![]() ![]() Heavily influenced by Admiral Fisher, Corbett, building on the work of Mahan and military theorist Carl von Clausewitz, defined maritime strategy, limited war, command of the sea, and, at the height of the British Empire, laid the ground work for understanding a "British way of war." Corbett was first and foremost a historian and a professional military educator. His influential theory on the role of sea power in the geopolitical context of the European balance of power at the turn of the twentieth century is a clear reflection of Britain's rapidly changing strategic environment and the equally rapid changes in military technology. While Mahan linked sea power with national power, Corbett illuminated this relationship and displayed a keen understanding, developed through his own historical study, of the limits of sea power, and war more broadly, as an instrument of national policy. Corbett's influential theories were shaped by multiple influences, including Mahan, Corbett's own study of British sea power, his reading and understanding of Clausewitz's On War, and Admiral John Fisher's naval revolution at the turn of the twentieth century. It remains a centerpiece of military and international relations theory and continues to be studied in professional military education alongside Thucydides, Sun Tzu, Antoine-Henri Jomini, Carl von Clausewitz, and Alfred Thayer Mahan. Corbett's lasting theoretical contributions to strategic thought are captured in Some Principles of Maritime Strategy (1911). He defined maritime operations, limited war, and our understanding of the "British Way of War," while also foreshadowing the Great War at Sea. It was translated into German and the Kaiser ordered a copy be placed on every German warship and in every school.Sir Julian Corbett (1854-1922) is one of the two most influential theorists of sea power. His book resulted in an invitation to dine with the Queen in Britain. ![]() He was invited to lecture at the Naval War College, and it was there that he collected together his notes and wrote a book, The Influence of Naval Power upon History, which somehow became an international bestseller in 1890. He spent more than two years on station in the Far East, spent a couple of years with the South Atlantic Squadron based in Montevideo in Uruguay, and then a year off the west coast of South America, in a ship observing events during the War of the Pacific.Īfter a lengthy naval career, Mahan had assignments at the Naval Academy and the Brooklyn Naval Yard. He was on a sidewheeler tasked with keeping an eye on the French in Mexico, where Napoleon II had installed a Hapsburg archduke as emperor. He was stationed off the Atlantic Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico during the Union blockade of the Confederacy. He also had several independent commands. ![]() He started as a Midshipman and worked his way up the naval ranks to Captain and Commander. He served aboard a wide variety of ships, from a powerful frigate under sail to a variety of steam sloops, corvettes, and gunboats, many of which were side wheelers and all of which had auxiliary sails. He graduated in 1859 and started a career lasting almost 40 years. His work has been nearly as influential as the famous German military theorist Carl von Clausewitz (1780-1831), and the lesser-known but nearly as influential Swiss military writer Antoine-Henri Jomini (1779-1869).Īlfred decided to go to the Naval Academy in Annapolis, which he was admitted to via the influence of Secretary of War Jefferson Davis. Log in Create account × SummaryĪlfred Thayer Mahan is arguably the most influential military strategist in American history, and one of the world’s most important naval theorists. In order to save audiobooks to your Wish List you must be signed in to your account.
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