ABSTRACT
This chapter is one of two chapters that consider unlimited war. It begins by offering a geo-strategic overview of the period immediately prior to the outbreak of the First World War, focusing on the politics, policy, and plans of the major protagonists, and specifically Britain and Germany in this period. It then offers three more detailed case studies that offer practical evidence: the struggle for dominance between the two respective battlefleets; the fight for control of maritime communications and the use of commerce warfare at sea; and finally, the struggle to control the Adriatic and Mediterranean. It then offers a conclusion.
