Dreadnought - Britain, Germany, and the Coming of the Great War (Robert K. Massie, 1991)

Robert Massie writes history in a way that comes across as great stories.  I previously had the good fortune to read Nicholas and Alexandra and his biography of Peter the Great.  This one - very good, though I think unnecessarily long - over the 900 pages, I think he devoted too much space to biographical details of too many figures in England and Germany in these days.

But the book is still entirely worth reading (I coped by just blowing through the parts that provided more detail than I wanted).  And there is a very real benefit to all the biographical detail - it gives some sort of glimpse into the human side of the key figures involved in the naval build-up that preceded World War I.

The early part of the book gets into the familial ties between Britain and Germany.  We all remember that Kaiser Wilhelm was Queen Victoria's grandson (and therefore the nephew and cousin of the two kings that succeeded Victoria prior to World War I).  And that Victoria herself had a German mother.  But going through the detail underscored the tight personal relationships.  (And something like this extended across most of the remaining courts.)  Amazing that they could end up at war.

The early part also discussed Bismark.  The hopes for liberal parliamentary in the combined Germany - certainly this seemed to be the prevailing desire in 1848.  Bismark embodied conservative Prussian values, very different - the combined Germany he created focused power in Chancellor and Kaiser.  Wilhlem's father's premature death may have ended the last hopes for liberal parliament; Bismark et al had cultivated Wilhelm to be conservative.  


Wilhelm's interest in building a German navy - shared by Tirpitz - Wilhelm's interest probably based on experiences in England.  Germany as a rising power with large population, positioned to dominate Europe.  But weak sea access, and subordinate to British navy for colonies, etc.  Wilhelm didn't want this to continue, England - as a sea power - couldn't permit Germany to approach its fleet sizes.  A true arms race.

Jackie Fisher - interesting admiral - British navy changes dramatically to embrace new technologies.  It was not easy to achieve change - no big naval engagements for a century, so often dealing with obsolete wooden ships where the focus was on cleaning the decks.  Leading to "dreadnoughts" - fast, heavily armored, massive guns - a whole new game.  How to pay for them?

The name "Dreadnought" seems inspired in connection with these awful vessels of destruction - vaguely terrifying - the motto for the original dreadnought was "Fear God - and Dread Naught".  Because these ships were designed such that they didn't need to fear anything (remember, there were no attack planes in existence at the time).

England sees a need for something it traditionally resisted - some form of continental alliance - mostly due to Germany's growing strength, including strength at sea.  Many efforts to reach an understanding with Germany; but it ends up being with France and Russia.

A young Winston Churchill taking over the navy in the last years before the war.

The events following the assassination in Sarajevo - many, many opportunities for the leaders to head off the war.  German generals emphatically believing that Germany was surrounded, that the Slavs were regaining strength and needed to be dealt with "now"; manipulating, at least somewhat, the political leadership.  The Schlieffen plan to attack through Belgium and how this ultimately brought England into the war. The lamps going out all over Europe.

I wonder how it could have been worse if England had stayed out of the war.  Seems Germany could then have delivered the planned knockout blow in France.  Would that have been worse than WWI as it unfolded (including aftermath such as WWII, disaster in eastern Europe, etc.)?