Weltpolitik

The "Weltpolitik" (world policy) strategy was adopted by Germany in the late 19th century, replacing the earlier "Realpolitik" approach.

This was a more aggressive policy which resulted in conflict between Germany and foreign nations, being held to be significantly responsible for a series of Great Power diplomatic crises in the lead up to the First World War. The policy sought Germany's "place in the sun" commensurate with its rising industrial strength. The most dramatic element in the policy was the construction of the High Seas Fleet, a navy which would rival, or even exceed, the United Kingdom's Royal Navy in strength. It led to an Anglo-German naval race where each sought to outbuild the other in Dreadnoughts.

The UK reached friendly understandings with its long-time imperial rivals France and Russia to counter the perceived German naval threat, creating the division of Europe into two rival Great Power treaty structures (the Triple Entente of France, Russia and the UK; and the Central Powers of Germany, Austro-Hungary and Italy), thereby greatly increasing the likelihood of a conflict between any two of the Great Powers would rapidly drag in the others, whether by invocation of the alliances or through presumption by various Powers that such would occur, as happened in July to August 1914: most obviously through Germany's support of Austra-Hungary against Russia and its Schlieffen plan which presumed any conflict requiring German mobilisation would involve war with France and whose consequent violation of Belgian neutrality gave the UK a casus belli under the Treaty of London, 1839.