History

The Influence of Sea Power upon History

Naval Strategy, Maritime Power, and the Rise of National Greatness in the Age of SailBy Alfred Thayer Mahan

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Published in 1890, Alfred Thayer Mahan's The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660–1783 is a foundational work of modern naval historiography and strategic thought. Drawing on the Anglo-Dutch Wars, the French and British imperial rivalry, and the American Revolution, Mahan argues that maritime supremacy—grounded in geography, commercial capacity, national character, naval organization, and strategic position—decisively shapes the rise and endurance of great powers. His method combines archival historical narrative with broad causal interpretation, transforming battles and campaigns into evidence for a general theory of international power. Though written in a confident, sometimes sweeping Victorian prose, the book remains notable for its synthesis of military history, political economy, and geopolitics. Mahan (1840–1914), a United States Navy officer, lecturer, and president of the Naval War College, wrote amid the late nineteenth century's competition for colonies, markets, and naval modernization. His professional experience and close study of eighteenth-century maritime conflict led him to challenge purely land-centered accounts of national strength. He was especially attentive to Britain's commercial and imperial ascent, whose example supplied the historical foundation for his arguments and influenced debates among American policymakers and naval reformers. This volume is recommended to readers interested in naval history, grand strategy, imperialism, and the intellectual origins of modern geopolitics. It should be read both as a powerful analytical intervention and as a historically situated argument whose claims invite critical comparison with contemporary theories of power, technology, and global interdependence.

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Audiobook details

GenreHistory

Length21 hrs 6 mins

Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices

FormateBook with Audio

Publish dateJul 15, 2021

LanguageEnglish

1The Chapters of Sea Adventures (Annotated)

2Preface

3Introductory

4Chapter I. Discussion of the Elements of Sea Power (pt. 1)

5Chapter I. Discussion of the Elements of Sea Power (pt. 2)

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6Chapter II. State of Europe in 1660. Second Anglo-Dutch War, 1665–1667. Sea Battles of Lowestoft and of the Four Days

7Chapter III. War of England and France in Alliance Against the United Provinces, 1672–1674.--Finally, of France Against Combined Europe, 1674–1678.--Sea Battles of Solebay, the Texel, and Stromboli

8Chapter IV. English Revolution. War of the League of Augsburg, 1688–1697. Sea Battles of Beachy Head and La Hougue

9Chapter V. War of the Spanish Succession, 1702–1713. Sea Battle of Malaga

10Chapter VI. The Regency in France. Alberoni in Spain. Policies of Walpole and Fleuri. War of the Polish Succession. English Contraband Trade in Spanish America. Great Britain Declares War Against Spain, 1715–1739

11Chapter VII. War Between Great Britain and Sapin, 1739. War of the Austrian Succession, 1740. France Joins Spain Against Great Britain, 1744. Sea Battles of Matthews, Anson, and Hawke. Peace of Aix-La-Chapelle, 1748

12Chapter VIII. Seven Years' War, 1756–1763. England's Overwhelming Power and Conquests on the Seas, in North America, Europe, and East and West Indies. Sea Battles: Byng Off Minorca; Hawke and Conflans; Pocock and D'Ache in East Indies

13Chapter IX. Course of Events From the Peace of Paris to 1778. Maritime War Consequent Upon the American Revolution. Battle Off Ushant

14Chapter X. Maritime War in North America and West Indies, 1778–1781. Its Influence Upon the Course of the American Revolution. Fleet Actions Off Grenada, Dominica, and Chesapeake Bay

15Chapter XI. Maritime War in Europe, 1779–1782

16Chapter XII. Events in the East Indies, 1778–1781. Suffren Sails From Brest for India, 1781. His Brilliant Naval Campaign in the Indian Seas, 1782, 1783

17Chapter XIII. Events in the West Indies After the Surrender of Yorktown. Encounters of De Grasse With Hood. The Sea Battle of the Saints. 1781–1782

18Chapter XIV. Critical Discussion of the Maritime War of 1778