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The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660-1783 Kindle Edition
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateMarch 24, 2011
- File size897 KB
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Editorial Reviews
From the Inside Flap
"Captain Mahan has written distinctively the best and most important, and also by far the most interesting, book on naval history which has been produced on either side of the water for many a long year."
--Atlantic Monthly
October 1890
First published over a century ago, this classic text on the history and tactics of naval warfare had a profound effect on the training of officers and the deployment of naval resources around the globe. Many of the world's great military strategists since 1890 have avidly read this book, including both Franklin Delano and Theodore Roosevelt, Kaiser Wilhelm II, and a host of admirals, chancellors, prime ministers, kings, and other presidents. It continues to be a primary reference for naval students and historians.
The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660-1783 presents the argument that, despite great changes and scientific advances in naval weaponry, certain principles of naval strategy remain constant. Beginning in the time of Alexander the Great, those nations with strong commercial and military command of the seas were the nations of greatest strength, wealth, and power. Though the determinants of military supremacy and the global balance of power have changed due to tremendous advances in technology, the principles and strategies discussed in the book remain creditable. The extensive presentation of the history of high-seas navigation alone makes this book an invaluable resource, as it has been credited with stimulating the growth of modern navies in leading countries of the world.
Alfred Thayer Mahan (1840-1914) served in the Civil War and twice served as the president of the United States Naval War College, beginning shortly after the college was founded. Mahan became known as one of the leading spokesmen for the age of American imperialism. In addition to his books on the history of naval warfare, he wrote biographies of David Farragut and Horatio Nelson.
From the Back Cover
Though technological advances over the last century have revolutionized warfare, The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660-1783 remains a classic text on the history, strategy, and comprehension of commercial and military command of the high seas.
The first president of the U.S. Naval War College, Alfred Thayer Mahan demonstrates through historical examples that the rise and fall of sea power and the wealth of nations have always been linked with commercial and military command of the sea. Mahan describes successful naval strategies employed in the past--from Greek and Roman times through the Napoleonic Wars--with an intense focus on England's rise as a sea power in the eighteenth century. This book provides not only an overview of naval tactics but also a lucid exposition of geographic, economic, and social factors governing the maintenance of sea power.
About the Author
Product details
- ASIN : B004TQHBAI
- Publication date : March 24, 2011
- Language : English
- File size : 897 KB
- Simultaneous device usage : Unlimited
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 539 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #11,488 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #1,920 in Nonfiction (Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
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Top reviews from the United States
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It's a highly analytical read and it makes one consider what happened in WW II when it was the US versus Japan. And, in this day and age, it makes one consider its implications when you consider China's creeping hegemony in SE Asia. Well, as Santayana said, "Those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it." A sobering thought for these times.
As Churchill once said, "The terrible ifs of history accumulate", so what if this had not been published? Maybe, no GB versus Germany naval rivalry; maybe Britain stays out of a continental war in 1914 resulting in a German victory over France and Imperial Russia; maybe, no US involvement in WW I but also, maybe a 1920s or 1930s war with Japan. Yes, the terrible ifs accumulate. So, the book's subject matter is one thing, but it's implications to the world are the main things to consider even 130 years after its publication. A sobering thought.
This book not only covers Naval warfare but more importantly, how seafaring countries have sought to protect their own import/export markets while in many cases denying them to enemies & competing nations.
Don't believe it or me? Just look at the history of Russia and their eternal search for temperate coast sea ports.
Also recommend Men, Machines & Modern Times for another look at U.S. Naval History.
The book is not and never was written for the general interest reader (like me). The reader must have an in-depth knowledge of European Wars (particularly naval actions) of the book's time frame. Additionally, the reader needs to intimately understand square-rigger sailing and fighting. The book is dense, repetitive, and its prose is not very good. Except for descriptions of naval engagements, which I found informative, I skimmed a good deal of the book. I'm also not sure all of Mahan's broad conclusions make sense. To be fair, though I have the benefit of hindsight.
I would only recommend this book to those highly interested in Mahan or his subject. One note: the kindle version is free on Amazon.
Admiral Mahan was one of the most influential strategists in American history and in the modern world, and this book was a key factor in building the US Navy and a secure United States. Along with Theodore Roosevelt, whom he inspired and with whom he conspired, Mahan was also a dedicated imperialist. Not to study Mahan and this book is have a very incomplete understanding of how we got to where we are.
Top reviews from other countries
Mahan provides a clear and compelling case for the primacy of naval power in the modern world using the history of the period 1660-1783 as a foundation for his theories.
Mahan remains one of the finest strategic theorists. Mahan did for seapower what Clausewitz did for war on land: he gave a doctrinal basis for future strategic decisions.
Mahan's work is a classic of naval history, but is, more importantly, a superb explanation of naval strategy.