The Rise of the Anglo-German Antagonism, 1860-1914

Rating:
Summary: Off the mark
Review: Reading this book you may have thought that all the Anglo German rivalries and antagonism arose from the petty quarrels, jealousies and prejuidices between the Houses of Windsor and Hohenzollern, added to which the economic competition and naked imperialism between the 2 nations made for an inevitable war.

While we can applaud Kennedy for a synthetic history from above (the rulers) and below (socio ecnomic relations), he misses out on the deciisive geopolitical aspects of the rivalry. Germany, as a rising nation hemmed in in the Continent by 2 hostile British led/supported blocs (Russia in the East, France andf Britain in the West), must either break the stranglehold with war or else seek expansion overseas. Howwver, with Britain jealously guarding its colonial empire, and actively supporting other colonial powers like France or US to resist German moves, sooner or later Germany and Britain will come to blows , so if ever there were war guilt, it should be evenly shared by Germany and Britain.