... two countries. Tensions were relieved by a resulting naval détente, which gave Germany false hopes about the intentions of Great Britain. This misconception was a key factor in the approaching war. The naval revolution and the naval race had a huge impact on the affairs of Europe and one of the results was the bloodiest conflict the world had ever seen. Great Britain's naval development historically has been influenced by geographical factors. 1 This is due to the fact that unlike the continental European nations, England exists on a series of islands thus making her citizens reliant on sea-borne trade. At the turn of the century 34 million British labourers relied on the Royal Navy to maintain trade routes and provide them with food.2 Before 1850, the British Navy managed to maintain its supremacy over rival navies without costing the British taxpayer a lot of money. British rivals ...

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