Germany's desire for a navy comparable to Britain's challenged the foundation of British imperial security even when no law or single ship made conflict inevitable. The rivalry dates to the 1890s, well before HMS Dreadnought. A nearby continental power was seeking oceanic prestige on a scale that threatened the naval system Britain relied on to support its empire. British strategy separated this quantitative Anglo-German competition from qualitative races involving other navies, with German capability and motive together driving the anxiety.
Chapter · 15:45-20:42
The naval race began before Dreadnought
The Anglo-German naval rivalry is traced to 1890s strategic mistrust rather than treated as a sudden consequence of HMS Dreadnought.