 6

Britain was allied with France, who in turn were allied with Belgium, which is part French speaking, so it meant that Britain was also allied with Belgium too. And anyway, they're nice the Belgians aren't they?