 Complete the following phrase:  Germany became a great power, boasting a rapidly developing rail network, the worlds strongest army, and a fast-growing industrial base. Starting very small in 1871, in a decade, the navy became second only to Britains Royal Navy. After the removal of Otto von Bismarck by Wilhelm II in 1890, the empire embarked on Weltpolitik  a bellicose new course that ultimately contributed to the outbreak of World War I. In addition, Bismarcks successors were incapable of maintaining their predecessors complex, shifting, and overlapping alliances which had kept Germany from being diplomatically isolated. This period was marked by various factors influencing the Emperors decisions, which were often perceived as contradictory or unpredictable by the public. In 1879, the German Empire consolidated the Dual Alliance with Austria-Hungary, followed by the Triple Alliance with Italy in 1882. It also retained strong diplomatic ties to the Ottoman Empire. When 