Therefore, it is clear to say that the Anglo German Naval Race was the main contribution to a deterioration in Anglo-German relations.
The second most important factor that contributed to a deterioration in Anglo-German relations was the British advances in the Anglo-German Naval Race. Due to Germany’s determination to have a larger navy than Britain, Britain was under extreme amounts to of pressure to respond to the challenge. However, Britain was extremely reluctant to expand their navy as it was a very costly and time consuming procedure. They first attempted to stop the naval race, by implementing the Naval Defense Act in 1889, which caused an extra £20 million to be spent on the navy over the next four years. Britain also aimed to keep their British Navy equal to that of the next two most powerful nations, France and Germany. This was known as the “Two Power Standard”. However Germany continued to rearm their Naval strength, and put even more pressure on Britain. Therefore, Britain attempted to stop the German naval expansion, but Germany was not open for discussion on this matter. This caused Britain to unwillingly take action in response to Germany, and expanded their Naval programme in 1809, using the money created by the People’s Budget. Therefore, it is evident to say that the Anglo German Naval Race was the main contribution to a deterioration in Anglo-German relations.
However, there were also other factors, apart from the Anglo German Naval Race, that contributed to a deterioration in Anglo-German relations. The most important factor was the Entente Cordiale. The Entente cordiale was a series of agreements signed on the 8th April 1904 between Britain and France. Agreements such as Britain had to stay out of Egypt and France was allowed freedom in Morocco produced a closer relationship between Britain and France. However, Germany viewed the Entente Cordiale as a deliberate attack against German development and was particularly antagonised by this decision since it had been made without her consent or consultation. Britain, however, argued that the Entente with France was not made to deliberately antagonise Germany but that there were more predominant motives. Britain claimed that the alliance was to settle disputes between them and France and ultimately reduce the threat of war breaking out in Europe. It can therefore be seen that the Entente Cordiale was not a deliberate direct attack against Germany, although, despite these ulterior motives, Germany still opposed the Entente and in protest, initiated the first Moroccan Crisis in 1905 which further worsened Anglo-German relations whiles strengthening the Anglo-French Entente. Therefore, it is clear to say that the Anglo German Naval Race was not the main contribution to a deterioration in Anglo-German relations.
The second most important factor that contributed to a deterioration in Anglo-German relations was the Weltpolitik. The Weltpolitik was the German foreign policy implicated in Germany by Kaiser Wilhelm in 1897 that pressed to create a larger overseas empire and increase the prominence of Germany’s as a world power. Whatever the motivation for Weltpolitik, it was inevitable that the Kaiser’s plans to transform the international status of his Empire would impact heavily on the other Powers. This was particularly true for Britain, as they had the largest empire in the world and had control of significantly large parts of Africa. Germany, as a result, was a direct threat to Britain’s overseas empire, especially in Africa and provoked Britain to implement the Naval Defence Act in 1889 to establish the ‘two power standard’ with the aim of ensuring the protection of their overseas colonies. Therefore, it is evident to say that the Anglo German Naval Race was not the main contribution to a deterioration in Anglo-German relations.
The third most important factor that contributed to a deterioration in Anglo-German relations was the Moroccan Crisis in 1906. In protest to the agreement of French predominance in Morocco, the Kaiser went to Tangier and publicly advocated the importance of the independence of the Sultan and how Germany was prepared to defend both her own interests and Moroccan interests in the event of a French take over or assault. The Kaiser also demanded a conference be held to finally sort out the status of Morocco, thus completely undermining the status of the Entente Cordiale. This took place the following year in Algeciras in Spain. The conference was significant because it exposed Germany’s isolation in Europe. All countries, with the exception of Austria-Hungary, supported France, and even Italy who were supposed to be a member of the Triple Alliance, had supported French claims in Morocco. For Germany the conference had had an adverse effect, instead of exposing a weak, non-military Entente, with the intensions of splitting it up, it had encouraged military conversations to take place between Britain and France. This ultimately provoked Germany to make a distinct change in their foreign policy; to be more aggressive against the Entente .Therefore, it is clear to say that the Anglo German Naval Race was not the main contribution to a deterioration in Anglo-German relations.
From analysing the factors above, it is clear to say that the Anglo German Naval Race was the main contribution to a deterioration in Anglo-German relations. This is because Anglo-German relations began worsening before the events of the Entente Cordial and the Moroccan Crisis in 1904 and 1906. Relations began to deteriorate after Germany began the expansion of their naval strength with the key objective of increasing the size of their empire. Britain, as a consequence, felt threatened and began retaliating with the Naval Defence Act which enabled the “Two Power Standard”. This was the start of the Anglo German Naval Race which would continued for many years, and ultimately deteriorated Anglo-German relations to a point where War was the only option.