As discussed, Germany had been united through conflict and determined to remain so by conflict if necessary. Although wholly incorrect, its perceptions and actions towards other states were rationally consistent within its aggressive paradigm. To guarantee its security, Germany could not rely upon the benevolence of others but rather its own military power. Just as Sparta feared the rise of Athens, so did Germany fear the slow strangulation by its European neighbors.
British actions amplified German fears. From the time Admiral Nelson’s forces destroyed the Franco-Spanish fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar, Britain flourished as the unquestioned ruler of the seas. Leveraging its naval power it amassed and sustained an unrivaled colonial empire and vast commercial wealth. Britain also benefitted considerably from a fractured Europe. As long as continental sovereigns jockeyed amongst themselves, they could only gaze enviously at the prosperous Britain. Naval power and lack of a European hegemon were the foundations of British policy. Napoleon had drastically upset Britain’s traditional paradigm, but on the eve of World War I, Germany threatened to disturb the European balance of power yet again.
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Tuchman noted The British Navy served the dual role in protecting the home island as well as its commercial and colonial investments (111). Security ensured, and with no requirement to fight a continental war, a large standing British army was considered an unnecessary extravagance. As a result, Britain was unique among European powers and maintained a non-conscription policy (Tuchman, 108). Given its powerful economic benefits, Britain’s desire to maintain the status quo was a highly centralized, change resistant paradigm (Jervis,