The Influence of Sea Power upon History
- The Influence of Sea Power upon History
"The Influence of Sea Power Upon History" (ISBN 0-486-25509-3) is an influential treatise on naval warfare written in 1890 by Alfred Thayer Mahan. It details the role of sea power throughout history and discusses the various factors needed to support a strong navy.
Overview
The book was published by Mahan while President of the US Naval War College, and was a culmination of his ideas regarding naval warfare and its superiority.
Mahan began the book with an examination of what factors lead to a supremacy of the seas, especially how Britain was able to rise to its near dominance. He identifies such features as geography, population, and government, and expands the definition of sea power as comprising a strong navy and commercial fleet. Mahan also promotes the belief that any army would succumb to a strong naval blockade.
The book then goes on to describe a series of European and American wars and how naval power was used in each.
Impact
The arguments of "The Influence of Seapower Upon History,1660-1783" influenced naval policies of governments for decades. In the United States, it made President Teddy Roosevelt support a greater navy; Mahan and Roosevelt became friends after Roosevelt published his own naval histories in the 1880s. It also motivated the U.S. government to project American power through its navy, thus beginning American Imperialism.
The treatise's influence was not limited to the U.S., Kaiser Wilhelm II ordered a copy aboard every ship of the Imperial German Navy; it encouraged enlargement of the German and Japanese navies, contributing to the naval arms race between Britain and Germany before The First World War.
References
* Downs, Robert B. "Books that Changed the World", New American Library: New York, NY, 1983. ISBN 0-451-52928-6
External links
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/mahan.htm Mahan & The Influence of Sea Power Upon History]
* [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/13529 Project Gutenberg e-text]
Wikimedia Foundation.
2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
The Influence of Sea Power upon History — Alfred Thayer Mahan (1840–1914) hat in seinem 1890 veröffentlichten Buch The Influence of Sea Power upon History (dt.: Der Einfluss der Seemacht auf die Geschichte) die Bedeutung von Seemacht für den Verlauf der Geschichte, den Entstehungsgang… … Deutsch Wikipedia
sea power — 1. naval strength. 2. a nation that possesses formidable naval power. [1840 50] * * * Means by which a nation extends its military power onto the seas. Measured in terms of a nation s capacity to use the seas in defiance of rivals, it consists of … Universalium
History of the Peloponnesian War — The History of the Peloponnesian War is an account of the Peloponnesian War in Ancient Greece, fought between the Peloponnesian League (led by Sparta) and the Delian League (led by Athens). It was written by Thucydides, an Athenian general who… … Wikipedia
History of Puerto Rico — 1903 Map of Puerto Rico The history of Puerto Rico began with the settlement of the archipelago of Puerto Rico by the Ortoiroid people between 3000 and 2000 BC. Other tribes, such as the Saladoid and Arawak Indians, populated the island between… … Wikipedia
History of the United States Navy — United States Navy … Wikipedia
The rise of Jat power — ’ (king) was conferred upon him in 1724. [Dr P.L. Vishwakarma, The Jats, I, Ed Dr Vir Singh, (Delhi:2004), 116] In past Jats always rose against tyranny, injustice, economic and social exploitations and were never overawed by claims of racial or… … Wikipedia
War of the Pacific — This article is about the 19th century war between Bolivia, Chile and Peru. For the Pacific theatre of WW II, see Pacific War. War of the Pacific … Wikipedia
Military history of Puerto Rico — Military history of Puerto Rico … Wikipedia
Ship of the line — A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th century through the mid 19th century, to take part in the the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring… … Wikipedia
Naval operations in the American Revolutionary War — Part of the American Revolutionary War … Wikipedia
