Russian scare

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8 "Armstrong cannon on North Head near Auckland
David Mitchell Luckie , Editor of the Daily Southern Cross (Alexander Turnbull Library, PA2-2596)

As Russian scare was in New Zealand , the fear of a Russian invasion of New Zealand in the 1870s and 1880s respectively. At the end of the 1870s it led to the construction of numerous coastal defense structures that were not used against opponents until they were technically obsolete.

The armed conflicts between Great Britain and Russia in the 19th century, including the Crimean War and voyages of Russian warships in the South Pacific, led to Russia being seen in New Zealand as a potential war opponent who could launch an invasion at any time.

These views were apparently confirmed on February 18, 1873, when the Auckland newspaper Daily Southern Cross reported that the Russian armored cruiser Kaskowiski( Cask of Whiskey ) had entered the port of Auckland the night before and hijacked a British ship. In the process its military supplies were captured, troops landed, gold looted and several residents, including the mayor, taken hostage. The ship had a dozen 30-pounders and a deadly "water gas" on board that could be used at great distances. The editor of the newspaper, David Luckie , played in his misinformation with the fears of the population in order to promote the distribution of his paper.

Fears were given a further boost by the conflict between England and Russia in Afghanistan .

The fortifications built at this time protect particularly Auckland , Dunedin , Lyttelton , Port Chalmers and Wellington . There were similar fears in April 1885 in Australia, which was also part of the Empire.

See also

literature

  • The Russian Scare in Auckland . In: Cromwell Argus . Volume IV, Issue 173 , March 4, 1873 (English, online [accessed August 22, 2017]).
  • Glynn Barratt : The Enemy that never was: the New Zealand 'Russian scare' of 1870-18. . In: New Zealand Slavonic Journal . No. 1, 1976, p. 13-33 , JSTOR : 40920993 (English).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c The Russians are coming! . In: New Zealand History . Ministry for Culture & Heritage , April 12, 2017, accessed August 20, 2017 .
  2. ^ Richard Wolfe : With Honor - Our Army Our Nation Our History . Penguin Viking , Auckland 2007, ISBN 978-0-670-04565-5 , pp.  51 (English).
  3. ^ Alison Painter : April 1, 1885 Russian scare . Professional Historians Australia , accessed August 20, 2017 .