ABSTRACT
Colonial territory alone, however, was not seen as sufficient to guarantee equal status with the existing world powers of Britain, Russia, France and the United States. Government policy therefore reflected the aspirations of many Germans towards an even greater role on the world stage. This chapter explains that the very vagueness of German diplomacy led to confusion and suspicion in other European capitals. The belligerence of German diplomacy had an even more calamitous effect. It facilitated an understanding between Britain and Russia. The Navy Laws of 1898 and 1900 made Germany's determination to establish itself as a serious naval power unmistakable. The chapter also explains that economic imperialism was by far the more influential in the period 1890-1914, to the point where it was 'institutionalized' in government departments, and in the academic and journalistic world.
