The Venezuelan Crisis The Venezuelan Crisis of 1895 happened over a longstanding territory dispute with Great Britain. The territory that was being fought over was Guayana Esequiba, Britain claimed that the territory belonged to them and was part of British Guiana and Venezuela considered it to be property of Venezuela. The dispute would become a crisis in 1895 when William L. Scruggs who was Venezuela’s lobbyist argued that Britain’s behavior over the issue was a violation of the Monroe Doctrine and was able to get Washington D.C. to pursue the matter. This issue over the territory of Guayana Esequiba had been brewing for a long time between Great Britain and Venezuela. The territory in dispute was once property of the Spanish Empire which was inherited by Venezuela after it gained independence in 1830 and the Dutch Empire which was inherited by Great Britain in 1814 along with the Dutch territories of Essequibo, Demerara and Berbice. Britain wanted to use the Schomburgk Line to divide the territory and was drawn up by Robert Schomburgk during his four-year expedition for the Royal Geographical Society from 1835-1839. Venezuela did not agree with the Schomburgk Line and in 1844 declared the Essequibo River the dividing line. The British did offer to make changes to the line but Venezuela never responded. They finally decided in 1850 that both countries would not enter into the disputed territory, and everything was good until around 1876 when diplomatic exchanges started happening again. Britain would finally declare the line to be the provisional frontier of British Guiana in 1886 and by 1887 Venezuela cut off diplomatic relations with Britain. Both sides tried to renew relations and settle the dispute but neither could come to an agreement. Both sides would put either military or police stations at key points in the area to defend their interests. One of the things that both sides were trying to protect was the Caratal goldfield of the Yuruari basin which was in Venezuela territory but claimed by the British. Things would finally come to a head in 1895 after the two sides could not reach a diplomatic solution. After looking into the conflict the stakes were high, the land that was in dispute was not just any land. This land was a goldfield that had the El Callao mine which at one time was the richest in the world. The gold fields also produced a huge amount of gold themselves making the territory extremely valuable to both sides. The were some people who played a big role in the Venezuelan Crisis, one of the most important involved was William L. Scruggs who was a Venezuelan lobbyist argued that Britain’s behavior violated the Monroe Doctrine, and would use his influence to get Washington D.C. to pursue the matter. Scruggs also helped in collaborating Resolution 252, a bill that recommended Venezuela and Britain settle the dispute by arbitration. President Grover Cleveland also played a part in the Venezuelan crisis. The president would adopt a broad interpretation of the Monroe Doctrine that forbid new European colonies, but also declare an American interest anywhere within the hemisphere. The president would also sign Resolution 252 into law. He also asked congress to fund a commission to study the boundaries between Venezuela and British Guiana. Secretary of State Richard Olney was also a major player in this crisis. He was responsible for sending a letter to London which would become known as “Olney’s twenty-inch gun”, the letter stated that they believed Britain to be in the wrong. With this belief the letter went on to say that the United States must intervene in the ongoing situation, because its vital interests are also at stake. British Prime Minister Lord Salisbury and British ambassador to Washington Julian Pauncefote also played a role in the Venezuelan Crisis. They misjudged the the importance that that Americans placed on the crisis, which would prolong the situation until they finally decided to go along with arbitration of the territory. The Venezuelan Crisis of 1895 had been brewing for sometime but the passing of Resolution 252 helped fuel the crisis. This would lead to the Royal Navy occupying the Nicaraguan port of Corinto, because a number of British subjects had been seized during disturbances, after the former protectorate of the Mosquito Coast had been incorporated in to Nicaragua. The British wanted an indemnity and U.S. Secretary of State Walter Gresham thought although harsh the demands should be met. The U.S. people though were outraged that the British had military influence in the U.S. sphere of influence. New Secretary of State Richard Olney would send a document to London insisting on using the Monroe Doctrine and insisting that Britain was in the wrong and the vital interests of the U.S. were at stake. The letter would have little impact on the British Government as they rejected the idea that the Monroe Doctrine had any influence on the boundary dispute. President Cleveland would get involved after that reaffirming the Monroe Doctrine and its relevance in the situation. He would then ask congress to fund a commission on the boundaries between Venezuela and British Guiana. The President also said the U.S. must battle any attack by Britain on any territory that the U.S. judges to be Venezuelan. The address was perceived as a direct threat of war with Great Britain. After all the threats Great Britain finally recognized the U.S. right to intervene and agreed to arbitration. The arbitration outcome would wind up giving Great Britain almost 90% of the disputed territory. The Schomburgk Line with little deviations was re-established as the border between British Guiana and Venezuela. The Venezuelan Crisis helped prove the U.S. was now a world power. The Venezuelans would go along with the ruling but after an alleged political deal between Russia and Britain was uncovered that may have swayed the results of arbitration Venezuela re-asserted its right to the land once again in 1949. This whole situation could have played out a lot different in other circumstances. If the disputed land did not have gold on it would either country had cared as much about the land. A compromise probably could have been made a lot easier. If Great Britain was not under great pressure in South Africa would they have stood up more to the U.S. and possibly go to war with them if need be. The outcomes could have gone many different ways if certain circumstances were different but in the end greed played the biggest part in this crisis. Those goldfields were valuable and neither country wanted to give them up.

Research Resources 1. American Foreign Relations Vol. 2 2. Venezuela Boundary Dispute , 1895-1899 http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/venezuela1895.htm 3. Venezuela Crisis of 1895 http://reference.findtarget.com/search/Venezuela%20Crisis%20of%201895/