An Anglo-American shipbuilding competition did not necessarily amount to preparation for war. Britain and the United States had exchanged design pressure and technological advances since the early dreadnought era while their wider relationship grew more cooperative. Modest continuing programmes could have sustained shipyards, armour production, and design expertise without imposing the costs of an all-out arms race. Successive capital-ship generations might also have widened the technological gap between those navies and smaller powers. Competitive innovation and national prestige could exist without a strategic intention to fight.
Notable Point · 2:00:19-2:02:50
Competition need not mean an Anglo-American war
The prewar Anglo-American naval technology race is used to challenge the assumption that continued construction would automatically have produced conflict.