As the situation grew increasingly tense, the British, too, began to marshal their forces and arm themselves.
In 1933, the British Empire's military expenditure stood at 350 million Pound Sterling;
by 1934, it had rapidly risen to 680 million Pound Sterling;
by 1937, it had climbed further to 898 million Pound Sterling;
and by 1938, United Kingdom military spending had reached 1.092 billion Pound Sterling.
Although the Pound Sterling had depreciated severely over those years, the figure was still astonishing.
By 1938, British military spending had reached 14.3 percent of gross national product and accounted for 41 percent of United Kingdom fiscal revenue.
That same year, the British government also submitted a compulsory military service bill to Parliament, though unfortunately, it did not pass.
Even so, the British government instituted a military registration system. Since the bill had failed to pass, they could only adopt a voluntary registration model.
While the British were taking action, the other nations were not sitting idle either. Germany and Italy were the most frenzied of all, their military expenditures already exceeding 70 percent of their fiscal revenues.
The French government also recognized the danger. Amid a tide of anti-war sentiment, Parliament nevertheless passed a new armaments bill and joined the great surge of military expansion and war preparations.
Bulgaria was naturally no exception. It had yet to seize the position of world hegemon, but it had already put on the crown of the world's number-one military spender.
The British mainly developed their navy, with the army and air force serving as auxiliaries. Bulgaria, however, had to attend to all three branches, so its military expenditure was naturally even higher.
Fortunately, Bulgaria's economy had developed well over the past few years. Otherwise, it could only have ignited the war ahead of schedule.
Even a simple