For those who are a bit lazy and do not wish to read the following, what if there was no Anglo-French Entente but rather a Anglo-German Alliance, signed in 1903? Would there still be *WWI? Would the *Russo-Japanese War spiral out of control? It is possible for there to be a Anglo-French Non-Aggression pact, but who ever followed those?
“November 30th, 1899 marked the beginning of a new model in Anglo-German relationships, and subsequently a new model of European and world politics. Although Baron Hermann von Eckardstein, First Secretary of the German Embassy, had first contacted Joseph Chamberlain in the previous year, there had been little progress and certainly nothing official. However, in November of 1899, the Chamberlain was given another chance. Following a friendly and promising visit from Kaiser Wilhelm II and Bernhard von Bülow, Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Chamberlain openly praised Germany and spoke of a possible future together, speaking of “a new friendship between the Teutonic race and the two great trans-Atlantic branches of the Anglo-Saxon race which would become a potent influence on the future of the world.” [1] This newly budding friendship would be tested very soon.
“In attempt to stop matériel from reaching the Boers in the Free State and Transvaal, the Royal Navy effectively began intercepting and inspecting foreign ships, including the German vessels the Herzog and Bundesrath. The searches came out empty and caused considerable outcry from the German people and Reichstag. Anglo-German relations were nearly irreversibly damaged as Admiral Tirpitz attempted to pass th Second Naval Law. However, these flames were suppressed by von Bülow and Friedrich von Holstein, who were able to convince Wilhelm that such an expansion of the Kaiserliche Marine would be seen as too aggressive against the Royal Navy, an ally Wilhelm very much wanted. The Second Naval Law did pass but it was weakened from Tirpitz's original hopes, only increasing the number of battleships by seven and instead focusing on a cruisers to support colonial territories. The reasoning for this was that the expected friendship would take care of most naval concerns while the Reichsheer would take care of military concerns on land.
“There was no official aligning of the British and German peoples until Arthur Balfour's term as Prime Minister. When Lord Salisbury resigned in late June of 1902, the Second Boer War had just ended and Edward VII's coronation would soon follow. Balfour replaced Lord Lansdowne as Secretary of State of Foreign Affairs with Joseph Chamberlain, mostly under appeal from Walter Rothschild, who was beginning to become a closer ally of both men. [2] What was more important, however, was his connection with Edward VII. The Rothschild family had kept close connections with the soon-to-be King, offering a fair amount of financial advice and Walter himself had been seen with the Prince, who was criticized for openly associating with Jews.
“On February 7, 1903, the Anglo-German Alliance was signed.”
[1] A minor POD: IOTL Chamberlain said 'alliance' rather than 'friendship' and was mocked for such a premature statement.
[2] Walter Rothschild could've been a much more influential man. ITTL he is still interested in zoology and lepidopterist, but to a lesser extent, also focusing on the family banking and politics. The reason he would support Chamberlain would be due to his Zionist sympathies.
“November 30th, 1899 marked the beginning of a new model in Anglo-German relationships, and subsequently a new model of European and world politics. Although Baron Hermann von Eckardstein, First Secretary of the German Embassy, had first contacted Joseph Chamberlain in the previous year, there had been little progress and certainly nothing official. However, in November of 1899, the Chamberlain was given another chance. Following a friendly and promising visit from Kaiser Wilhelm II and Bernhard von Bülow, Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Chamberlain openly praised Germany and spoke of a possible future together, speaking of “a new friendship between the Teutonic race and the two great trans-Atlantic branches of the Anglo-Saxon race which would become a potent influence on the future of the world.” [1] This newly budding friendship would be tested very soon.
“In attempt to stop matériel from reaching the Boers in the Free State and Transvaal, the Royal Navy effectively began intercepting and inspecting foreign ships, including the German vessels the Herzog and Bundesrath. The searches came out empty and caused considerable outcry from the German people and Reichstag. Anglo-German relations were nearly irreversibly damaged as Admiral Tirpitz attempted to pass th Second Naval Law. However, these flames were suppressed by von Bülow and Friedrich von Holstein, who were able to convince Wilhelm that such an expansion of the Kaiserliche Marine would be seen as too aggressive against the Royal Navy, an ally Wilhelm very much wanted. The Second Naval Law did pass but it was weakened from Tirpitz's original hopes, only increasing the number of battleships by seven and instead focusing on a cruisers to support colonial territories. The reasoning for this was that the expected friendship would take care of most naval concerns while the Reichsheer would take care of military concerns on land.
“There was no official aligning of the British and German peoples until Arthur Balfour's term as Prime Minister. When Lord Salisbury resigned in late June of 1902, the Second Boer War had just ended and Edward VII's coronation would soon follow. Balfour replaced Lord Lansdowne as Secretary of State of Foreign Affairs with Joseph Chamberlain, mostly under appeal from Walter Rothschild, who was beginning to become a closer ally of both men. [2] What was more important, however, was his connection with Edward VII. The Rothschild family had kept close connections with the soon-to-be King, offering a fair amount of financial advice and Walter himself had been seen with the Prince, who was criticized for openly associating with Jews.
“On February 7, 1903, the Anglo-German Alliance was signed.”
[1] A minor POD: IOTL Chamberlain said 'alliance' rather than 'friendship' and was mocked for such a premature statement.
[2] Walter Rothschild could've been a much more influential man. ITTL he is still interested in zoology and lepidopterist, but to a lesser extent, also focusing on the family banking and politics. The reason he would support Chamberlain would be due to his Zionist sympathies.