What was the background and essence of British foreign policy before World War I?

Britain has always been regarded as a typical country pursuing "balanced diplomacy" in history. 19 At the end of the 20th century, Britain entered a period of relative decline and gradually abandoned the policy of "glorious isolation" based on absolute superiority.

The purpose of Britain's balance of power policy is to oppose the hegemony of great powers in the European continent, consolidate its coastal positions in the European continent and safeguard its own maritime hegemony. The essence of its policy is to make the European powers contain each other, and Britain controls the political balance to safeguard Britain's interests on the European continent and overseas.

After the defeat of Napoleon's foreign war, Britain has long implemented the so-called "glorious isolation" policy, that is, it will not conclude a long-term Covenant with other countries, so as to adjust its foreign relations at any time according to its own needs, flexibly adjust and maintain the balance of power, and enable Britain to seize economic power and safeguard hegemony by taking advantage of its advantages. However, at the end of19th century, on the one hand, Britain lost its industrial monopoly position as the "factory of the world", and the economic basis of its "glorious isolation" foreign policy no longer existed.