Hostname: page-component-7bb8b95d7b-pwrkn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-09-19T23:51:50.930Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Novelle of 1908: Necessities and Choices in the Anglo-German Naval Arms Race

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 February 2009

J. Steinberg
J. Steinberg
Affiliation:
Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

THE Novelle of 1908, or to use its full title, ‘A Law to amend paragraph 2 of the Law concerning the German Fleet of 14 June 1900’, was not a very large piece of legislation. The entire text read as follows:

‘With the exception of ships destroyed, battleships and cruisers shall be replaced after 20 years. Active life extends from the year of appropriation of the first instalment on the ship to be replaced to the appropriation of the first instalment of the replacement ship. For the period 1908–1917, construction of replacement ships will follow the plan in Appendix B.’

Type
Research Article
Information
Transactions of the Royal Historical Society , Volume 21 , December 1971 , pp. 25 - 43
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Historical Society 1971

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1 Verhandlungen des Reichstages. Stenographische Berichte Bd. 232, XII Legislaturperiode, I Session, 132. Sitzung, p. 436.

2 Ibid., 60. Sitzung, p. 1868. 28 November 1907.

3 Hough, Richard, Dreadnought A History of the Modern Battleship (London, 1965), p. 249.Google Scholar

4 ‘Anlage B der Novelle 1908’ reproduced in Tirpitz, A. von, Politische Dokumente, i (Stuttgart, 1924), Appendix: ‘Die Flottengesetze’.Google Scholar

5 Marder, A. J., From Dreadnought to Scapa Flow: The Royal Navy in the Fisher Era, 1904–1919, i (London, 1961), pp. 439–42.Google Scholar

6 ‘Denkschrift für den Reichskanzler’, Berlin, 13 November 1905. Tirpitz MS. ‘Entwicklung der Marine. Novelle 1905–06’. (I am profoundly indebted to the late Korv.-Kapt.a.D. Dr Wolfgang von Tirpitz for permission to use the Tirpitz MS. in Irschenhausen, Germany.)

7 Fernis, Hansgeorg, Die Flottennovellen im Reichstag, 1906–1912 (Stuttgart, 1934), pp. 11–54; A. von Tirpitz, op. cit., pp. 19–37.Google Scholar

8 ‘Denkschrift über die weitere Entwicklung der Marine’ (signed) Capelle. Tirpitz MS., ‘Privat 1906–07’, ganz geheim.

9 For accounts of both visits, British Documents on the Origins of the War 1898–1914. ed. Gooch, G. P. and Temperley, Harold, 11 volumes (London, 1926–1938; abbreviated hereafter as BD), iii, nos 425—35, pp. 366–83.Google Scholar

10 Ibid., Appendix A, 1 January 1907, pp. 397—420.

11 BD, vi, nos 44–74, pp. 78–108.

12 Sir Edward Grey to Sir F. Lascelles, private, 18 September 1907, BD, vi, no. 48, pp 81–82.

13 Sir F. Lascelles to Sir Edward Grey, private, 19 April 1907, BD, vi, no. 15, p. 28.

14 A. J. Marder, op. cit., p. 114.

15 For a discussion of the ‘Copenhagen’ phenomenon, Steinberg, J. ‘The Copenhagen Complex’, Journal of Contemporary History, i, 3 (1966), pp. 23–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

16 Crothers, G. D., The German Elections of 1907 (New York, 1941), pp. 88 ff.Google Scholar

17 Huber, E. H., Dokumente zur Deitscken Verfassungsgeschichte, ii (Stuttgart, 1964). No. 392. ‘Ergebnisse der Reichstagswahlen 1871–1912’, p. 539.Google Scholar

18 Quellen zur Geschichte des Parlamentarismus und der politischen Parteien, erste Reihe, Bd. 3/1. Die Reichstagsfraktion der deutschen Sozialdemokratie. Bearbeitet von Erich Matthias und Pikart, E. (Düsseldorf, 1966), p. xxiii.Google Scholar

19 Jaffé, Robert, ‘Die letzten Reichstagswahlen und die Zukunft der Sozial-demokratie’, Preussiche Jahrbücher, cxxviii, 2 (May, 1907), pp. 303–04.Google Scholar

20 Delbrück, Hans, ‘Politische Korrespondenz’, Preussische Jahrbücher, cxxvii, 2 (February, 1907), p. 379.Google Scholar

21 Tirpitz, A. von, Erinnerungen (Leipzig, 1920), p. 230.Google Scholar

22 Tirpitz to Lieber, 23 April, 1898, Militärgeschichtliches Forschungsamt (Freiburg im Breisgau), Dokumentenzentrale (abbreviated below MGFA-DZ) F. 2050, PG 66105, ‘Atken des Reichsmarineamts IV’.

23 Freiherr von Wilmowski to Tirpitz, 14 December 1900, Tirpitz MS. ‘Parlamentarisches’ ix.

24 G. D. Crothers, op. cit., p. 88.

25 Der Bayerische Kurier, Munich, 5 February 1907.

26 Prinz Heinrich to Tirpitz, II February, 1907, MGFA-DZ: PG 66113, ‘Akten der Zentralabteilung’, ganz geheim.

27 G. D. Crothers, op. cit., pp. 194 ff., Tirpitz to Bülow, 8 March 1907, Tirpitz MS, ‘Privat 1906–07’; ‘Denkschrift von Kapt.-Lt. Boy-Ed’, 21 May 1907, MGFA-DZ: F. 2045, PG 66080, ‘Akten des Reichsmarineamts-Nach-richten (N)’.

28 H. Delbrück, ‘Politische Korrespondenz’, Preussische Jahrbücher, cxxvii, 2 (February 1907), p. 379.

29 Verhandlungen des Reichstages. Stenographische Berichte. IX Legislaturperiode, V. Session, 5. Sitzung, 7 December 1907, p. 78.

30 ‘Vortrag’, Capelle. Berlin, 18 February 1907, Tirpitz MS, ‘Privat 1906–07’, ganz geheim.

31 Tirpitz, ‘Allgemeine Gesichtspunkte bei der Feststellung unserer Flotte nach Schiffsklassen und Schiffstypen’, June 1897, in Steinberg, J., Yester-day’s Deterrent Tirpitz and the Birth of the German Battle Fleet (London, 1965), p. 217.Google Scholar

32 ‘Denkschrift zum Immediatvortrag, betreffend Kiellegung der Schiffe’, Konstruktionsabteilung I. 16233, Berlin, 20 October 1910, pp. 9–10 with Table, MGFA-DZ: PG. 93993.

33 Kapt.z. See von Trotha to Tirpitz, 7 June 1906, Tirpitz MS., ‘Entwicklung der Marine-Frühjahr 1906’.

34 Tirpitz, ‘Notiz’, ganz geheim, St Blasien, 18 July 1906, Tirpitz MS. ‘Entwicklung der Marine-Frühjahr 1906’.

35 Bashford, J. L., ‘The German Naval Estimates, 1906–07’, Empire Review, xi, 66 (July 1906), pp. 515–31.Google Scholar

36 Tirpitz to Capelle, 21 July 1906, Capelle to Tirpitz, 24 July 1906, Tirpitz MS., ‘Entwicklung der Marine-Frühjahr 1906’.

37 Tirpitz to Capelle, 29 July 1906; Tirpitz to Scheer, 12 August 1906; Scheer to Tirpitz, 14 August 1906; Tirpitz MS., Ibid.

38 Tirpitz, ‘Notiz an K., A. und W.’, 7 September 1906, Tirpitz MS., Ibid.

39 Tirpitz, ‘Vortrag’, Rominten, 28 September 1906, Tirpitz MS., ‘Privat 1906–07’.

40 Ktr.-Admiral von Heeringen, ‘Denkschrift’ A.V.a.43, 23 February 1907, ganz geheim, Tirpitz MS., Ibid

41 Tirpitz, ‘Zum Immediatvortrag’ (pencil notes), 9 March 1907, ganz geheim, Tirpitz MS., Ibid.

42 J. Steinberg, Yesterday’s Deterrent, pp. 145–46.

43 A. von Tirpitz, Erinnerungen, p. 109.

44 Tirpitz, Wolfgang von, Wie hat sich der Staatsbetrieb beim Aufbau der Flotte bewährt? (Leipzig, 1923), pp. 12–15.Google Scholar

45 Tirpitz, ‘Notiz: Novelle’, Tirpitz MS., ‘Privat 1906–07’, ganz geheim.

46 Dähnhardt to Tirpitz, 23 July 1907, Ibid.

47 Capelle to Tirpitz, 4 August 1907, Ibid.

48 Bülow to Tirpitz, 10 August 1907, Ibid.

49 Schulthess’ Europäischer Geschichtskalender xxxiii (1907) (Munich, 1908), p. 134.Google Scholar

50 Tirpitz to Bülow, 14 August 1907, Tirpitz MS., ‘Privat 1906–07’, ganz geheim.

51 Capelle to Tirpitz, 17 August 1907, Ibid.

52 Capelle to Tirpitz, 18 August 1907, Ibid.

53 Memorandum by Sir C. Hardinge, 19 August 1907, BD, vi, no. 25, pp. 43–46; also Mr Cartwright to Sir Edward Grey, 17 August 1907, Ibid., no. 24, p. 42.

54 Schulthess’, op. cit., p. 141.

55 ‘Vortrag beim Kanzler: Norderney’ September 1907, Tirpitz MS., ‘Privat 1906–07’, ganz geheim.

56 ‘Stichworte zum Vortrag in Rominten’, 29 September 1907, Ibid.

57 A. J. Marder, op. cit., pp. 137–38.

58 Ibid., p. 139.

59 The Times, 6 March 1908, quoted in The History of The Times, iii (London, 1947), p. 605.Google Scholar

60 No. 12 in ‘Vortrag beim Kanzler: Norderney’, September 1907, Tirpitz MS., ‘Privat 1906–07’, ganz geheim.

61 Wolfgang von Tirpitz, op. cit., ‘Tabelle 1. Beschäftigung der Werften seit 1898’, pp. 98–99.

62 Ibid., Tabelle 3, p. 101, column 9.

63 Ibid., Tabelle 3, p. 101, columns 1–4.

64 Wolfgang von Tirpitz, op. cit., pp. 81–82.

65 Captain Heath to Board of Admiralty, 20 and 21 October 1908 in Woodward, E. L., Great Britain and the German Navy (Oxford, 1935), pp. 489–90.Google Scholar

66 Memorandum signed by the four Sea Lords, January 1909, The Jellicoe Papers, edited by Patterson, A. Temple, i (Navy Records Society, 1966), no. 6, p. 16. Also A. J. Marder, op. cit., pp. 152–53, and E. L. Woodward, op. cit., pp. 236–50, and Appendix VI, pp. 480–93.Google Scholar

67 Kaiser’s marginal comments on ‘Denkschrift zum Immediatvortrag betreffend Kiellegung der Schiffe’, cited in note 32 above.