Richard Werner

Shipping was, of course, very important, and control of the seas was important, and it was in British hands, so no doubt about that.

Nobody could even come close to the numbers of ships and British naval dominance.

But then something else happened that was felt as a huge threat.

Germany developed this plan in working on the continent.

I mean, it's a continental power, and we have this conflict between the sea power and the continental power now.

Germany made plans to, I mean, it's quite natural, to improve its access to resources.

You know, Germany...

didn't really have many resources.

It has coal.

For the steel industry, it had some input, but it still needed other raw materials and inputs from across the globe.

So how do you get that?

If it's via the seas, then essentially it's beholden to the British, can be blackmailed by the British,

As actually happened, demonstrated in 1919, you know, the first world war in Germany was over in 1918 when the armistice was signed and Germany, I mean, German leaders have always been slightly on the naive side believing, okay, that's an armistice.

That's that the first world war is ended.

Germany wasn't defeated.

No foreign troops on German territory.

Yet.

And it disbanded its army and its navy, right?

But the British, of course, didn't disband their army and navy.

And they then staged a naval blockade of Germany.