Fresh Meat
The structure of the German government at the dawn of the 20th century was a mixture of parliamentary democracy and absolute monarchy. Unlike a constitutional monarchy, where the role of a monarch is largely ceremonial, the German Emperor had enough executive powers that could be compared to that of a US President. He had the power to declare war and make peace, appoint(and fire) a Chancellor, propose laws, convene and dissolve the Reichstag, and was the Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy.
While Wilhelm I was content to leave Bismarck with running the country throughout his reign, his ambitious (and reckless) grandson took an active role in governance by hiring and sacking ministers that were or weren't compliant with his ways. He made many foreign policy blunders that nearly destroyed He had Bismarck resign in 1890 and ran the country like a Tsar. But all that ended with his assassination by an Anarchist.
With the young Wilhelm now on the throne, it was time to start cleaning the house. He let Bethmann Hollweg run the country instead of himself, while Wilhelm, with the advice of his uncle, tried to repair relations with Britain.
In September, Britain began looking into a potential alliance with Germany for the 3rd time. With a new Kaiser, there were prospects that such a thing could happen. Eventually, the two nations began to negotiate in order to formulate an alliance in opposition against both France and Russia. Britain had a long-lasting rivalry with France in the world of Imperialism while Germany was also wary of her since they had vowed revenge for the loss of Alsace-Lorraine back in 1871. Russia was seen as a threat to its Indian empire and fought a Cold War-Esque struggle in Central Asia while Germany saw it as a potential enemy in case of a two-front war.
The man that had strived for this was none other than Joseph Chamberlain. Head of the Foreign Office, he tried his chance for an alliance for the third time after two previous failures. But a gaffe would nip it in the bud.
Britain was fighting a war against the Boers in South Africa. In order to crush the guerrilla fighters, they resorted to tactics such as a Scorched Earth policy and putting women and children into concentration camps which earned them considerable criticism on the European press. One day, Chamberlain made a speech defending the conduct of the Empire's troops whilst remarking that theirs was better than that of the Germans in the Franco-Prussian War
Unsurprisingly, the Germans were outraged. They demanded an apology but Chamberlain refused out of pride. And with that, the 3rd attempt at an Anglo-German alliance ended in failure. With the chance lost, Britain settled for an alliance with France. Germany had gained nothing.
Disheartened, the Germans continued to build up their navy thanks to the advice of Grand Admiral Tirpitz. The harbors of Hamburg and other coastal cities churned out battleships, cruisers, destroyers and even the newest technology possible: U-boats.
Joseph Chamberlain, the man that shot himself in the foot (metaphorically)
Alfred von Tirpitz, Grand Admiral of the Kaiserliche Marine
