Alfred Thayer Mah The Influence Of Sea Power Upon History

After winning the French and Indian war, Great Britain’s economy entered economic downturn, causing great strain on the ruling power.

The Battle of the Atlantic During WWII, the Germans attempted to force Britain into surrender by preventing vital supplies from reaching her across the Atlantic Ocean. Explain why by mid 1943, the British had gained the upper hand in the Atlantic. The Battle of the Atlantic was a key event in deciding the outcome of WWII. The Atlantic was Britain's lifeline, the only route to the great 'factory' that was the USA with it's vast production capabilities.

Mahan's article claimed that America must go forth with expansionism, for an “increasing volume of public sentiment demands it”, “the growing production of the country demands it”, and that “the Americans must now look onward” (Doc. C). Mahan's tactics were heavily reliant on naval forces. He believed that “Three things are needful: first, protection of the chief harbors, by fortifications and coast-defense ships...Secondly, naval force, the arm of offensive power, which alone enables a country to extend its influence outward” and “thirdly, no foreign state should henceforth acquire a coaling position within three thousand miles of San Francisco” (Doc. C)

The Differences Between 16th and 19th Century Imperialism and their Effects on the World Today.

British believed that their control over the colonies was justified via the theory of Mercantilism

With the late 19th century came a great change in the ideas of expansionism in the United States, but also a continuation of its ideals. The idea of imperialism, where the United States would extend its power around the globe, stood in contrast with the original Manifest Destiny ideal of the 1840s and 1850s when America was expanding west from ‘sea to shining sea.’ However, the inherent social and cultural sentiments were still present in the late 19th century expansionism, though the economic and political purposes had changed.

He quotes, “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.” Mahan saw sea power as thoroughly intertwined with war. His argument was that a great navy was essential for national prosperity through military and economic expansion.

The study of the Atlantic as an interwoven community is a relatively new theory. Historians are beginning to see Atlantic History as “a sudden and harsh encounter between two old worlds that transformed both and integrated them into a single New World” , and not just separate entities with detached pasts. Atlantic History: Concept and Contours by Bernard Bailyn lays the framework for what Atlantic History is and how it should be studied. Bailyn states that the reasoning behind writing the book is that previous historians focus too much on the imperial history of the Atlantic world, when in fact the colonized areas had just as much of an effect on European powers as Europe had on their colonies. In this concise two part book, Bailyn’s main argument is that the concept of Atlantic History was inevitable because it is impossible to look at any major event of this time period without seeing its effects ripple throughout the entire Atlantic world.

In the book 1812: The Navy’s War, Author George C. Daughan gives the reader an inside look into the events that led to the War of 1812 and war itself. Within the book, Mr. Daughan analyzed the conflict between the recently discovered Unites States and Great Brittan. The book gives in detail the short-term consequences of the War, as well as the lingering effects the war brought to the United States. By the end of Mr. Daughan historic text it is abundantly clear that the War of 1812 forever impacted the way the United States military operated. Mr. Daughan gives an outstanding synopsis of the United State’s rise as a military power, specifically the United States Navy. Daughan gives the reader an in-depth look of these gruesome battles, by using letters, journal writing, and other first-hand accounts of those directly involved in the war.

The United States has progressed economically and as a result methods of expansionism have evolved but it also tried to stay with the ideals of the forefathers. In Document C the importance of naval power is expressed and it outlines the obligations: the

By the year 1901, the United States possessed one of the largest navy’s in the world, a growing empire, and the respect of the world as a growing power. It gained these achievements by being involved in the growing imperialism of this era along with Britain, France, Germany, and Japan. However America did not gain its power spontaneously. During the Gilded Age and prior America established policies and precedents that would lead America into the discussion as a world power. Although the United States expansionism in the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-centuries was a continuation of the social and cultural continuation of the past, it was also resulting from the departure from the methods of the past in the government’s pursuit of new economic and political endeavors.

Captain Alfred T. Mahan, head of the Naval War College, cautioned that America’s survival depended on a strong navy to patrol the Pacific. The creation of this naval force would require the establishment of bases in the Pacific to provide the needed supply and coal for the ships. Britain had already secured Hong Kong and Singapore, so the United States sought to negotiate with Japan to open ports in the region. . Domination or acquisition of pacific islands opened new trade opportunities with China. “Mahan believed that the U.S. economy would soon be unable to absorb the massive amounts of industrial and commercial goods being produced domestically, and he argued that the United States should seek new markets abroad.” American land acquisitions

At the end of the nineteenth century an elite group containing Christian missionaries, intellectuals, business leaders, commercial farmers, and navy careerists, lobbied the White House, Congress, and the State and War departments for the United States to be more active abroad. In the 1880’s, Congress started a program to modernize the United States’ navy. With the improved navy, the country had what it took to turn into an imperial power.

Furthermore, this experience led to the discovery that the key to success is control over regions that produced valuable goods, since control over trade routes ultimately leads to their change.1 China with its warfare and seafaring technology never claimed to take control over the sea even after Zheng He’s voyages, since they had enough, if not more resources than everyone else, unlike Europe. The conclusive thought is that Europeans were poor, and in order for them to succeed in an otherwise rich world, force was the only option. The bias is therefore in the fact that Europeans had no

As the Napoleonic Wars rage on, It seems as if the US cannot avoid conflict with either France or Great Britain. There has been much outrage over the boarding of US merchant ships by both Great Britain and France, but even more anger towards the British impressment of US citizens into the British Royal Navy. Today, we are going to break it down, and inform you of everything there is to know. We will go through the who, what, when, where, and how. This, is Impressment: The War at High Seas.