The German-American Alliance, formed in 1901, was a classic pressure group which aimed to influence politicians in behalf of the German-American stand not only on such issues as prohibition, but likewise on the need for physical education and protection of the woodlands. As relations between Germany and the U.S. began to deteriorate during the decade preceding World War I, the Alliance became increasingly supportive of the imperial German government and its aims. By the time World War I broke out, its pro-German rhetoric had reached a crescendo. Spokesmen for the German-American Alliance were widely quoted in the English-language press and probably played into the hands of those who were promoting anti-German sentiment. The Alliance was essentially a hollow organization with inflated membership figures and little rank and file participation. It was never really trusted by German-American church groups.