Wilhelm II encouraged proposals for further overseas expansion and rejected objections to Germany's existing commitments. German interest in the Philippines followed the Spanish-American War and rested partly on the expectation that the United States might not retain the islands. One unnamed book is cited for the further suggestion that Germany considered persuading or pressuring the Americans to yield them in return for a European friend. Additional Pacific possessions would, in this counterfactual, have exposed more territory and warships to loss in 1914 while reducing the fleet available at home.
Notable Point · 28:54-30:39
German ambitions in the Philippines
The Philippines illustrate how further German colonial expansion could have increased vulnerable overseas commitments and weakened the fleet at home.