Kaiser Wilhelm II

Between 1890 and 1914, the German army and navy expanded at an alarming rate. This build-up of military force was promoted by the German leader, Kaiser Wilhelm II (pictured at left) for two reasons. First, he was very concerned about the good relations between Great Britain to Germany’s west and Russia to its east. Germany was positioned between these two nations and the relationship between Germany and her two neighbors was not friendly. The German king was in fact quite nervous about being in the middle of two enemies who were friendly with each other.

The second reason for the build-up was that Germany was jealous of Great Britain, the greatest military power of the day. Due to the growth of industry in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Germany had become one of the most economically powerful nations in the world. Kaiser Wilhelm believed the country needed a strong military to enhance its image. So, he decided it was time to catch up and assure Germany a place in the sun.

The Fleet Acts were four laws passed in 1898, 1900, 1908, and 1912, calling for timetables and money to build battleships, submarines, cruisers, and other types of vessels for the German navy. In addition to building up the navy, Wilhelm passed a new tax in 1913 to pay for the doubling of the German army. These efforts paid off, because by 1914 Germany's navy was second in size only to Great Britain and it had the largest army in Europe. To countries throughout Europe, Germany’s actions were of great concern. Fear over this military build-up would eventually be an important factor in the outbreak of World War I.

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