When a naval technology race becomes a political grudge

A technical design race did not carry the same political danger as the kind of rivalry that could help produce a war. Britain's competition with Italy, Japan, and the United States was qualitative one-upmanship: each navy sought better ships, but the comparison lacked the hostility of the German contest. Anglo-German competition had become a grudge even though the two naval services retained professional relationships and broader contacts remained possible. Fleet building had eroded trust without making conflict inevitable. Avoiding Belgium might therefore still leave the British cabinet with a genuine choice.