Perfidious signifies one who does not keep his faith or word (from the Latin word "perfidia", while Albion is an ancient and now poetic name for Great Britain.




Cem Arslan
Amateur military historian and armchair general
14w ago

Wisdom did not factor into it.

Otto von Bismarck had nobody else to tie Germany to.


In the years following her rise, Germany did not really have the luxury to choose her allies. Out of the Great Powers of Europe, France loathed Germany. Loathed the loss of Elsaß-Lothringen, loathed the humiliation of 1871. France burned with revanchism. She hated the very existence of Deutsches Reich.

Britain, on the other hand, was frightened. The long-term politics of the so-called Perfidious Albion had consistently been to keep Europe divided, supporting the weak against the strong in an effort to styme the rise of a continental hegemon.

The rise of Germany had upended all balances. Germany was very strong, strongest by far of all the Great Powers, and the very thought of her increasing continental hegemony made Britain shudder in a restless sleep.

Quoting Cameron Greene in his ever-reliable wisdom:

Great Britain has a dubious nickname that it earned over the centuries of politics and geopolitics it has played, both with the continent of Europe and that of the world itself, that of the Perfidious Albion. This nickname arose out of the see-saw nature of British’s relations internationally, always opting for the scenario that gives her primacy and agency to dictate the best course of action for herself, essentially a watered down version of realpolitik.

Whenever there was a power on the rise in Europe—Spain, France, Germany, Russia—Britain would align itself with their rivals in order to upset the balance of power and maintain her status-quo as the preeminent Great Power on the continent. […]
Meanwhile Germany had her own desires:

Germany wanted a ‘place in the sun’ in terms of status, she wanted to be a World Power akin to that of the United Kingdom, with enough clout to practically dictate international matters and crises through the economic and military strength of her own power. This was a dream arching to the days of Frederick and was nurtured into existence by the ideas of German idealism that sought to place her and her people on a pedestal above all others.

Germany wanted what all nations want at one point or another, a chance to run the table and be recognized for the strength she possessed and had been denied to her for so long.
As Thucydides dictated, with Britain as the current world power and Germany as the ascendant, the continental hegemon-to-be, conflict between the two could not be averted, at best, delayed.

And Russia… The old giant of Europe was the only other prospective ally of Germany amongst the Great Powers. Unfortunately, the interests of Austria-Hungary and Russia were in a terminal conflict, and Bismarck’s attempts to meditate a compromise at the Congress of Berlin only left the Russians angry at Germany. The League of Three Emperors between Russia, Germany and Austria-Hungary broke, and Russia began to drift towards the anti-German camp.

It wasn’t a matter of wisdom that saw Otto von Bismarck tie Germany to Austria-Hungary. It was a matter of following the only available and sensible course, an alliance with the only Great Power Germany could reliably ally with, against a coalition in forming that even the formidable might of the German Empire could not hope to overcome on its own.

immhotep & gidgiddy call the boys to see the evil mindset that other Europeans see in the British people.