The battle Hostile_encounter was the first in a series of defeats Earnings_and_losses the French Navy suffered Confronting_problem during the early years of the war Military_operation , which bred Creating a defeatist attitude and an unwillingness among the French officer corps to engage Hostile_encounter the British at sea .

The abolition of the death Death penalty was another contributing Giving factor , as was the high presence of revolutionary Change_of_leadership agitators at the front including Bolshevik agitators , who promoted Cause_to_make_progress a defeatist agenda ( and whom Kerensky tolerated considerably more than conservative agitators ) .