King George Tupou II and the government of Tonga
Date
1976
Authors
Fusitu'a, Eseta Fulivai
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Abstract
On his succession to the throne Tupou II was spoilt, young and ill
prepared for kingship. He had to mature, train to be a monarch and
reign as one, all at the same time. The enormity of the strain and
the pressures which these imposed on him, dramatically disrupted the
normal course of his personal development. These, together with his
limited capacity for coping with problems, were responsible for the
problems and mistakes which riddled the earlier part of his reign.
Thus he becime vulnerable to the flattery of self-seeking advisors
and susceptible to errors of judgement.
To Tupou's misfortune his succession coincided with the most
aggressive period of European imperialism in the Pacific. The Anglo-
Tongan Agreements forced on him in 1900 and 1905 weakened his position
in Tonga. Because he was the monarch it was he who answered personally
to the British authorities whenever there was a misunderstanding or dispute
between their respective governments. Because he was the most ardent
and consistent campaigner against Britain's intrusion into Tongan
affairs he therefore became the most frequent target of the British.
This was especially intense during the premiership of Mateialona. In
fact no other monarch in modern Tonga had suffered as much external
pressure as Tupou II.
It is to his credit therefore that he did not then accept Britain's
domineering influence, an action which might have resulted in the loss of
Tonga's independence.
Once these pressures were relaxed, as they were after Mateialona's
resignation, and by which time Tupou II had mastered the skills for kingship,
his performance distinctly improved.
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Tonga--History
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