Naval Campaigns that Shaped the Modern World 1588 - 1782.
In the great wars of modern history maritime powers have always prevailed over land-based empires, whether Habsburg, Napoleonic, Nazi or Soviet. This book charts the growth of linked strengths - sea-fighting, trading, financial and constitutional - which made them so formidable. It also reveals the way in which supremacy at sea freed thought and society itself. In contrast to the rigid hierarchies and centralisation of land-based empires, those nations attaining mastery at sea have been distinguished by liberty, flexibility and enterprise.
The 17th century Dutch were the first to achieve naval and trading dominance. Exploring the effects on daily life, industry, art and thought, finance and power politics, Peter Padfield reveals the Dutch in their golden age as the heralds of modern Western society. The British took over the Dutch system of naval, trading and world supremacy in the 18th century and were, in their turn, displaced by the United States in the 20th century.
This book carries the story from the defeat of the Armada in 1588 to the American Revolutionary War and Rodney's victory at the Saints in 1782. Bringing the characters vividly to life and immersing us in the drama of events, Peter Padfield challenges our view of the evolution of today's world.
