‘The British keep the German Eagle from flying’

British - German Rivalry Splendid Isolation vs. Weltpolitik

Learning Objectives To identify the foreign policies of Britain and Germany at the start of the 20th century. To evaluate why Britain felt threatened by Germany To analyse why this was a contributing factor to WW1.

Britain and “Splendid Isolation” What do you think this term means?

Splendid Isolation During the late 19th Century, Britain thought that, because of it’s status as the Greatest of the Great Powers, it did not need to make alliances with other European countries. This was known as ‘Splendid Isolation’ But when all the other countries began to make alliances, Britain felt the need to make allies to protect her homeland and, most importantly, her Empire. In 1904, she signed the Entente Cordiale with France This was an agreement over the African colonies This was followed by a similar agreement with Russia in 1907 – this protected India. As a result of Russia’s existing alliance with France, this brought the three countries together to form the Triple Entente. Task: How do you think Germany links to Britains decision to abandon ‘splendid isolation’?

Germany’s ‘Weltpolitik’ Weltpolitik translates to World Policy. What can you infer from this cartoon about Germanys foreign policy?

Germany ‘Weltpolitik’ Weltpolitik(World Policy, 1897). This consisted of three main strands: firstly to acquire more colonial territory (the place in the sun); secondly to create a German-dominated economic zone in Central and Eastern Europe; and thirdly to expand the Navy. This policy was very popular with Nationalist pressure groups, such as the Pan-German League and was also favoured by industrialists. It promised to fulfil the ambitions of the Kaiser who wished to raise Germany’s profile on the world stage. The importance of the Navy – The expansion of the Navy had a profound impact upon Germany’s domestic and foreign policy e.g. the Navy League (1898) was set up as a propaganda instrument. Expansion of the Navy proved popular because it symbolised German growth. Naval bills were passed by the Reichstag in 1898 and 1900 with the support of the Centre Party. However it was costly and contributed to deteriorating relationships with Britain. The effects of Weltpolitik Although popular, the colonial gains in Africa, the Far East and the Pacific were small compared to other states and too widely scattered to be defended properly. In addition German naval expansion did not have the desired effect of forcing Britain to acknowledge German power and accept the benefits of an alliance. This is a good example of how German foreign policy was mismanaged by using heavy0handed and threatening tactics. However Bulow continued to work on the assumption that Britain would eventually support Germany and believe alliance was in their best interests. This did not happen, for example in 1902 an anti-Russian alliance with Japan and the Entente Cordiale with France in 1904.

Britain vs. Germany Your Task: Use the information pack to summarise the policies of Splendid Isolation and WeltPolitik Include: What was it? Why did Britain or Germany pursue this policy? Why did Britain eventually abandon her policy?

Discuss – To what extent did Weltpolitik lead to Britain abandoning her policy of splendid isolation? RIVALRY