German battleship building and weltpolitik opened the door to the anglo german naval race. Between 1900 and 1914, germany became identified by britain as the chief foreign threat to its empire. The naval race between britain and germany before the first world war home. Naval race between germany and great britain, 18981912 by dirk bonker the anglo german naval race was the most spectacular strand of the general maritime arms buildup before world war i. As europe prepared for the great war, massie takes us through the great naval arms race. The anglogerman naval rivalry and informal arms control, 19121914 john h. The idea behind this was that the british navy would stay in port rather than risk being damaged fighting the german fleet how did the anglo german naval race contribute to the war. The anglogerman naval arms race of the early 20th century preceded and was one of the several intertwined causes for world war i there were also other naval buildups in several other countries which were emerging as great powers, such as the united states and japan, and in south america. The naval race between britain and germany before the first world war paul cornish. Maurer professor in the strategy department, us naval war college, newport, ri pages 102127. Perhaps the best indicator for who won this arms race would be the dreadnought count of the rival nations by the start of world war one.
The anglogerman naval race was a major driver of tensions between britain and germany. The anglo german naval agreement was an attempt to improve the relationship between germany and great britain. The anglo german naval race and the arms race on land 19001914 2. Under admiral tirpitz, with the active encouragement of kaiser wilhelm, germany committed to a naval construction program designed to challenge british control of the north sea. This conference 1618 july 2014 aims to explore the anglogerman naval arms race during the early twentieth century and the great war at sea with an emphasis prior to the battle of jutland. Like how the us and russia during the cold war were in an arms race for the better nuclear weapons. The british naval blockade of germany i the great war. In less than two decades the resulting anglogerman naval arms race was one of the primary causes of the great war. By the early twentieth century britain had the largest empire in the world and they also had the largest navy. Given its advantage in these two facets that, i believe the british royal navy won the anglogerman naval arms race. The naval race between germany and great britain between 1906 and 1914 created huge friction between both nations and it is seen as one of the causes of world war one. Kaiser wilhelm ii greatly expanded the navy, and enlarged its mission.
Maurer the whole world, britains foreign secretary sir edward grey told the german ambassador in 1908, was now watching the rivalry between german and english shipbuilding. The anglo german naval race has been cited as a key factor in the start of world war i. The completed navy was to have a real fighting chance in a. Popular novels, like erskine childerss the riddle of the sands imagined a german invasion of britain. Britishgerman relations 18851914 9 czerwca 2014 9 czerwca 2014 admin hms dreadnought, the first of new class, of allbiggun battleships, caused the anglogerman naval arms race to reach its period of greatest intensity. Though germany had essentially started the naval race in 1898, it had to quickly design and build dreadnought battleships to keep up with the british. But the royal navy recorded a spiritlifting victory just days later, after british ships cornered the imposing german warship graf spee off the coast of south america, defeating it in the first. The arms race was started by a dreadnought and dictated by dreadnought construction. Kaiserliche marine was the navy created at the time of the formation of the german empire. Thousands of uitlandersa boer word for foreigner arrived at the country, rapidly ou.
The big and decisive naval battle that the royal navy had hoped for did not happen during world war 1. Militarism, the anglogerman naval race, and military plans. Robert massies dreadnought is one of the really great history reads of the last decade. The official history of the royal navy began with the formal establishment of the royal navy as the national naval force of the kingdom of england in 1660, following the restoration of king charles ii to the throne. Anrs control and the anglogerman naval race before world war i.
Start studying militarism, the anglogerman naval race, and military plans. Naval rivalry as the main cause for world war one essay cram. How serious was the german naval threat to great britain. Dirk bonker, trinity college of arts and sciences, duke university, usa the naval route to the abyss truly belongs on the reference shelf of every naval historian as a superb historiographical contribution to the understanding of the anglogerman naval race. Driven by a desire to make the german empire a viable world power and an integral industrial nation, the navy bills of 1898 and 1900 laid out the course for a massive naval expansion under anti british auspices.
Often, albeit misleadingly, described as both the first and the prototypical arms race among modern industrial nations, this arms race resulted from and. The latters fleet of submarines caused massive damage to britains sea commerce, and in the only large scale battle. Truly, without the great ship, the anglogerman naval arms race wouldnt have occurred at the same magnitude that it did, if at all. His aim was to secure an understanding with the british to end the increasingly isolated position of germany. Both england and germany were seeking naval control over the atlantic sea thus resulted in mass production of battleships, warships, and uboats. Why was there a naval race between britain and germany. Start studying history causes of ww1 revision 2 naval race. The naval race between britain and germany before the. The naval arms race with england never goes forth and instead the resources dedicated to this venture is reallocated the the heer. What if wilhelm ii at least temporarily curbs his dream of an overseas expansion of the german empire and either sidelines tirpitz or outright replaces him. The anglogerman naval agreement was an attempt to improve the relationship between germany and great britain. Anglogerman naval competition at the beginning of the twentieth century. However, for more than a thousand years before that there had been english naval forces varying in type and organization.
Ultimately britain won the naval arms race with germany several years before world war one, and in time dreadnoughts were replaced by superdreadnoughts. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. It existed between 1871 and 1919, growing out of the small prussian navy from 1867 the north german federal navy, which primarily had the mission of coastal defence. The british were at first caught offguard by the german naval programme, and reacted with a mixture of alarm and protest. Judging by the countless newspaper articles, the bitter party political debates, the striking metaphors found within popular literature, and the frequent public panics that all focused on the anglogerman naval race, the contemporary british and german populations saw this competition in the same terms, namely as a major factor in the world of. This was a digital story created as a significant part of a coursera, university of houston, free online class. Russian military expansion compelled the germans to prioritise spending on their army and therefore less on the navy. What was the naval race between great britain and the. During the course of the anglogerman naval race, the british admiralty found a regular flow of information on germanys naval policy, on her warship construction and on the technical progress of her fleet to be absolutely vital. By putting the actions of the british admiralty sidebyside with those of its german counterparts, it will enable the naval race to be viewed comparatively and will, thereby, facilitate an understanding of how the two parties to this conflict interacted. Effects of hms dreadnought the anglogerman naval arms race. Naval rivalry as the main cause for world war one it has been argued that naval rivalry was the main cause of world war one, this is because in 1898 kaiser wilhelm ii wanted to have the most powerful and strongest navy in the world as he was extremely militaristic which worried britain and consequently caused tension between the two countries. Within weeks of the outbreak of war in august 1914 millions of soldiers were engaged in combat. It did influence joining the triple entente because it did not bother them to upset germany.
Here is a summary of what happened and why it matters. Naval race between germany and great britain, 18981912. It raised tensions and sparked questions about germanys true intentions because germany were a largely landlocked country and do did not need a large navy like. German naval expansion was one of the major causes for britains pivot towards the francorussian alliance. Ever since the battle of trafalgar in 1805 britain had ruled the seas without any challenge. The anglogerman naval race and the arms race on land 19001914 2. The naval race between england and germany was an arms race between both countries. German empire cancels naval arms race spacebattles forums. What you need to know about the british naval blockade. In this way, the international dynamic of this armaments competition will be fully revealed.
In june 1886, gold was discovered in the transvaal republic, the independent boer state set up after the end of the first boer war. Author stefan lang posted on august 4, 2014 categories europe tags anglogerman naval race, anglogerman relations, bethmanhollweg, declaration of war, edward goschen, edward grey, first world war, lamps going out 1 comment on a century after the declaration. The naval aspect of world war i magnified the role of sea power in modem war and left the british without convincing proof that they could handle the german naval challenge. Maurer naval war college the last stage of the anglogerman naval arms race before the first world war provides a valuable case study for the evaluation of current theories about the development of cooperation between intensely competitive states. Through her revolutionary design that made entire fleets obsolete and gave an entire ship class her namesake, hms dreadnought helped to spur an arms race pitting two of the most powerful countries in the world. But another naval strategy slowly but surely ground the german economy down. The anglogerman naval agreement was registered in the league of nations treaty series on july 12, 1935 and persisted until april 28 of 1939, when adolf hitler renounced it. Britain, 18981912 naval race between germany and great. The great naval race is a clear and compelling narrative of those fateful years, and the author has vividly portrayed the leading protagonists in the drama on the german side, kaiser wilhelm and the megalomaniacal admiral tirpitz, who launched the challenge to british naval supremacy. The anglo german naval agreement was registered in the league of nations treaty series on july 12, 1935 and persisted until april 28 of 1939, when adolf hitler renounced it. History causes of ww1 revision 2 naval race flashcards. British navy sinks german ship graf spee in first naval. The german fleet was clearly and directly a threat to the rns control of the seas.