Editing 1900 (section)

=== Political and military ===
The year 1900 was the end of the [[19th century]] and the beginning of the [[20th century]]. Two days into the new year, the [[United States Secretary of State|U.S. Secretary of State]] [[John Hay]] announced the [[Open Door Policy]] regarding [[Qing dynasty|China]], advocating for equal access for all nations to the Chinese market. The [[1900 Galveston hurricane|Galveston hurricane]] would become the [[List of disasters in the United States by death toll|deadliest]] [[natural disaster]] in United States history, killing between 6,000 and 12,000 people, mostly in and near [[Galveston, Texas]], as well as leaving 10,000 people homeless, destroying 7,000 buildings of all kinds in Galveston. As of [[2025]], it remains the [[Atlantic hurricane|fourth deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record]].
An ongoing [[Boxer Rebellion]] in China escalates with multiple attacks by the [[Boxer movement|Boxers]] on Chinese and European civilians, killing hundreds; the rebellion would progress with the [[Russian invasion of Manchuria|Russian Empire's invasion of Manchuria]] and the [[Battle of Peking (1900)]]. During the [[Scramble for Africa]], the [[Battle of Kousséri]] would see [[French Third Republic|French]] forces secure their domination of [[Chad]], which would become a [[French Chad|French colony]]. Britain would annex the [[South African Republic]] and the [[Orange Free State]] in Southern Africa, becoming the [[Orange River Colony]] until 1910.

For [[British Empire|Britain]], developments such as the [[Siege of Ladysmith#Battle of Platrand|Battle of Platrand]], [[Battle of Spion Kop]] and the [[Battle of Paardeberg]] in the [[Second Boer War]] highlighted the harsh nature of [[Boers|Boer]] [[Guerrilla warfare|guerrilla tactics]]. The British [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] was founded in 1900, emerging out of the [[Labour movement]] and [[History of the socialist movement in the United Kingdom|socialist parties of the 19th century]]; it would go on to become a major political force in Britain after the [[World War I|First World War]]. The [[Federation of Australia]] is enacted, marking the unification of its colonies into a single country.