Britain's Naval Mastery

The British navy, what was first thought to be a second line of defense during the Elizabethan era, after the 1640s, it was realistic to think of it as first line of defense. As Britain rise as a powerful navy, allowing England to flourish as a country as a whole, the question behind Britain’s motivation arises: What was the motivation behind Britain’s naval mastery during the seventeenth and eighteenth century? Different historians, such as Alfred T. Mahan, Roger Morriss, and Paul Kennedy, that have studied the British navy have established a different perspective answering the true motivation behind England conquering the sea as a strong naval fleet. The motivation behind Britain’s naval mastery cannot be credited to one specific aspect, …show more content…
Kennedy disagrees with the naval size as a major factor towards Britain’s mastery. Instead, Kenney proposed the mercantilist approach, including flourishing oversea trade, encouraging seamanship and shipbuilding, and having the navy respect England’s merchants to protect their trade. Britain’s main focused would be its growth and development. Trade was viewed as both a positive-sum game and the possibility for one player to attain more of the benefit of trade compared to others. Kennedy then brought the “blue-water policy.” The motto of this blue-water policy was: “It is upon the navy under the Province of God that the safety, honor, and welfare of this realm do chiefly attend.” The blue-water policy enforced trade and shipping. In Daniel A. Baugh’s words, “trade supplied the liquid funds, taxable, and lendable, as well as a source of government revenue in the form of custom duties,” while industry provided “profits to be taxed or lent, auxiliary vessels in time of war, shipbuilding skills and facilities, and above all trained seamen.” Government imposed decision of mercantilism, such as the Navigation Act was methods to enhance and protect the trade. Without the basic structure to support the navy did not exist, the navy would not have been capable of holding such …show more content…
Mahan discussed about the six principal conditions that affected sea power: geographical position, physical conformation, extent of territory, number of population, character and policy of governments, and national character. These characteristics listed includes the views held by Mahan, Kennedy, and Morriss. Although Mahan concentrated on the importance of the strength of the naval fleet, he also discussed about the commercial pursuits that must be a distinguishing feature of the nation, which is one of the characteristics Mahan stated that affects sea power. Gaining money is a crucial aspect, but how the gain is sought will create an effect on the commercial fortunes. This commercial aspect relates with Kennedy’s perspective of the mercantilist approach. For naval power to grow, it was necessary for a sophisticated and well-financed administrative structure, as the “ability to win engagements that reflected widely-diffused qualities of seamanship and gunnery, a skilled and determined corps of captains, and able leadership.” This was how mercantilism was created, but this well-financed administrative strcture show the necessity for a strong bureaucratic system that proves Morriss’s point, aligning to Kennedy’s perspective. This further proves the point of the