Britain and Colonial Maritime War in the Early Eighteenth Century: Silver, Seapower and the Atlantic
Author(s): Shinsuke Satsuma (Author)
Publisher: Boydell Press
Publication Date: 15 Sept. 2013
Edition: Illustrated
Language: English
Print length: 296 pages
ISBN-10: 1843838621
ISBN-13: 9781843838623
Book Description
In early modern Britain, there was an argument that war at sea, especially war in Spanish America, was an ideal means of warfare, offering the prospect of rich gains at relatively little cost whilst inflicting considerable damageon enemy financial resources. In early modern Britain, there was an argument that war at sea, especially war in Spanish America, was an ideal means of warfare, offering the prospect of rich gains at relatively little cost whilst inflicting considerable damageon enemy financial resources. This book examines that argument, tracing its origin to the glorious memory of Elizabethan maritime war, discussing its supposed economic advantages, and investigating its influence on British politics and naval policy during the War of the Spanish Succession (1702-13) and after. The book reveals that the alleged economic advantages of war at sea were crucial in attracting the support of politicians of different political stances. It shows how supporters of war at sea, both in the government as well as in the opposition, tried to implement pro-maritime war policy by naval operations, colonial expeditions and by legislation, and how their attempts wereoften frustrated by diplomatic considerations, the incapacity of naval administration, and by conflicting interests between different groups connected to the West Indian colonies and Spanish American trade. It demonstrates how, after the War of the Spanish Succession, arguments for active colonial maritime war continued to be central to political conflict, notably in the opposition propaganda campaigns against the Walpole ministry, culminating in the War of Jenkins’s Ear against Spain in 1739. The book also includes material on the South Sea Company, showing how the foundation of this company, later the subject of the notorious ‘Bubble’, was a logical part of British strategy. Shinsuke Satsuma completed his doctorate in maritime history at the University of Exeter.
Editorial Reviews
Review
A valuable addition to the literature on naval warfare. ― HISTORYOFWAR.ORG
Provides a very useful service by addressing the intellectual origins of Britain’s naval policy.. The argument is very carefully constructed and organised. ―
REVISTA UNIVERSITARIA DE HISTORIA MILITAR
It is to be hoped that the themes raised here will attract further scholarly attention as they cast revealing light on the nature of Britain’s imperial project, the workings of mercantilism, and the slow accumulation of the maritime capacity which could support the eventual emergence of Britain as the first naval power with a truly global reach. ―
ECONOMIC HISTORY REVIEW
[This] concentrated study will certainly be valued by specialist historians. ―
MARINER’S MIRROR
The author deserves credit for highlighting the economic basis of early eighteenth-century British interest in maritime and colonial warfare. ―
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MARITIME HISTORY
The book draws heavily on official British government records and political pamphlets from the early eighteenth century, and Satsuma casts a broad net for secondary sources, making this work a valuable primer for anyone looking to further study early modern British naval policy. ―
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