| Around the middle of the19th century, naval technology and ideas had a dramatic development in the world. Britain, France, Germany, Russia, Japan and the United States competed for the development of sea power into naval powers in the world. Maritime war and fight for sea power paid more and more world attention. The Declaration of Paris on Maritime war signed in1856became the world naval combat naval general rule, which produced a number of adverse effects on the German navy. Germany would develop naval forces subject to many other domestic factors including geopolitical disadvantage, as well as the German traditional political priority to army development.German navy lagged behind other world maritime powers for a long time, and this situation improved initially until Wilhelm II ascended the throne in1888. Soon after, the German naval strategy had undergone major changes. Factors affected naval strategic shift had the enthusiasm of German building powerful navy, including Wilhelm II, and the inevitability of economic development of Germany, and the material and technical prerequisites of naval strategic shift. And at same time, inexhaustible efforts of Wilhelm II promoted the German naval strategic changes. On theses basis, the German navy ushered in a major strategic shift and period of great development.In1897, As State Secretary of the Imperial Naval Office, Tirpitz developed a strategic plan of the development of the German navy on the basis of Denkschrift IX, vigorously carried out naval expansion, introduced the1898and1900navy bill, started preliminary shipbuilding plan, and began to construct High Sea Fleet. Ultimately it made Germany become the world’s second largest naval fighting force after the British before World War I. German navy made the appropriate war plans for different enemies, and made preparations for the future of naval warfare.Historically, the United Kingdom and Germany had maintained friendly relations in the long-term. But with Germany’s economic strength and Wilhelm Ⅱ succeeded to the throne, the Anglo-German relations began to tense, the two countries increasingly acute contradictions in the colonies, in the commodity market, in the European hegemony and in the world hegemony. Contradiction between the two navies was irreconcilable, eventually leaded to rupture of bilateral relations. Introduction of the1898and1890German naval bill attracted the attention of the United Kingdom that launched a program against Germany in1904, and opened the Anglo-German naval arms race. Construction of dreadnought battleship and the super-dreadnought battleship push the arms race between the two navies to the climax. Although the two countries carried out the reconciliation of the naval contradiction, however because of differences were too great, negotiations finally broke down. The two countries had their own extensive preparations for the battle.Naval expansion is the core of Wilhelm II’s the world policy and an important tool to the implementation of the World Policy. Thus, with the change in naval strategy and development of the navy, Germany wantonly engaged in colonial expansion in east Africa, west Africa and south Africa to promote the colonial policy; in China, the German navy implemented direct colonial management to "Leased Tsao-chau"; German navy also strongly colonize the South Pacific. At the same time, Kaiser Wilhelm carried out extensive and naval gunboat diplomacy adventure by virtue of the German naval fleet, triggered the first Moroccan crisis and the Second Moroccan Crisis, however, failed to achieve the desired objective; While to the Ottoman Empire, Germany sent the German battlecruiser Goeben, pull it into the allies camp, and made a major diplomatic victory.Although before World War I, the German navy made some preparations for war and battle plan, the German naval strategy also had to make adjustments with change of the British strategy,. In European waters in a war, the United Kingdom took remote blockade, The Royal Navy’s Home Fleet stationed in Scapa Flow, tightly pegged to the German High Seas Fleet. This caused German navy’s strategic confusion in the early period of the war. High Seas Fleet adopted a negative strategy, dare not take the initiative to attack away from the naval base, but was only sent on reconnaissance occasionally with small ships and submarines. In the battle of Jutland, the German navy depended on submarine warfare. Because the United States declared war on Germany and the UK firmly grasped Sea Power, German failed in land combat, which exacerbated to lose morale of sailors of Seas Fleet, ultimately sailors broke out uprising, and lead to the collapse of the German High Seas Fleet. Beyond European waters, plans of the cruiser attacked British merchant and lines of communication, however, defeated soon by the Allies due to the weak forces.In ten years, German sea power made great achievements, established second largest navy in the world next to the United Kingdom. In many respects, the German navy reached the world’s advanced level. German experience in the development of strong sea power as follows. Strong economic and technological strength had laid a solid material foundation for naval construction, improvement of nation’s maritime awareness became a strong driving force to promote the building of the navy, clear policies and strategies of the navy pointed out the direction.The rapid development of the German naval forces provided a powerful support scramble for colony for the German.In supervision, support and cooperation of warships, German carried out colonial expansion to South West Africa, Togo, Cameroon, Bismarck Archipelago and Samoa islands and other places. Imperial navy built three cruiser squadrons and some Naval Stations in East Asia, the South Pacific and other regions. German navy played significant roles on the defense of overseas colonies, overseas trade and sea lines of communication. In World War I, the German submarine had a major blow to the allies. British’s shipping line suffered repeated attacks, and almost collapsed in economy.In contrast, the lesson of the German naval expansion was more profound than its experience. The development of the German navy had been in under the shadow of a powerful army, not only German navy was suppressed in talents and resources, but also was restricted to the army’s traditional ideas, while there were significant subjective and contradictory at the institutional, operational concepts and on the Tirpitz’s naval strategy. Wilhelm II should bore primary responsibility for defeat of the German navy. The failure of the German navy were his autocracy, lack of a strong will to war, and negatively avoiding battle. These factors led to the destruction of the German navy.German naval policy in the period of Willem II brought serious consequences, and brought about a catastrophic impact, which was a huge financial burden on the fragile Germany.German naval expansion exacerbated the antagonism between Britain and Germany, pushed France and Russia to the British, and made Germany into political isolation and encirclement.Therefore, if a country that would develop sea power must consider their geopolitical situation, lay a solid foundation of economic and technological, culture people’s awareness of the ocean, establish rightly a long-term naval policy naval strategy, and actively seek a peaceful and stable international environment. |
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