Could Germany have built a respectable fleet without provoking Britain?
Short answerA regionally focused fleet might have been less provocative, but a publicly declared challenge to the Royal Navy made British counterbuilding inevitable.
NotesA navy sized for regional security carried a different diplomatic message from a fleet advertised as a bid for world-power status. A German force oriented toward nearby rivals might have appeared less threatening to Britain. Claims to challenge the Royal Navy, combined with major construction close to Britain, were bound to provoke counterbuilding. Naval force design therefore affected diplomacy as well as combat power.