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Organisation

A Short History of the Imperial Navy - Part 2

Until the end of the century the Imperial Navy played only a secondary role compared with the army. From 1898, however, the fleet was expanded while the enlargement of the army was limited. This was done mainly for fiscal reasons; it was also believed that acceptable limits in terms of quantity had been reached. The military leadership wanted to focus on optimizing the quality of organization, training and equipment in the army. Thus the peacetime strength of the German army stagnated until shortly before World War I, when rearmament again began feverishly. The preference for the navy corresponded to Wilhelm II’s maritime inclinations. The central promoter of Wilhelmine naval policy, however, was Alfred von Tirpitz (1849–1930).