<P> Britain managed to build HMS Dreadnought in just 14 months and by the start of the First World War, Britain had 49 battleships, compared with Germany's 29 . Although the naval race continued, it was economically impossible for the Germans to close the gap before the war broke out . </P> <P> In 1912, German Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann - Hollweg ended the naval arms race . His aim was to secure an understanding with the British to end the increasingly isolated position of Germany . Russian military expansion compelled the Germans to prioritise spending on their army and therefore less on the navy . The initiative led to the Haldane Mission in which Germany offered to accept British naval superiority in exchange for British neutrality in a war in which Germany could not be said to be the aggressor . The proposal was rejected, as Britain felt that it had nothing to gain by such a treaty since its naval superiority was insecure, but the British Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey favoured a more assertive policy against Germany . </P> <Table> The naval strength of the powers in 1914 <Tr> <Th> Country </Th> <Th> Personnel </Th> <Th> Large naval vessels (dreadnoughts) </Th> <Th> Tonnage </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Russia </Td> <Td> 54,000 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> 328,000 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> France </Td> <Td> 68,000 </Td> <Td> 10 </Td> <Td> 731,000 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Britain </Td> <Td> 209,000 </Td> <Td> 29 </Td> <Td> 2,205,000 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Total </Td> <Td> 331,000 </Td> <Td> 43 </Td> <Td> 3,264,000 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Germany </Td> <Td> 79,000 </Td> <Td> 17 </Td> <Td> 1,019,000 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Austria - Hungary </Td> <Td> 16,000 </Td> <Td> 3 * </Td> <Td> 249,000 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Total </Td> <Td> 95,000 </Td> <Td> 20 </Td> <Td> 1,268,000 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Grand total </Td> <Td> 426,000 </Td> <Td> 63 </Td> <Td> 4,532,000 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="4"> * 4th not commissioned yet . </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Th> Country </Th> <Th> Personnel </Th> <Th> Large naval vessels (dreadnoughts) </Th> <Th> Tonnage </Th> </Tr>

Why did germany want to build up their navy