Germany+v.+Britain

=The Anglo-German Naval Race=

=Kruger Telegram=

**Narrative:** The Kruger Telegram was sent by Kaiser Wilhelm on the 6th January 1896 to Paul Kruger in praise of his actions during the Jameson Raid in the Boer War. Kruger was the President of South Africa at the time. This was admired by the German press. The Jameson Raid involved British troops and South African troops. The British troops were outgunned and outnumbered, thus having to surrender to the South African Republic. The British troops were arrested

**Analysis:** The Kaiser’s actions depreciated relations between Germany and Britain even further, firmly establishing an opposition between the two nations. This destroyed the chances of Germany’s desire for Britain to join the Triple Alliance. The public’s opinion of Germany was similar to the political relations. Germans (specifically German sailors) and German shops were under attack within London. 1. //“I express to you my sincere congratulations that you and your people, without appealing to the help of friendly powers, have succeeded, by your own energetic action against the armed bands which invaded your country as disturbers of the peace and in maintaining the independence of the country against attack from without”// – Kruger Telegram
 * Quotes:**

2. //“England will concede nothing to menaces and will not lie down under insult”// –The Times

=Berlin-Baghdad Railway=


 * Narrative: ** The Baghdad Railway began construction in 1903, connecting the Ottoman Empire with Baghdad and Turkey. The purpose of having the transport line was an attempt to colonize the Middle East. This was due to Germany being unable to have a part of Africa, heavily colonized by the rest of Europe.

**Analysis:** The construction of this railway caused international tension. The reasons why it is considered to be a leading cause for WWI is due to the fear of Britain, Russia and France of Germany penetrating that region. Britain demanded that the railway ended in Basra, not reaching the Gulf. Having Germany reach the Gulf would create an available port for her to further strengthen herself.

= = =Dreadnought=

**Narrative:** The British navy had long ruled the waves. They had introduced the Dreadnought in 1906, the largest warship ever created. The 17, 000 tonne Dreadnought made all other ships obsolete through its heavy artillery, easy manoeuvrability and iron holds. The Kaiser held a growing interest in “A place the sun” (an ever-expanding colonial empire). In 1908 the public demanded the liberal government revised their suggestion of reducing naval expenditure, accepting the demand for eight new battleships. Germany, noticing that Britain had to start from scratch to build a strong army, seized the opportunity to compete a previously unstoppable navy. Their imitation of the dreadnought was introduced, resulting in a naval race. By 1914 Britain had 19 to Germany’s 13.

**Analysis:** Inner-conflicts within Britain were heightened when the Lords suggested that they should tax the general public should be taxed instead of the rich. Kaiser Wilhelm II’s approved of the multiple naval laws which he passed in between 1898 to 1912. These laws meant that Germany was bound to create a navy that could compete with the Royal Navy

**Quotes:** 1. //“I had a peculiar passion for the navy. It sprang to no small extent from my English blood. When I was a little boy… I admired the proud British ships. There awoke in me the will to built ships of my own like these some day, and when I was grown up to possess a fine navy as the English”// – Kaiser Wilhelm

3. //“We want eight and we won’t wait”// – Campaign slogan

=Peers versus People=

**Narrative:** The Parliament Act 1911 limited the power of the lords. The problem stemmed from the Lord’s refusal to co-operate on the People’s Budget in 1909, taxing the rich to fund the dreadnoughts. They believed that the general public should be heavily taxed instead. But Lloyd George disagreed with this idea, he believed the upper class should pay. The ‘People’s Budget’ was set. The House of Lords vetoed the budget; for he first time in three hundred years. This sent Britain to the brink of Civil war. The situation was finally resolved by King George V; who threatened the Lords, by giving them a choice. Either they would pass the law, or he would announce two hundred new Lords from the general public, so he was bound to win. After this, he passed the ‘Parliament Act 1911’ which involved taking away the veto from the House of Lords.


 * Analysis: ** At a time of international tension, it was not ideal for Britain to crumble from the inside. The potential for Britain to become weakened would make it an ideal time for Germany to take action. If war were to be held off any longer Britain could not indicate weakness. The internal arguments show the state of tension that the country was in.

=Daily Telegraph Interview=


 * Narrative :** In 1908, the Kaiser came over to Britain without announcing to parliament that he was going to be interviewed by the Daily Telegraph. The results were disastrous. Most famously having called the English “mad as march hares.” He also tried to make it clear that he liked England “I am a friend of England but you make things difficult for me”. His naturally eccentric and flamboyant nature came out within this article. It was not intentionally published; an accidental permission for it to be published meant that it made its way onto the Daily Telegraph.[[image:KaiserWilhelmII.jpg width="142" height="191" align="right"]]

**Analysis:** Similar to the British reaction to the Kruger telegrams, German citizens living in Britain were the victims of attack following the publication of the interview. The public’s opinion of the Kaiser and his German Empire was lowered once again.

**Quotes:** 1. //“The prevailing sentiment among large sections of the middle and lower classes of my own people is not friendly to England”// – Kaiser Wilhelm

2. //“Against whom but England are my squadrons being prepared? If England is not in the minds of those Germans who are bent on creating a powerful fleet, why is Germany asked to consent to such a new and heavy burdens of taxations”// - Kaiser Wilhelm

=Admiral Tirpitz=

== **Narrative:** German Admiral Tirpitz was the “Secretary of State of the Imperial Naval Office”. Tirpitz was greatly in favour for the expansi on of the Germa n Naval fleet. Supported by the Kaiser, he strived for the same degree of domination over the seas that Britain had achieved. This was named the Tirpitz plan. He famously instated the ‘Fleet Acts of 1898, 1900, 1908, and 1908’. One of these acts was that Germany could produce four comparable ships per year. Tirpitz’s ambitious nature led to success, giving Germany the second biggest Navy in the world.

**Analysis:** Tirpitz’s actions led to a dynamic public response in Britain. The Act that allowed Germany to produce numerous ships per year, led to a surge of public desire for more Dreadnoughts, and the motto ‘We want eight, we won’t wait."

**Links :**

[] [] [|http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/wilhelm_kaiser_ii.shtml]