How far did the Anglo German Naval Race contribute to a deterioration in Anglo-German relations?

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How far did the Anglo German Naval Race contribute to a deterioration in Anglo-German relations?

Anglo-German Relations reached an all time low during the period from 1871-1914, due to the many events that occurred within that period. The main event that can be considered to have contributed to a deterioration in Anglo-German relations was the Anglo German Naval Race. Motivated by Wilhelm II’s enthusiasm for an expanded German navy, Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz championed four Naval Laws from 1898 to 1912 and from 1903 to 1910, the Royal Navy embarked on its own massive expansion to keep ahead of the Germans. This competition came to focus on the revolutionary new ships based on the Dreadnought, which was launched in 1906. However there were also other factors that could be considered to have contributed to a deterioration in Anglo-German relations. The Entente Cordial, the Algeciras Conference and Britain’s relationship with Russia were key events during this period.

The most important factor that contributed to a deterioration in Anglo-German relations was the German advances in the Anglo-German Naval Race. It originated from the Foreign Policy, Weltpolitik, implicated in Germany by Kaiser Wilhelm in 1897, that pushed for the expansion of they naval power in Europe. Initially, in 1897, Germany had the 7th largest navy in the World and had minimal presence in terms of naval power. However, after the Weltpolitik, Germany began a series of Naval Laws that would authorise a fixed number of battleships to be constructed, with no parliamentary debate over them. As a consequence, 13 Dreadnoughts were constructed by 1912, and put a large amount of pressure on Britain to respond to the challenge of having the largest Navy in Europe. This move by Germany consequently worsened Anglo-German Relations as Britain was reluctant to expand their navy in response to Germany’s naval expansion but were forced to, and it was a very costly programme for Britain to undergo.

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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 ...

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