The discussion begins with Britain's postwar preference for fiscal recovery while remaining willing to spend when security required it. A 1919 argument claimed that a larger prewar army and orders for eight Queen Elizabeth-class and eight R-class battleships might have deterred Germany. Treating all sixteen as 28-knot ships produces a radically different capital-ship fleet and may also allow more Admiral-class battlecruisers to be completed. That hypothetical force would have strengthened British demands for a larger tonnage allowance and more 16-inch-gun ships during the Washington treaty negotiations.
Notable Point · 1:32:07-1:37:49
Could prewar spending have deterred Germany?
A 1919 argument for larger prewar armies and sixteen fast battleships opens a counterfactual about deterrence, the Admiral class, and treaty tonnage.