The Royal Navy and the German Threat 1901-1914: Admiralty Plans to Protect British Trade in a War Against Germany - Hardcover

Seligmann, Matthew S.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0199574030 ISBN 13: 9780199574032

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2012

Synopsis

When and why did the Royal Navy come to view the expansion of German maritime power as a threat to British maritime security? Contrary to current thinking, Matthew S. Seligmann argues that Germany emerged as a major threat at the outset of the twentieth century, not because of its growing battle fleet, but because the British Admiralty (rightly) believed that Germany's naval planners intended to arm their country's fast merchant vessels in wartime and send them out to attack British trade in the manner of the privateers of old. This threat to British seaborne commerce was so serious that the leadership of the Royal Navy spent twelve years trying to work out how best to counter it. Ever more elaborate measures were devised to this end. These included building 'fighting liners' to run down the German ones; devising a specialized warship, the battle cruiser, as a weapon of trade defence; attempting to change international law to prohibit the conversion of merchant vessels into warships on the high seas; establishing a global intelligence network to monitor German shipping movements; and, finally, the arming of British merchant vessels in self-defence.

The manner in which German schemes for commerce warfare drove British naval policy for over a decade before 1914 has not been recognized before. The Royal Navy and the German Threat illustrates a new and important aspect of British naval history.

About this title

About the Author:

Dr Matthew S. Seligmann is a well-known historian of the pre-First World War era and has written numerous works on the international conflicts of this period. These include Rivalry in Southern Africa, 1893-99 (1998), Spies in Uniform (2006), and Naval Intelligence from Germany (2007). He has also written articles for such journals as BBC History Magazine, The English Historical Review, German History, Historical Research, The International History Review and The Journal of Strategic Studies. One of these, an essay entitled 'A Prelude to the Reforms of Sir John Fisher', won the 2007 Julian Corbett Prize, Britain's premier award for naval history. Another of his works, Does Peace Lead to War? Peace Settlements and Conflict in the Modern Age (2002), was selected by ALA's Choice magazine as one of its Outstanding Academic Titles for 2003.

Review:

"This is a good book. Matthew Seligmann's brief monograph explores the spans that join intelligence, planning, and hardware into a common military enterprise; and a considerable human interest derives from the actions of some of the naval history's most significant
officers--a history that works its way up to admirals Alfred Tirpitz and Sir John Fisher along with Winston Churchill. The Royal Navy and the German Threat obviously has much to recommend it."--H-War

"It is the single most important book on British strategy and naval history that have been published over the last 20 years."--Militært Tidsskrift

"Seligmann's work is a salubrious addition to what has at times been an acrimonious discourse, and is a must-read for naval historians."--The Journal of Military History

"Seligmann's mastery of the archives and judicious analysis are evident on every page... this book is a noteworthy addition to the growing body of scholarship critical of the revisionist arguments...[E]ssential reading."--Journal of British Studies

"Based on new sources artfully used, this is an important new appreciation of British naval problems that adds to the potent historiography. Highly recommended."--CHOICE

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0199574030
• ISBN 13: 9780199574032
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256