With the „Krüger Depesche” of 1896 William II congratulated the President of the South African Boer Republic on his suppression of an attempted uprise which had been supported by the British. This enraged the British public and turned Great Britain against William II and Germany. Negotiations for a limitation of the naval armament failed because of insufficient readiness for compromise on both sides. The German-British naval race was one of the main reasons for World War I.