Jonathan Fenby on the 1914 Siege of Tsingtao – London 15/12

Posted: December 13th, 2014 | No Comments »

The Siege of Tsingtao – Jonathan Fenby

Monday 15 December 2014, 6.45pm

Swedenborg Hall

20-21 Bloomsbury Way

(Hall entrance on Barter St)

London WC1A 2TH

Free (Booking recommended)

Book online here

 

In 1914, Europe was not the only continent coming to terms with a new form of conflict. Through a mix of complex alliances and global ambition, the war had spread to northern China, where the German-held port of Tsingtao became a key battleground. To strike a blow at Kaiser Wilhelm’s naval forces, Britain and its ally Japan laid siege to the port during October and November of that year. In this lecture celebrated historian Jonathan Fenby will examine the causes of the battle, the ulterior motives for it, and the path on which it set East Asia for decades to come.

The Siege of Tsingtao was to be the only armed clash of the First World War in East Asia, and – involving 32,000 troops, a death toll of less than 500, and fewer than 2,000 wounded – was a tiny affair compared to the conflict being fought in Europe. But, coming at a time of retreat in Europe it was a tonic from afar, described at the time by the British cabinet as ‘the heaviest blow delivered at German world-power’. Indeed, the victory ensured that the First World War would not extend in the region beyond 1914, as Germany’s naval squadron was deprived of an operational base in East Asia and was subsequently destroyed by the British as it tried to return to Europe.

Following Japan’s victory in Russia in 1904-05, this second triumph over a European adversary also marked a fresh advance for the rising regional nation. Japan was to reap the rewards of declaring war against Germany when, at the Treaty of Versailles, they were granted concession over Tsingtao, sparking tensions with China that were to have significant long-term ramifications.

Jonathan Fenby, a former editor of the Observer and South China Morning Post, is editor in chief of the information website, Trusted Sources.

He has worked as a foreign correspondent for the Economist and Reuters and held senior editorial positions at the Guardian and the Independent in Britain. He contributes to publications, broadcasting stations and websites in the UK, Europe, the United States and the Far East.

He has written books on France (On The Brink), Hong Kong (Dealing with the Dragon) and the unreported story of the deadliest British naval disaster (The Sinking of the Lancastria). In 2007 Jonathan published Alliance; the Inside Story of how Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill won one war & began another (Simon & Schuster) which the Guardian review described as “the best sort of history”. He is an author of several popular books on China, including the acclaimed Tiger Head, Snake Tails, The Penguin History of Modern China, Generalissimo: Chiang Kai-shek and the China He Lost, and Will China Dominate the 21st Century. His latest book, The Siege of Tsingtao: China Penguin Specials, was published in 2014 as part of a series marking the 100th anniversary of the First World War.

He is on the board of the European Journalism Centre and is a research associate at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at London University.

To reserve your place, please call the Japan Society office on 020 3075 1996 or email events@japansociety.org.uk or submit the online booking form.

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