In Berlin, the British proposal was also sent to the Kaiser.
Faced with the British proposal to reduce the scale of shipbuilding, the Kaiser immediately convened his ministers for discussion.
"Everyone, this is a request from the British side. Let's see how we should respond?" In the small conference room of the palace, William II asked the important ministers in front of him.
Regarding the Kaiser's words, the important ministers had different thoughts.
Among them, Navy Minister Tirpitz is definitely the one who is least willing to see it. The reason is simple. Who wants to see the departments under his jurisdiction being discussed in public, let alone discussing reductions, so this Navy
The minister is the most thoughtful.
So this guy couldn't sit still, so he immediately said, "Your Majesty, everyone, the British proposal to reduce the scale of shipbuilding looks very good, but we need to give priority to the British's next move.
As long as the British are willing to remain neutral in future wars that Germany may be involved in, our navy will also be willing to accept the continued expansion of our navy."
Tirpitz was worthy of being a person deeply trusted by the Kaiser. He knew the purpose of the Kaiser's navy. Therefore, he gave priority to telling the navy's conditions to ensure the navy's status in the Kaiser's heart.
What Tirpitz said on behalf of the Navy immediately aroused the opposition of Prime Minister Bulot. "Marshal Tirpitz, the Navy's request is too rude. I think that since the British are willing to talk, we cannot let it go. We must
We know that if we continue to compete with the British at sea despite the land pressure from France and Russia, this will not only be a financial pressure, but also a political and military pressure."
This Bülow has been committed to peace between the British and German navies, and believes that it is best for Germany to avoid provoking Britain when there is land pressure from France and Russia.
The Prime Minister's words still held great weight. The person who originally wanted to speak fell into deep thought after Biro spoke.
Indeed, Germany has considerable pressure on land. Is it wise to continue to entangle the British Empire in the navy?
However, some people stood up to oppose the Prime Minister's proposal. Interior Minister Holweger did not agree with the Prime Minister's words.
"I think what Marshal Tirpitz said makes sense. Although our country faces pressure from the east and west on land, this is not a pressure that we alone bear. Our allies Austria-Hungary and Italy help us share the pressure.
Building a ship
Above, we are not facing pressure from the British alone. Our ally Italy is also building large-scale ships, and Vienna is also building warships. Therefore, we need to consider the British proposal, and it is best to ask the allies in Rome and Vienna.
manner."
Holweg's words made other people in the meeting have to admit that Germany really needs to consider the attitude of its allies. In the face of Russian pressure in the east, Austria-Hungary needs to act as the main force to contain Russia, and only after Germany has solved its rival France can it be free. In
To the west, Italy can contain some of France's forces. In addition, the Italian and Austro-Hungarian navies can also contain the British and French navies in the Mediterranean, reducing maritime pressure on Germany.
Therefore, for the current Germany, it is really necessary to consider the attitude of its allies. And this ally actually mainly refers to Italy.
In recent years, Italy's national power has continued to increase, and it has become more and more important to Germany. After all, Italy's land and sea have played a big role in Germany, and its monarch Carlo is also very independent, so Germany has to consider them.
opinions.
After all, when it comes to the British issue, Germany needs Italy, which has a powerful navy, and Italy's superior geographical location also allows it to pose a more deadly threat to Britain and France.
"Let's first ask our allies what they want. If they support this, then we will discuss it with the UK."
After much consideration, the Kaiser’s words finally had the final say. Let’s first ask our allies what they meant.
While Germany and Italy are planning to ask each other, there are also quite a few voices opposing the proposal within the UK.
The "Naval faction" represented by Admiralty McKenna, First Sea Lord Fisher and others started a fierce debate with the conservatives.
McKenna wrote to Prime Minister Asquith, asking him to be alert to the development trends of the German navy: First, Germany and Italy are engaged in large-scale shipbuilding plans.
Second, its shipbuilding activities are carried out in secret. Whether it is possible to conceal it will take time to test.
Third, according to the information they received, by 1912, Germany will have at least 23 large new warships, and Italy will also have 15 large new warships. The number of new warships in Germany and Italy will reach 38.
The huge scale, considering the relationship between the two countries' allies and Italy's critical position, the British Empire needs at least 40 new large warships to ensure that sea control does not fall into their hands.
Fourth, Germany and Italy's ability to build "dreadnought" ships has caught up with Britain's. The British Admiralty led by McKenna proposed to speed up the production of warships and build two more "dreadnought" ships, that is, starting from the 1909 fiscal year.
Since the beginning of the year, the British Empire has built eight "dreadnought" ships per year. Faced with the requirements of the Navy, the cabinet members headed by Prime Minister Asquith, Chancellor of the Exchequer Lloyd George and Secretary of Commerce Winston Churchill still
Insisted on only agreeing to build 4 "dreadnought" ships.
Faced with the intransigence of the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of Commerce, Admiral McKenna not only fought at the government level, but also fully mobilized the public's anti-German sentiment to exert public pressure on the Asquith government.
The Daily Telegraph declared: "We are asking for the construction of 8 ("dreadnought" ships), and we will not sit back and wait", "We will never allow Nelson's honor to be tarnished."
"The Observer" called on all British people to insist on building eight "dreadnought" ships: "8 ships, 8 complete ships, nothing else but 8 ships."
In addition, pro-conservative media such as The Times also used various radical terms to loudly demand that the government meet the requirements for naval expansion.
The Naval Alliance, Essay Sample Ocean Alliance and other social groups also held various activities to support the naval expansion plan of McKenna and others.
Under tremendous political and social pressure, the three men could no longer stand it. They were forced to make a compromise and agreed to build eight "Dreadnoughts" at one time in the 1909 naval budget.
In addition, on June 16, 1908, the naval budget bill for the construction of eight "dreadnought" ships was passed by the parliament with 322 votes in favor and 83 votes against.
And the British Empire ended its proposal in such a dramatic way.
At this time, Germany and Italy have not yet discussed the outcome of a response plan.
Faced with such a result, Carlo knew that the short-lived effort to suppress the maritime arms race would end in vain, and Europe would surge towards a war.
