The Anglo- German Naval Agreement

The Anglo- German Naval Agreement of Pact was a bilateral agreement between Britain and Germany signed on June 18, 1935, which regulated the size of the German Navy in relation to the British navy, agreeing that the German one had to be 35% of the British one. It also allowed Germany to break with the Treaty of Versailles.

At a point, it seemed that even Great Britain was trying to convince and support Germany to break the Treaty of Versailles; it was an attempt to improve relationship between both countries. For the German people, this treaty was an alliance to be against France and Russia, but for the British people, it was the beginning of limiting German’s expansion. It created conflict because Great Britain accepted and signed that Germany could break the Treaty of Versailles and expand their navy, without asking first to the other countries which were part of this treaty too.

The Treaty of Versailles had said that Germany couldn’t have submarines, naval aviation nor battleships, apart from many restrictions in the size of tons they could carry in their cruisers, and other points that restricted their navy.

Germany, with the feeling of revenge that was growing, had been complaining about the restrictions, saying they were too harsh. They wanted either all the other countries to fall to German’s level, or German to be risen to the other countries’ level.

On March, 1935, Hitler asked for a treaty which regulated the size of the German’s Navy, with a relation of 35:100 to the British army. And two months later, the British accepted Hitler’s offers, which were that they would recognize the mastery of Great Britain over the seas.

Germany was allowed to have one third of the tonnage of the British navy’s surface fleet and to equal the tonnage of submarines.

This treaty was the beginning of an appeasement. Some people in Britain felt that the Treaty of Versailles had been too bad for Germany and that it was time to reconcile. They thought if they did this, Hitler would have no resentments and wouldn’t be angry because of the terms of the Versailles that had happened years ago. They believed this fact would help stabilizing Europe. But Britain also was thinking to gain something from this, that if Germany increased their army, then Britain would know the size of it and could improve theirs.

This agreement created a big confusion among people, especially in Britain, because two months later, they signed the Stresa Front which condemned Germany’s improvement in military aspects.