Navalism

1
Navalism

• This is the militarism that applies to the navy.
  Navalism indicates the excessive influence of the
  navy and everything concerned with it on the
  political life of a nation.
• As a build of to WWI, historians use this term to
  describe the naval arms race prior to the
  outbreak of war.

2
Navalism

• In his work The rise and fall of Great powers
  Paul Kennedy showed the relationship between
  industrial potential and military power.
• A huge increase in the size to the German navy
  after 1900 resulted from dramatic acceleration in
  the construction program laid down in the German
  second Navy Law of that year. (British increases
  had occurred 10 years previously) From 1900 all
  European countries expanded their navies.

3
Navalism

• Kaiser Wilhelm II outspokenness in the daily
  telegraph interview in 1908, illustrated that it
  was his brain child. He took a personal interest
  in the fleet, which enhanced German Weltpolitik.
• Germany must have a powerful fleet to protect
  commerce and her manifold interests She must
  promote them manfully in any quarter of the
  globeKaiser Wilhelm II

4
Navalism

• Admiral von Tirpitz (German secretary of state
  for the navy) was most responsible for the
  technical side of building the navy.
• Tirpitz rejected Haldanes rapprochement in 1912
  (Agadir Crisis-2nd Moroccan crises) and called
  for increased pace of building-hoping to frighten
  the British into giving way. Tha Haldane Mission
  was a failure and both sides began to look closer
  at their allies

5
Navalism

• Von Tirpitz used this realpolitik method to deter
  the potential enemy.
• This risk theory argued that the Brits would not
  risk fighting, share the colonies and no longer
  be supportive of france.
• Winston Churchill maintained that the British
  fleet was essentially defensive, Llyd George felt
  that Britain should have devoted more time to
  gaining an agreement with Germany

6
Navalism

• The naval construction program had given rise to
  a whole new area of the economy shipbuilding and
  electrical manufacturing. Companies like Siemans
  benefited greatly from government contracts.
• The industry meant jobs for a new section of
  specialized industrial workers and engineers, it
  also meant large profits for politically
  influential companies.

7
Navalism

• In his memoirs, Lloyd George saw the military
  build up of the navy as one of the poignant
  chapters in the history not only of Germany but
  of mankind. It was partly responsible for World
  War. It undoubtedly ranged the British Empire
  among the enemies of Germany