The Anglo German Naval Arms Race (Short Animated Documentary)

Summary

The video discusses the naval arms race between Britain and Germany in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, triggered by Germany's ambitions to build a global empire. Germany’s naval buildup, spearheaded by Admiral Tirpitz, led Britain to respond by creating the HMS *Dreadnought*, a powerful new battleship class. The ensuing competition saw both nations escalating their naval forces, with Britain eventually outbuilding Germany. This rivalry strained Anglo-German relations and pushed Britain into an alliance with France and Russia, setting the stage for World War I.

Takeaways

• 😀 Britain had little interest in mainland Europe but focused on maintaining and expanding its empire in the late 19th century.
• 😀 Germany, under Emperor Wilhelm II, sought to build its own empire and increase its global power, which led to tensions with Britain.
• 😀 Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz of Germany proposed a major naval buildup, aiming to challenge Britain’s dominance without displacing the Royal Navy.
• 😀 Germany's 'fleet in being' doctrine relied on the threat of naval action to force concessions from Britain without needing to engage in direct conflict.
• 😀 Initially, Britain was not overly concerned with Germany's naval expansion due to its own naval strategy known as the 'two-power standard'.
• 😀 Britain’s concerns grew after Germany’s 1900 announcement of further naval expansion, prompting the appointment of Jackie Fisher to head the Royal Navy.
• 😀 Fisher championed the development of the HMS Dreadnought, a new heavily armed and armored battleship that made previous German battleships obsolete.
• 😀 The introduction of the Dreadnought in 1906 caused a major shift, with Germany being forced to begin building its own Dreadnoughts, starting in 1908.
• 😀 By 1912, Britain had ordered significantly more Dreadnoughts than Germany, and was considering alliances to balance the naval arms race.
• 😀 In response to Germany's continued naval buildup, Britain ordered more ships, and entered into an alliance with France and Russia, leading to the worsening of Anglo-German relations.
• 😀 The naval arms race contributed to the tensions that would eventually help trigger World War I, with Britain and Germany each amassing large fleets of Dreadnoughts and other warships.

Q & A

What was Britain's primary concern during the late 19th century regarding Europe?

Britain was primarily concerned with maintaining and expanding its empire, with little interest in mainland Europe's constant conflicts.

Why was the unification of Germany in the late 19th century a problem for Britain?

The unification of Germany created a new powerful nation in mainland Europe, which posed a potential challenge to Britain's global interests, especially as Germany sought to expand its own empire.

What was Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz's role in Germany's naval strategy?

Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz was the head of Germany's Navy and proposed a major naval buildup to challenge Britain's Royal Navy, aiming to create a 'fleet in being' that would threaten Britain without necessarily needing to engage in direct combat.

What is the 'fleet in being' doctrine?

The 'fleet in being' doctrine is a naval strategy where the mere threat of a fleet's potential action is enough to force concessions, without needing to engage in direct conflict.

How did Britain initially respond to Germany's naval buildup?

Britain was not immediately concerned and maintained its existing naval strategy, the 'Two-Power Standard,' which kept Britain's fleet equal to the combined strength of the next two largest navies.

What led Britain to become more concerned about Germany's naval expansion in 1900?

Britain became more concerned when Germany announced plans for a new naval expansion, prompting the British government to appoint Admiral Jackie Fisher as the head of the Royal Navy to address the growing threat.

What was the HMS Dreadnought, and why was it significant?

The HMS *Dreadnought* was a new class of heavily armed and armored battleship developed by Britain. Completed in 1906, it made all previously built German battleships obsolete, marking a significant advancement in naval technology.

How did Germany respond to Britain’s development of the *Dreadnought*?

Germany responded by starting its own construction of dreadnoughts, with the German Navy ordering a dreadnought in 1908, which escalated the naval arms race between the two nations.

What options did Britain have to respond to the growing German naval threat?

Britain had three main options: build more warships, negotiate with Germany to slow down its naval buildup, or form an alliance with France and use French dreadnoughts to balance the naval power.

What was Britain's response to the German naval arms race by 1912?

By 1912, Britain had decided to build more dreadnoughts, ordered additional ships, and strengthened its alliance with France. Britain also devised a strategy where for every new dreadnought Germany ordered, Britain would order two.

How did the naval arms race affect Anglo-German relations and lead to World War I?

The naval arms race severely damaged Anglo-German relations, pushing Britain into an alliance with France and Russia. These alliances, along with other factors, contributed to the tensions that eventually led to World War I.

What happened after the naval arms race ended in 1914?

By 1914, Britain had nearly twice as many dreadnoughts as Germany, and Germany turned its focus to developing U-boats. The naval arms race had a lasting impact on relations between Britain and Germany, and contributed to the broader tensions that led to the First World War.