Saturday Afternoon: British-German disputes as background to WWI

June 14, 2014

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With Guest Paul Hickman. Carolyn and Paul start with the Naval Defence Act of 1889 and from there trace some of the tensions that built up between the UK and Germany. Some of the events and "personality clashes" that are discussed are:

• The competition for naval supremacy ushered in by Britian's "two power standard";
• Cecil Rhodes and British expansionist ideas;
• The Jameson raid and the Kruger telegram;
• The 2nd Boer War;
• The European royal family entanglements and their effect on Kaiser Wilhelm II;
• Fears brought on by the Berlin-Bagdad Railway;
• Germany's increasing economic and trade strength;
• The Zionist plan for Palestine and the Landman Document;
• German help in fomenting revolution in Russia in 1916.