Posted on 08/18/2015 4:21:48 PM PDT by Crapgame
Freepers I am turning to you all for assistance in preparing a class lecture on the importance of Mahan's "The Influence of Sea Power Upon History". Specifically I was hoping one of you well read Freepers can direct me to a good, excerpt or summary of Mahan's "The Influence of Sea Power Upon History". Something I can hand out in class. I have read his many articles but none of them seem to cover the major points of his theories succinctly. So I am wondering now if there is a good excerpt of his major work that you all could point me to.
Write it up yourself and publish it.
Haven't read it, but it sounds promising.
I was only able to find on-line issues back to 1995, however.
Thanks!! That is a handy reference. If no excerpts exist, at least I can dig through that file. I hadn’t seen that version in my searches and it looks like it might be a good resource for me. Thanks again, I knew I could count on Freepers.....
It all started as a bet between George Washington and Xenu over how many chicks Joseph Smith would con into marrying him.
About two and a half pages.
Summary:
Having a powerful navy good.
Not having a powerful navy bad.
You not only need a big navy, but need to be able to quickly mass your forces, hence don't have "the Russian problem" of four navies unable to concentrate easily (i.e., build the Panama Canal).
Once you mass, use heavy firepower to defeat your enemy (big battleships).
A navy allows you to project power anywhere there is a coast, hence England was able to run most of the world with a land army of under 150,000 men most of the time, because England could place those forces almost anywhere quickly. For ex., in the Crimean War, the Brits shipped 50,000 cannonballs in the siege of Sebastopol from England FASTER than the Russians could supply Sebastopol by land . . . in their own country.
When I was in college way back in the 60s, I remember “Sailor Mahan” being mentioned often both in history and geography classes.
Until I read your post I could not remember a single thing about him. Then it hit me that he considered control of “The World Island” as essential, important, whatever I can’t remember.
Also now remember that he pushed for free travel of navies through such choke points as the straights of Malacca and the Dardanelles.
That is about all I can remember.
Your comments about the cost of shipping cannon balls by water compared to the cost of shipping them by land were well taken.
After the discovery of coal in Wyoming, it was discovered that it was less expensive to ship the coal by rail to Duluth/Superior off load the coal and load them on ships (on the Great Lakes they are called ore boats-even if they haul coal) transit the locks at Sault St. Marie and off load at the power plants in the Detroit, Michigan area than to ship the coal through Chicago and to their final destination.
The opening of the Erie Canal reduced the cost of shipping grain from Western New York and points west to New York City by 80 to 90%.
Did historian Samuel Elliot Morrison write anything on Mahon? I recall that he did in one of his major works.
Excellent observation.
Bookmark.
Ping.
There is an excellent summary of Mahan’s impact, his life, his thinking, and his political role, all set within the context of the Nineteenth Century, laid out nicely in Barbara Tuchman’s well-known and very available book, “The Proud Tower.” available in pretty much every library in America.
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