Arms Control and the Anglo-German Naval Race before World War I: Lessons for Today?

Great Britain and imperial Germany failed to reach a naval arms control deal before World War I, which was designed to ease competition in shipbuilding. British leaders wanted to eliminate the naval threat posed by Germany to their security, while Germany wanted to build a powerful battle fleet to be able to exercise political coercion against Britain. With such well-defined aims, the two nations failed to recognize the opportunities offered by arms control negotiations to enhance their strategic positions. The only way by which Europe's two leading powers could have forged an agreement to curtail their naval competition was by first settling their political and security conflicts.