The influence of sea power upon history, 1660 1783 by. Britain and seapower in the 1760s and 1770s by nicholas tracy university of british columbia press, 1988. Influence of sea power upon history 16601783 abridged and influence of sea power upon the french revolution 17931812 excerpts capt. Chinas coast, and to push them slowly farther out into the pacific. Mahans lecture notes become the basis for his book, the influence of sea power upon history, published in 1890. The book brought mahan fame in his lifetime and ever since. Alfred thayer mahans the influence of sea power upon history.
The english were in admirable order, but did not push their advantage as they. Effectively, mahans book helped prompt the annexation of hawaii and puerto rico, and the control of samoa, the philippine islands, and cuba. The influence of sea power upon history, 16601783 by alfred thayer mahan, 1918, little, brown edition, 12th ed. In the book, the influence of sea power upon history, mahan claimed that countries with sea power were the great nations of history. Mahans first book, published in 1890, was about 600 pages and included 30 illustrations maps and plans, or trackcharts, of sea battles, and can be downloaded from project gutenberg, file 529h.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the influence of sea power upon history 16601783 illustrated. The influence of sea power upon history, 16601783 by a. Oct 22, 2010 the influence of sea power upon history, 16601783 is an influential treatise on naval warfare written in 1890 by alfred thayer mahan. Starr shows in this thoughtprovoking work, mahans theories have also led to serious misperceptions among historians about the significance of naval superiority in antiquity. National interest and moral responsibility in the political thought of. Over the past decade the united states has rediscovered the challenges of counterinsurgency, unconventional operations, and hybrid wars. The definite object proposed in this work is an examination of the general history of europe and america with particular reference to the effect of sea power upon the course of that history. Alfred thayer mahan, american naval officer and historian who was a highly influential exponent of sea power in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This book is about the effect of sea power upon the course of history by one of the greatest author captain mahan. This excerpt is from alfred thayer mahans the influence of. September 27, 1840 december 1, 1914 was a united states naval officer and historian, whom john keegan called the most important american strategist of the nineteenth century. For its time it was a tremendous success and extremely influential for most all large navies. The author of this book, alfred thatcher mahan, is to naval warfare what clausewitz is to land warfare and his books are the source of many quotations and arguments over strategy, and above all, the meaning of seapower.
It is said that it sold more copies on military theory than all of its predecessors including clausewitz combined. Mahans thesis that for an nation to be great it had to be a sea power was immensely influential in the growth of the german navy prior to world war 1 and the expansion of the us into overseas areas in the late 1800s and early 1900s. In 1890, captain alfred thayer mahan, a lecturer in naval history and the president of the united states naval war college, published the influence of sea power upon history, 16601783, a revolutionary analysis of the importance of naval power as a factor in the rise of the british empire. The influence of sea power on ancient history by chester g. The influence of sea power upon history wikisource, the. Sep 11, 20 open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. Apr 17, 2012 the first and most obvious light in which the sea presents itself from the political and social point of view is that of a great highway. Traversing the oceans required a robust merchant marine, a powerful navy to protect american commerce, and strategic overseas bases. Teddy roosevelt and winston churchill are two among many who embraced the concepts contained in the book.
How influential was the influence of sea power upon history. Over the past decade the united states has rediscovered the challenges of counterinsurgency, unconventional operations, and. Internet archive bookreader the influence of sea power upon history, 1660. Mahan argued which of the following that colonial possessions are a drain on the nations resources. Alfred thayer mahan, the interest of america in sea power.
In his book the influence of sea power upon history1890, alfred t. The condition of the navies in 1793and especially of the french navy. Page 1 on the other hand, wars arising from other causes have been greatly modified in their conduct and issue by the control of the sea. It is thus eminently worthwhile for todays naval leadership to push for a. Two years later, he completed a supplementary volume, the influence of sea power upon the french revolution and empire, 17931812. The influence of sea power upon history, 16601783 work by. His lectures at the college formed the basis for his two major works, the influence of sea power upon history, 1660 1783, published in 1890, and the influence of sea power upon the french revolution and empire, 17931812, published two years later. The project gutenberg ebook of the influence of sea power. Turner, mahan, and the roots of empire us history ii os collection.
Excerpts from the influence of sea power upon history, 1660. Copy and paste one of these options to share this book elsewhere. Alfred thayer mahans nineteenthcentury classic, the influence of sea power upon history, has long occupied a central place in the canon of strategic thought. History, modern, modern history, modern naval history, naval history, naval history, modern, seapower, naval history. The naval officer in question is alfred thayer mahan 18401914 who, in 1890, published the results of his extensive study of history, the influence of sea power upon history, 16601783. The influence of sea power upon history, 16601783 by alfred thayer mahan. The influence of sea power upon history, 16601783 navy.
He stressed the interdependence of the military and commercial control of the sea and asserted that the control of seaborne commerce can determine the outcome of wars. Navy, he called for the government to build a stronger, more powerful version. Excerpted from the influence of sea power upon history on wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Alfred thayers mahans the influence of sea power upon history was a twovolume work that argued that sea power was the key to military and economic expansion. Beginning in the time of alexander the great, those nations with strong commercial and military command of the seas were the nations of greatest. As other histories deal with the wars, politics,social and economic conditions,touching upon maritime matters only incidentally, so the present work aims at putting maritime interest in the foreground, seeking to show how they. Indeed it can be argued that his influence continues to be exerted even today. Mahans scholarly effort, in preparation for a teaching assignment at the. The influence of seapower upon small wars small wars journal. Consider by scholars as the single most influential book in naval strategy, alfred thayer mahans the influence of sea power upon history. Excerpts from the influence of sea power upon history, 16601783 1890 by alfred thayer mahan first, in peace.
In this book he argued for the paramount importance of sea power in national historical supremacy. The influence of sea power upon history, 16601783 open library. In his 1890 work, the influence of seapower upon history, he suggested three strategies that would assist the united states in both constructing and maintaining an empire. Link to the influence of sea power upon history, 16601783 on facebook.
Mahan formulated his concept of sea power while reading a history book in lima, peru. The book, which came at a time of great technological improvement in warships, won immediate recognition. Mahan also believed that america should at least acquire defensive bases in the caribbean and the pacific and take possession of pacific islands like hawaii. But the three volumes of mahans influence of sea power upon historythe first, then as.
Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. The political thought of admiral alfred thayer mahan was a response to two. 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. Mahan argued that the key to imperial power was control of the seas.
Click to read more about the influence of sea power upon history, 16601783 by a. Mahan little, brown, 1918 12th edition read overview navies, deterrence, and american independence. The first and most obvious light in which the sea presents itself from the political and social point of view is that of a great highway. The influence of sea power upon history, 16601783 presents the argument that, despite great changes and scientific advances in naval weaponry, certain principles of naval strategy remain constant. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The influence of sea power upon history, 16601783 is an influential treatise on naval warfare written in 1890 by alfred thayer mahan. Mahans thesis that for an nation to be great it had to be a sea power was immensely influential in the growth of the german navy prior to world war 1 and the expansion of the us into. The influence of sea power upon history 16601783 by alfred. List of books and articles about sea power online research. It details the role of sea power throughout history and discusses the various factors needed to support a strong navy. Before following the narrative of directly warlike action, or discussing the influence of the naval factor upon the military and political events, it is proper to examine the relative position, strength, and resources, of the rival nations, particularly in the matter of sea power,to weigh the chances of the struggle.
Alfred thayer mahans at the time of original publication mahan was a captain the influence of sea power upon history was and perhaps remains, the single most influential book ever written by an american. Tweet about the influence of sea power upon history, 16601783 pin the influence of sea power upon history, 16601783 email a friend about the influence of sea power upon history, 16601783. Although not as well known, the influence of sea power upon history, written by captain alfred thayer mahan and published in 1890, was a groundbreaking study that explained how the british empire. The influence of sea power upon history 16601783 scientia.
The publication of the influence of sea power upon history, 16601783, in 1890, was just the start of mahans workhe followed this with numerous books and articles, influencing some very important people. This highly influential volume, first published in 1890, contains mahans analysis of naval warfare and tactics between 16601783. In his book the influence of seapower upon history1890, captain alfred t. Influence of sea power upon history by a t mahan, first. His work was so influential that kaiser wilhelm ii of germany. Having therefore no foreign establishments, either colonial or military, the ships of war of the united states, in war, will be like land birds, unable to fly far from their own shores.
This excerpt is from alfred thayer mahans the influence of sea power upon history. The definite object proposed in this work is an examination of the general history of europe and america with particular reference to. Mar 02, 2020 the influence of sea power upon history, 16601783 by alfred thayer mahan. The influence of sea power upon history, 16601783 free pdf books from bookyards, one of the worlds first online libraries to offer ebooks to be downloaded for free. Open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. Mahans ideas decisively shaped japanese naval doctrine, especially in the fleet actions of world war ii. After the book s publication, the us navy would expand to be the 3rd largest in the world. The popularity of mahans book is one of the fascinating threads in geoff dyers the contest of the century. Influence of sea power upon history, 16601783, the. The influence of sea power upon history, 16601783 alfred. 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.
The influence of sea power upon history, 16601783 by alfred. In his 1890 work, the influence of seapower upon history, he suggested three strategies that. In 1885 he was appointed lecturer in naval history and tactics at the us naval war college, and became president of the institution between 18861889. The government by its policy can favor the natural growth of a peoples industries and its tendencies to seek adventure and gain by way of the sea. This is one of those unknown enormously influential books in history. The influence of sea power upon history, 16601783 12th. The major writings of a t mahan are his two volume work on the royal navy and the french revolution and. Other articles where the influence of sea power upon history, 16601783 is discussed. Buy influence of sea power upon history, 16601783 by alfred thayer mahan isbn. Turner, mahan, and the roots of empire us history ii os. Alfred thayer mahan quotes relating to dozens of different topics that are waiting to be discovered.