View source for Treaty of Berlin (1889)

{{Short description|1889 treaty between the United Kingdom, United States, and Germany}}
{{Infobox treaty
| name                 = Treaty of Berlin
| long_name            = General act providing for the neutrality and autonomous government of the Samoan Islands
| image                = King Malietoa at the reading of the Berlin Treaty 1889.jpg
| image_width          = <!-- 200px -->
| image_alt            = <!-- alt-text here for accessibility; see [[MOS:ACCESS]] -->
| caption              = King [[Malietoa]] at the reading of the Berlin Treaty, 1889
| type                 = 
| context              = 
| date_drafted         = 
| date_signed          = {{Start date|1889|06|14|df=y}}
| location_signed      = [[Berlin]], Germany
| date_sealed          = 
| date_effective       = 
| condition_effective  = 
| date_expiration      = <!-- {{End date|YYYY|MM|DD}} OR: -->
| date_expiry          = <!-- {{End date|YYYY|MM|DD}} -->
| mediators            = <!-- format this as a bullet list -->
| negotiators          = <!-- format this as a bullet list -->
| original_signatories = <!-- format this as a bullet list -->
| signatories          = 
* {{flag|German Empire}}
* {{flagcountry|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland}}
* {{flag|United States|1877}}
| parties              = <!-- format this as a bullet list -->
| ratifiers            = <!-- format this as a bullet list -->
| depositor            = <!-- OR: -->
| depositories         = <!-- format this as a bullet list -->
| citations            = 172 Parry 133, 134 (E); 81 BFSP 1058; 15 Martens 2d 571 (E, G); {{USStat|26|1497}}; [[United States Treaty Series|TS]] 313; 2 Malloy 1576; 1 [[Treaties and Other International Agreements of the United States of America 1776–1949|Bevans]] 116; S.Ex. B, 51-1; 18 Hertslet 1068
| language             = <!-- OR: -->
| languages            = <!-- format this as a bullet list -->
| wikisource           = General Act of Berlin (1889)
| footnotes            = '''Abrogated by''' the [[Tripartite Convention]] of 2 December 1899 ({{USStat|31|1878}}; [[United States Treaty Series|TS]] 314; 1 [[Treaties and Other International Agreements of the United States of America 1776–1949|Bevans]] 276).
}}
The '''Treaty of Berlin (1889)''' (also known as the '''Samoan Treaty''') was the concluding document of the conference at [[Berlin]] in 1889 on [[Samoa]]. The conference was proposed by German foreign minister Count [[Herbert von Bismarck]] (son of chancellor [[Otto von Bismarck]]) to reconvene the adjourned Washington conference on Samoa of 1887. Herbert von Bismarck invited delegations from the [[United States]] and the [[British Empire]] to Berlin in April 1889.

The treaty launched the [[Condominium (international law)|condominium]] in Samoa between the United States, Germany and Great Britain.  It was designed to guarantee the preservation of rights of the three powers as secured in separate treaties with the Samoan régime in 1878 and 1879. Further, the independence and neutrality of the Samoan government was ensured, public finance was reorganized and the Samoan king elected in 1881 was restored.   

The treaty established a court and the position of a "Chief Justice of Samoa" who would be appointed by all three powers. If they could not reach an agreement on the appointment, the position would be appointed by the [[Monarchy of Sweden|King of Sweden]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Dunning|first=Wm. A.|date=1890|title=Record of Political Events|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2139573|journal=Political Science Quarterly|volume=5|issue=2|pages=357–388|doi=10.2307/2139573|jstor=2139573 |issn=0032-3195}}</ref> In an effort to strengthen the judiciary an American/European chief justice position was created, and the municipality of Apia was reestablished, chaired by a council president.  

The treaty was signed at Berlin by the three powers on 14 June 1889. It was ratified by the [[United States Senate]] on February 3, 1890.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Dunning|first=Wm. A.|date=1890|title=Record of Political Events|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2139573|journal=Political Science Quarterly|volume=5|issue=2|pages=357–388|doi=10.2307/2139573|jstor=2139573 |issn=0032-3195}}</ref> Ratifications were exchanged on 12 April 1890 and assented to by the Samoan government on 19 April 1890, in effect four governments were party to the Berlin Act.

The condominium ended in political shambles after ten years with the ratification of the [[Tripartite Convention (1899)|Tripartite Convention of 1899]] and the resulting partition of the Samoan archipelago.

==See also==
*[[List of treaties]]

==Further reading==

*Gilson, Richard Phillip.  ''Samoa 1830 to 1900, The Politics of a Multi-Cultural Community''. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. 1970.
*Ryden, George Herbert.  ''The Foreign Policy of the United States in Relation to Samoa''.  New York: Octagon Press. 1975.  (Reprint by special arrangement with Yale University Press.  Originally published at New Haven: Yale University Press. 1928)

==External links==
*[http://www.zum.de/whkmla/region/pacific/samoa183099.html WHKMLA: History of Samoa, 1830-1899]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

[[Category:Treaties of the United Kingdom (1801–1922)|Berlin (1889)]]
[[Category:Treaties of the United States|Berlin (1889)]]
[[Category:1889 in Samoa]]
[[Category:European colonisation in Oceania]]
[[Category:1889 treaties]]
[[Category:Treaties of the German Empire|Berlin (1889)]]
[[Category:British colonisation of Oceania]]