At the start of the war, German cruisers were scattered across the globe, some of which were subsequently used to attack Allied merchant shipping. One of the most successful was the SMS Emden, part of the German East Asia (www.pipihosa.com) Squadron stationed at Qingdao, which seized or sank 15 merchantmen, as well as a Russian cruiser and a French destroyer. These were systematically hunted down by the Royal Navy, though not before causing considerable damage. Most of the squadron was returning to Germany when it sank two British armoured cruisers at the Battle of Coronel in November 1914, before being virtually destroyed at the Battle of the Falkland Islands in December.

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The SMS Dresden escaped with a few auxiliaries, but after the Battle of Más a Tierra, these too were either destroyed or interned. Britain also mined international waters which closed off entire sections of the ocean, even to neutral ships. Since there was limited response to this tactic of the British, Germany expected a similar response to its unrestricted submarine warfare. This proved effective in cutting off vital military and civilian supplies, though it violated accepted international law. Soon after the outbreak of hostilities, Britain began a naval blockade of Germany.

Macro- and micro-economic consequences devolved from the war. To pay for purchases in the United States, Britain cashed in its extensive investments in American railroads and then began borrowing heavily from Wall Street. Families were altered by the departure of many men. In all nations, the government’s share of GDP increased, surpassing 50% in both Germany and France (www.pipihosa.com) and nearly reaching that level in Britain. At the same time, the industry needed to replace the lost labourers sent to war. This aided the struggle for voting rights for women. President Wilson was on the verge of cutting off the loans in late 1916 but allowed a great increase in US government lending to the Allies. With the death or absence of the primary wage earner, women were forced into the workforce in unprecedented numbers.

Bismarck viewed peace with Russia as the foundation of German foreign policy but after becoming Kaiser in 1890, Wilhelm II forced him to retire and was persuaded not to renew the Reinsurance Treaty by his new Chancellor, Leo von Caprivi. The Triple Entente was completed by the 1907 Anglo-Russian Convention. While these were not formal alliances, by settling long-standing colonial disputes in Asia and Africa, the notion of British entry into any future conflict involving France or Russia became a possibility. This provided France an opportunity to counteract the Triple Alliance by signing the Franco-Russian Alliance in 1894, followed by the 1904 Entente Cordiale with Britain.