A case study

THE NAVAL RACE

in militarism
WHAT WAS THE NAVAL RACE
AND WHY DID IT HAPPEN?
COPY

KEY IDEAS

 The naval race happened during the years 1900 to 1914.

 It was a race between Britain and Germany to see who could build the largest navy.

 Britain had the strongest navy and the largest empire.

 Kaiser Wilhelm 11 of Germany wanted to build up a navy to rival Britain’s navy.

 Intense rivalry and competition developed between the two countries and this created increased tension and suspicion between
them.

 It involved a massive increase in spending from both countries on their navy.

 In 1906 Britain developed a powerful new type of ship called the Dreadnought and this intensified the race between Germany and
Britain.

WATCH https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=1906+dreadnought&&view=detail&mid=40AB476F26B60A6ED5BF40AB476F26B6
WATCH-
THE ANGLO GERMAN NAVAL ARMS RA
CE (SHORT ANIMATED DOCUMENTARY
)–
AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS BELOW
1. Which European country was the most powerful by 1900?

2. Who was the leader of Germany and for what reasons did they wish to build up their navy?

3. How did Britain react initially to Germany building a navy?

4. Explain the British two power strategy.

5. Who built the first dreadnought and when?

6. How did Germany react to this?

7. What strategies did the British adopt to deal with Germans naval growth?

8. How and when did the naval race end?

9. How did the naval race affect the relationship between Germany and Britain?
THE RACE
BY
NUMBERS
Tasks

1. Create a graph using

the data .
2. Write 2-3 sentences
which describe the
trends the data
shows.
 · Germany begins to · Germany wants to beat
develop and increase the the quality of Britain's
size of her navy despite navy so engages in an
having no empire and arms race with Britain to

THE NAVAL little coastline to protect build as many

dreadnoughts as quick as

RACE possible

CAUSE AND
· Britain develop the most · Britain adopts the two power
effecient naval ship of the
standard. Their navy should be as
strong as the next two powers
period: Dreadnought

EFFECT
combined.
(thicker armer, larger
engine and moveable
guns)

Match up the cause in · Germany passed a law The

the left hand column
German Naval Bill 1908 which
· Britain become suspicious
and feel threatened
established a huge increase
spending on the navy because her main
dominance as a power is

with the correct effect in through her navy.

the right hand column.

TASK: STUDY THE
SOURCE AND
ANSWER THE
QUESTIONS

1.What reason does Sir Edward

Grey give for Britain needing a
strong navy?
2. What does he suggest is the
reason for Germany having a
strong navy?
3. What was going on between
Germany and Britain at this time?
4.What are his possible motives
for making the speech?
COMPARISON TASK
Source A

Today, as in 1914, any judgement about the necessity for British entry must be influenced by an assessment of the character of Kaiser William II’s empire. Dominance
was its purpose, achieved by peaceful means if possible, but by war if necessary. Moreover, throughout the July crisis the Germans, like the Austrians, consistently lied
about their intentions and actions. By contrast, whatever the shortcomings of British conduct, the British government told the truth as it saw it, to both its allies and its
prospective enemies.

The British government is often accused of having a foreign policy that was impossible for others to read between 1906 and 1914 and during the July crisis. While
Britain made itself a party to the Triple Entente, uncertainty persisted about whether it would join a European war. Its only sensible course in the decade preceding the
war, and indeed in July 1914, was to offer its allies goodwill and provisional support, the scope and nature of which depended on events and exact circumstances.

From a history book published

in 2013.

SOURCE B

Britain’s role in unleashing the war was one born of blindness and blundering, not malice. We can say something similar about Germany’s role, although with allowance
for the much greater sin of invading Belgium. Germany’s sin was not one of intending a world war - British hostility was the last thing anyone in Berlin wanted - but of
mishandling the diplomacy. The prevailing opinion in London was that Germany had started the war. This argument is not supported by the evidence. France and Russia
were far more eager to fight than was Germany. Far from ‘willing the war’, the Germans went into it kicking and screaming as the Austrian noose tightened round their
necks.

From a history book published

in 2013