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6 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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All the countries of Europe built up their armies and navies
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Germany: 2,200,000 soldiers, 97 warships
Austria-Hungary: 810,000 soldiers, 28 warships. |
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Italy: 750,000 soldiers, 36 warships
France: 1,125,000 soldiers, 62 warships |
Russia: 1,200,000 soldiers, 30 warships
Great Britain: 711,000 soldiers, 185 warships |
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As one country increased its armies, so all the others felt obliged to increase their armed forces to keep the ‘balance of power’.
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in 1900 Kaiser Wilhelm began to build up the German navy (Tirpiz's Navy Law), announcing that he wanted Germans to sail all over the world and take for Germany 'a place in the sun'. After 1906, he began to build numbers of the new, large 'Dreadnought' battleships, which were more powerful than any other ship.
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The British developed the idea that Germany wanted to challenge British sea power - the basis of Britain's greatness ('Britannia rules the waves').
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A strong navy would also allow Germany to threaten British colonies overseas.
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Britain made an alliance with Japan in 1902, so as not to have to worry so much about the Pacific.
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Britain also began to build Dreadnoughts. The British government had planned to build four Dreadnoughts in 1909, but when Germany refused to limit the number of ships it was building, the British public protested, demanding: 'We want eight and we won't wait'. Britain and Germany thus had a naval arms race.
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By 1914, Britain had won this naval arms race and the British navy was much larger than the German navy, so it is arguable that this was NOT a major cause of World War One.
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done
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