ABSTRACT

These studies show how the British Empire used its maritime supremacy to construct and maintain a worldwide defence for its imperial interests. They rebut the idea that British defence policy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was primarily concerned with the balance of power in Europe.

chapter |29 pages

Economy or empire?

The fleet unit concept and the quest for collective security in the Pacific, 1909–14

chapter |47 pages

‘It is our business in the Navy to command the Seas'The last decade of British maritime supremacy, 1919—1929

‘The decline of the Navy means the decline of the Empire' (Admiral David Beatty, 1921 1 )