Britain's major enemies for most of the nineteenth century had been the french and the russians. We end up fighting on their side by what i would call the sir edward gray and the tar baby solution. Because unless you imagine this, this bogy man germany. What do you get? You get a war for the balance of power in europe. Britain had stayed out in eight 66. The skies had not fallen in nor would they in 19 14. All the nightmares that grey had feared and that the imperialists had feared had not come to pass. Germany had given up the naval race. By 19 13, 14, britain was in the strongest diplomatic position