Germany’s foreign policy
Answers are for parents and teachers.
1
Make a table of German colonies: territory, continent, year acquired.
Togo and Cameroon – Africa, 1884; South-West Africa – Africa, 1884; East Africa – Africa, 1885; Marshall Islands – Oceania, 1885; Shandong (leased) – Asia, 1898.
2
Why did Britain see Germany’s navy as a threat? Write 3–4 sentences.
As an island state Britain depended on its navy for sea routes and its colonies; a strong German fleet challenged that superiority.
3
Divide German foreign policy of 1871–1914 into three periods (Bismarck, 1890–1900, 1900–1914) and describe each.
Bismarck: system of alliances and isolating France; 1890–1900: “world policy”, navy and colonies; 1900–1914: the Entente encirclement, rearmament and preparation for war.
4
Imagine you are an adviser to Wilhelm II in 1900. Write 3 pieces of advice that could have reduced tension with Britain and justify each in one sentence.
For example: 1) limit naval building, so Britain does not fear for its security; 2) negotiate over the Persian Gulf section of the Baghdad Railway, easing worries about the route to India; 3) settle colonial disputes by talks, reducing rivalry in Africa.