My Italy

In Berlin, the British proposal was also sent to the Kaiser.

Faced with the British proposal to reduce the scale of shipbuilding, the Kaiser immediately convened his ministers for discussion.

"Everyone, this is a request from the British side. Let's see how we should respond?" In the small conference room of the palace, William II asked the important ministers in front of him.

Regarding the Kaiser's words, the important ministers had different thoughts.

Among them, Navy Minister Tirpitz is definitely the one he least wants to see. The reason is simple. Who wants to see the department under their jurisdiction being discussed in public, let alone a topic of reduction, so the Navy Minister is the most concerned about it.

So this guy couldn't sit still, so he immediately opened his mouth and said. "Your Majesty, everyone, the British proposal to reduce the scale of shipbuilding looks very good, but we need to give priority to the next moves of the British. As long as the British are willing to remain neutral in future wars that Germany may be involved in, then Our navy will stop expanding, and our navy is willing to accept it."

Tirpitz was worthy of being a person deeply trusted by the Kaiser. He knew the purpose of the Kaiser's navy. That's why we prioritized stating the navy's conditions to ensure the navy's status in the Kaiser's heart.

What Tirpitz said on behalf of the navy immediately aroused opposition from Prime Minister Bilo. "Marshal Tirpitz, this request of the Navy is too rude. I think that since the British are willing to talk, then we cannot let it go. You must know that if we continue to fight with the British at sea under the pressure of France and Russia on land, Fighting is not only a financial pressure, but also a political and military pressure."

This Bülow has been committed to peace between the British and German navies, and believes that it is best for Germany to avoid provoking Britain when there is land pressure from France and Russia.

The Prime Minister's words still carry a lot of weight. The person who originally wanted to speak fell into deep thought after Biro spoke.

Indeed, Germany is under considerable pressure on land. Is it wise to continue to entangle the British Empire in the navy?

However, some people stood up to oppose the Prime Minister's proposal. Interior Minister Holweger did not agree with the Prime Minister's words.

"I think what Marshal Tirpitz said makes sense. Although our country faces pressure from the east and west on land, this is not a pressure we bear as a country. Our allies Austria-Hungary and Italy help us share the pressure. And In terms of shipbuilding, we are not facing pressure from the British alone. Our ally Italy is also building large-scale ships, and Vienna is also building warships. Therefore, we need to consider the British proposal and it is best to ask Rome. and the attitude of Vienna.”

Holweg's words forced others at the meeting to admit that Germany really needs to consider the attitude of its allies. The pressure from Russia in the east requires Austria-Hungary to act as the main force to contain Russia. Only after Germany has solved its rival France can it be free. In the west, Italy can contain some of France's forces. In addition, the Italian and Austro-Hungarian navies can also contain the British and French navies in the Mediterranean, reducing maritime pressure on Germany.

Therefore, for the current Germany, it is really necessary to consider the attitude of its allies. And this ally actually mainly refers to Italy.

Italy's national power has continued to grow over the years, and it has become increasingly important to Germany. After all, Italy played a big role in Germany on both land and sea, and its monarch Carlo was also very assertive, so Germany had to consider their opinions.

After all, when it comes to the British issue, Germany needs Italy, which has a powerful navy, and Italy's superior geographical location also allows it to pose a more deadly threat to Britain and France.

"Let's first ask our allies what they want. If they support this, then we will discuss it with the UK."

After much consideration, the Kaiser's words finally had the final say. Let's first ask our allies what they meant.

When Germany and Italy plan to ask each other, there are also quite a few voices opposing the proposal in the UK.

The "Naval Faction" and the conservatives, represented by Admiral McKenna and First Sea Lord Fisher, started a fierce debate.

McKenna wrote to Prime Minister Asquith, asking him to be alert to the development trends of the German navy: First, Germany and Italy are engaged in large-scale shipbuilding plans.

Second, its shipbuilding behavior is carried out in secret. It will take time to test whether it is possible to conceal it.

Third, according to the information they received, by 1912, Germany will have at least 23 large new warships, and Italy will also have 15 large new warships. The new warships of Germany and Italy will reach a huge scale of 38. Considering the relationship between the two countries' allies and Italy's critical position, the British Empire will need at least 40 new large warships to ensure that sea control does not fall into their hands.

Fourth, Germany and Italy's ability to build "dreadnought" ships has caught up with Britain's. The British Admiralty led by McKenna proposed to speed up the production of warships and build two more "dreadnought" ships, that is, starting from the 1909 fiscal year. Starting from 2000, the British Empire built eight "dreadnought" ships per year. Faced with the Navy's request, the cabinet members, headed by Prime Minister Asquith, Chancellor of the Exchequer Lloyd George, and Secretary of Commerce Winston Churchill, still insisted on only agreeing to build four "dreadnought" ships.

Faced with the intransigence of the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the Secretary of Commerce, Admiral McKenna not only fought at the government level, but also fully mobilized the public's anti-German sentiment to exert public pressure on the Asquith government.

The Daily Telegraph declared: "We are asking for the construction of 8 ("dreadnought" ships), and we will not sit back and wait", "We will never allow Nelson's honor to be tarnished."

The Observer called on all British people to insist on building 8 "dreadnought" ships: "8 ships, 8 complete ships, nothing else but 8 ships."

In addition, pro-conservative media such as The Times also used various radical terms to loudly demand that the government meet the requirements for naval expansion.

Social groups such as the Naval Alliance and Essay Sample Ocean Alliance also held various activities to support the naval expansion plan of McKenna and others.

Under the huge political and social pressure, the three men who were born from heaven felt that they could no longer stand it. They were forced to compromise and agreed to build eight Dreadnoughts at once in the 1909 naval budget.

In addition, on June 16, 1908, the naval budget bill for the construction of eight "dreadnought" ships was passed by the parliament with 322 votes in favor and 83 votes against.

And the British Empire ended its proposal in such a dramatic way.

At this time, Germany and Italy had not yet discussed the outcome of a response plan.

Faced with such a result, Carlo knew that the short-lived effort to suppress the maritime arms race would end in vain, and Europe would surge towards a war.