Samoa

(1847-1899)

British and United States vs Samoan

Between 1847 and 1861, the United States, Great Britain and Germany all established diplomatic missions on Samoa and laid claims to the islands. Armed and advised by foreigners, the Samoan paramount chiefs fought bitter wars for supremacy (1848-73), until US Special Agent Colonel A.B. Steinberger negotiated a peace (1873), helped to draft a European constitution (1875), and then ruled as a virtual dictator until his arrest and deportation by the British in 1875.

In 1880, after a number of years consolidating their interests, the three powers established Malietoa Talavou as King in exchange for trading rights. Malietoa spent several months fighting off rivals and, when he died, was succeeded by Malietoa Laupepe.

In 1886, the Germans, with British consent, landed naval forces in Western Samoa and attempted to establish German rule over the islands. They drove Laupepe from his capital, Apia, and proclaimed a friendly-to-the-Germans local chief, Tamasese, as King of all Samoa.

The Samoans fought back, already sick of years of heavy handed German oppression, with a local chief, Mataafa of Saana, defeating first Tamasese's warriors under the leadership of German officers, and then a force of German marines. The German consul declared martial law, ordered the bombarding of Mataafa's villages, but had his request for reinforcements turned down it was feared that the US might intervene (the American consul had, on his own, and in response to the German invasion, already declared Samoa a US protectorate).

The Americans called a convention in Washington DC in 1897 to discuss the situation, but nothing was resolved. The US then landed forces on Samoa, and all three powers despatched naval vessels to the scene. Between November and March 1889 it looked as if the US and Germany might go to war! However, on 20th March 1889, a hurricane blew in, destroying all the American and German warships plus ten merchant ships (the British HMS Calliope survived). The three powers then agreed the Act of Berlin, establishing a three-power protectorate over Samoa, and restoring Laupepe as King.

In 1893, Mataafa, now backed by the Germans, rebelled against Laupepa, but, after some tribal fighting and the eventual intervention of British and American warships, he was persuaded to surrender (the First Samoan Civil War 1893-4). In 1898, however, following the death of his rival Laupepe, and after fierce fighting, Mataafa seized power again, and a second civil war began: with the US and Great Britain supporting Laupepe's son Tanu, and the Germans backing Mataafa.

On 15th March 1899, warships of the British and American navies bombarded the Samoan city of Apia in an attempt to intimidate Mataafa. An Anglo-American landing force then seized the city, but was not able to pacify the interior: being heavily defeated at the Battle of Tagalii on April 1st - some 56 Americans and 62 Britons (both sailors and marines) were ambushed by 800 or so warriors as they marched for the German plantation of Vailele, east of Apia.

Finally, with the Anglo-American forces controlling the roads and more urban areas, and the German-Mataafan forces controlling the bush, an agreement was drawn up on 8th November 1899, abolishing the monarchy and partitioning the islands between Germany and the US, with Britain receiving Tonga and part of the German Solomons.