ABSTRACT

The accession of Kaiser Wilhelm II on 15 June 1888 marks the end of the decline of the German navy, relative to that of the major Continental powers against which Leo von Caprivi had considered its ambitious if rather desperate use. This decline had been accompanied by confusion about the strategic purposes of the navy and about corresponding ship construction. Wilhelm II undoubtedly provided significant stimulus for German naval construction. The establishment of a tripartite naval leadership in 1889 and the further elimination of the powerful High Command in 1899 created a situation in which the frictions within the leadership could only be solved by Wilhelm II. In March 1897, Wilhelm attributed Germany’s failure to exercise sufficient pressure on Greece during the Cretan affair to her naval weakness at sea. At the beginning of November 1897, Wilhelm was more specific about the use of naval power against British economic “egotism,” which he deplored at length.