In 1900, Germany's industrial strength had surpassed that of the United Kingdom. In the early 20th century, Germany surpassed the United Kingdom, which also meant that it posed a challenge to the dominant position of the United States. The German Emperor Wilhelm II pursued a bold foreign policy oriented to the world, which was bound to trigger conflicts between Germany and other major powers.
Germany's rise is reminiscent of Thucydides 's warning that anticipation of the inevitability of conflict could become one of the main causes of conflict.
believes that the conflict will eventually lead to war between each other, and both sides will carry out reasonable armaments, which will confirm the other party's biggest previous fears.
Thucydides attributed the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War (which caused the disintegration of the Greek city-state system in the 5th century BC) to the rise of Athenian power and the resulting panic in Sparta.
Likewise, many historians attribute World War I, which weakened Europe's central position in the world, to the rise of German power and the panic it caused in Britain. As one political scientist put it: "Hegemonic wars are often triggered by fears of eventual decline and perceived erosion of power."
This is the vague theory of hegemonic transition!
Thucydides Trap
