Therefore the history of sea power, while embracing in its broad sweep all that tends to make a people great upon the sea or by the sea, is largely a military history and it is in this aspect that it will be mainly, though not exclusively, regarded in the following pages.Ī study of the military history of the past, such as this, is enjoined by great military leaders as essential to correct ideas and to the skilful conduct of war in the future. On the other hand, wars arising from other causes have been greatly modified in their conduct and issue by the control of the sea. The clash of interests, the angry feelings roused by conflicting attempts thus to appropriate the larger share, if not the whole, of the advantages of commerce, and of distant unsettled commercial regions, led to wars. To secure to one's own people a disproportionate share of such benefits, every effort was made to exclude others, either by the peaceful legislative methods of monopoly or prohibitory regulations, or, when these failed, by direct violence. The profound influence of sea commerce upon the wealth and strength of countries was clearly seen long before the true principles which governed its growth and prosperity were detected. The history of Sea Power is largely, though by no means solely, a narrative of contests between nations, of mutual rivalries, of violence frequently culminating in war. The book then goes on to describe a series of European and American wars and how naval power was used in each. Mahan also promoted the belief that any army would succumb to a strong naval blockade. He identified such features as geography, population, and government, and expanded the definition of sea power as comprising a strong navy and commercial fleet. ![]() Mahan began the book with an examination of what factors led to supremacy of the seas, especially how Great Britain was able to rise to its near dominance. It is considered the single most influential book in naval strategy and its policies were quickly adopted by most major navies, ultimately leading to the World War I naval arms race. ![]() It details the role of sea power during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and discussed the various factors needed to support and achieve sea power, with emphasis on having the largest and most powerful fleet. The Influence of Sea Power Upon History is a history of naval warfare by United States naval officer and historian Alfred Thayer Mahan.
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