02 – The Threat from Germany

In 1871, the existing German states merged to form one nation, ruled by Kaiser Wilhelm I.

In 1888 Wilhelm I was succeeded (after the 99-day rule of Friedrich III) by Wilhelm II.
Kaiser Wilhelm II

He wanted to create an overseas empire for Germany, and for that he needed a navy.
In 1897 Wilhelm appointed Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, as Secretary of State to the Imperial Naval Office to build his navy.

von Tirpitz

Von Tirpitz realized he could not match the size of the Royal Navy. He planned to build a large navy that the Royal Navy would not dare to challenge, lest they become sufficiently weakened to lose their overall dominance over any alliance of foreign navies.