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In explaining why Britain went to war with Germany, British historian Paul Kennedy (1980) argued that a critical factor was the British realisation that Germany was rapidly becoming economically more powerful than Britain. The 1902, 19 agreements with Japan, France and Russia allowed Britain to refocus resources during the Anglo-German naval arms race Britain was effectively bound to support France in a war against Germany regardless, but this was not widely understood outside government and the military. A British Expeditionary Force of 100,000 men would be landed in France within two weeks of war, while naval arrangements allocated responsibility for the Mediterranean Sea to the French Navy, with the Royal Navy looking after the North Sea and the English Channel, including Northern France. The 1911 Agadir Crisis encouraged secret military negotiations between France and Britain in the case of war with the German Empire. Like the Entente, the Convention focused on resolving colonial disputes but by doing so, it paved the way for wider co-operation and allowed Britain to refocus its naval resources in response to German naval expansion. In 1907, the new Liberal government agreed to the Anglo-Russian Convention. By reducing anti-British feeling in France, it led to the 1904 Entente Cordiale, the first tangible impact of which was British support for France against Germany in the 1905 Moroccan Crisis. This resulted in the 1902 Anglo-Japanese Alliance, followed by King Edward VII's 1903 visit to Paris. As Europe divided into two power blocs during the 1890s, the 1895-1905 Conservative government realised this left Britain dangerously exposed. Main article: Splendid isolation The British Empire in 1914įor much of the 19th century, Britain pursued a foreign policy later known as splendid isolation, which sought to maintain the balance of power in Europe without formal alliances.
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