Title: GERMANY, THE UNITED STATES, AND NAVAL POWER
1GERMANY, THE UNITED STATES, AND NAVAL POWER
In the U.S., the announcement of the closing of
the frontier helped to foster a general feeling
of anxiety--the U.S. must look abroad for
expansion. The general anxiety--even
paranoia--led to a marked emphasis on military
power and war.
2GERMANY, THE UNITED STATES, AND NAVAL POWER
As U.S. power grows--particularly its naval
power--being able to enforce the Monroe Doctrine
is closer to reality than ever before.
3GERMANY, THE UNITED STATES, AND NAVAL POWER
The tradition of American exceptionalism--the
U.S. as a city on a hill--remained very strong,
but if the U.S. was now a great power, did that
mean it was no different that the European powers
that had been the traditional antithesis of an
exceptional United States? By creating an
enemy--in this case, Germany--the U.S. was able
to retain its tradition of exceptionalism even as
it engaged in imperialism. In short, the good
United States could save the world from an evil
Germany.
4Theodore Roosevelt
Alfred Thayer Mahan The Influence of Sea Power
upon History, 1660-1783 (1890)
5Junkers trichinosis Reichstag McKinley Tariff
Saratoga Agreement Wilson-Gorman Tariff Dingley
Tariff
6Our next war will be with Germany. Commodore
(later Admiral) George Dewey, USN
7Germany is alleged to want certain things that
it is our duty not to let her have, even if we do
not want them ourselves. --Harpers Weekly, 1900
8Otto von Bismarck
Alfred Tirpitz
Kaiser Wilhelm II
9Rough sketch of a German war plan for attacking
New York City
10U.S. Naval War College, Newport RI, founded 1884
1900 - U.S. Navy General Board created 1903 -
U.S. Army General Staff created 1903 - Joint Army
and Navy Board created
11U.S. (Blue) war plan against Germany (Black)