Paul Kennedy's classic naval history, now updated with a new introduction by the author
This acclaimed book traces Britain's rise and fall as a sea power from the Tudors to the present day. Challenging the traditional view that the British are natural 'sons of the waves', he suggests instead that the country's fortunes as a significant maritime force have always been bound up with its economic growth. In doing so, he contributes significantly to the centuries-long debate between 'continental' and 'maritime' schools of strategy over Britain's policy in times of war.
Setting British naval history within a framework of national, international, economic, political and strategic considerations, he offers a fresh approach to one of the central questions in British history. A new introduction extends his analysis into the twenty-first century and reflects on current American and Chinese ambitions for naval mastery.
Reviews
- 'Excellent and stimulating' Correlli Barnett
- 'The first scholar to have set the sweep of British Naval history against the background of economic history' Michael Howard, Sunday Times
- 'By far the best study that has ever been done on the subject ...a sparkling and apt quotation on practically every page' Daniel A. Baugh, International History Review
- 'The best single-volume study of Britain and her naval past now available to us' Jon Sumida, Journal of Modern History
