Alfred Thayer Mahan, American naval officer and historian who was a highly influential exponent of sea power in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The philosophy of Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan can be perfectly encapsulated within this quote from his article “The United States Looking Outward” in the December 1890 issue of Atlantic Monthly: “That which I deplore, and which is a sober, just, and reasonable cause of deep national concern, is that the nation neither has nor … He stressed the interdependence of the military and commercial control of the sea and asserted that the control of seaborne commerce can determine the outcome of wars. Those far distant, storm-beaten ships, upon which the Grand Army never looked, stood between it and the dominion of the world. Sea Power. The nations that have enjoyed sea power even for a brief period-Athens, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, England, the United States-are those that have preserved freedom for themselves and have given it to others. mahan and sea power — great strategists (episode 4) three pioneers of airpower — great strategists (episode 5) john boyd and the “ooda” loop (great strategists) john warden and the enemy as a system (great strategists) beyond thucydides: herodotus, xenophon & understanding war (great strategists) ', 'The study of history lies at the foundation of all sound military conclusions and practice. Alfred Mahan, the founder of the North American school of geopolitics, had introduced into the scientific circle such concepts as "domination at sea", "sea power" and had developed the concept of sea power of the state for the first time. Here are a few memorable quotes and examples that summarise this fact so well: “Without a decisive Naval force we can do nothing definitive, and with it everything honourable and glorious.” - General … Alfred T. Mahan quote: The world has never seen a more impressive demonstration of the influence of sea power upon its history. Of the despotism to which unrestrained military power leads we have plenty of examples from Alexander to Mao. 7 quotes from Alfred Thayer Mahan: 'Organized force alone enables the quiet and the weak to go about their business and to sleep securely in their beds, safe from the violent without or within. Alfred Thayer Mahan's The Influence of Sea Power Upon History was a huge success in both America and overseas. The formulated concept of A.Mahan influenced not only the development of the theory of naval art but also the development of foreign policy in … Memorable Quotes about Sea Power Ever since the Athenian victory over the Persians at Salamis in 480 BC the possession of sea power has been of supreme strategic importance. Mahan used history as a stock of lessons to be learned—or more exactly, as a pool of examples that exemplified his theories. Mahan believed that national greatness was inextricably associated with the sea, with its commercial usage in peace and its control in war.His goal was to discover the laws of history that determined who controlled the seas. Credit to Joshua Boucher, Baylor University. December 1, 2014, was the 100th anniversary of the death of Alfred Thayer Mahan, the renowned naval historian, strategist, and geopolitical theorist. Cambridge Core - Regional History after 1500 - The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660–1783 - by A. T. Mahan. His core argument was that sea power was the key to empire-building. The surer of himself an admiral is, the finer the tactical development of his fleet, the better his captains, the more reluctant must he necessarily be to enter into a melee with equal forces, in which all these advantages will be thrown away, chance reign supreme, and his fleet be place on terms of equality with an assemblage of ships which have never before acted together. Skip to main content Accessibility help We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites.