This book looks at the transition of wooden sailing fleets to the modern steel navy. It details the technological breakthroughs that brought about this change - steampower, armour, artillery and torpedoes, and looks at their affect on naval strategy and tactics.
Part of the ever-growing and prestigious Warfare and History series, this book is a must for enthusiasts of military history.

Europe ruled the waves for most of the modern era and even when its navies were eclipsed in size by the US force, they continued to dominate world wars. In this unique history of Europe's naval forces, Larry Sondhaus charts the development of naval warfare from the transition to steam to recent actions in the Persian Gulf. Combining detailed technical information with an in-depth comparison of warfare and tactics across some of the key conflicts of the modern world, this is an absorbing account of European and British seapower, past and present.

Written by leading historians and political scientists, this collection of essays offers a broad and comprehensive coverage of the role of war in American history.
Addressing the role of the armed force, and attitudes towards it, in shaping and defining the United States, the first four chapters reflect the perspectives of historians on this central question, from the time of the American Revolution to the US wars in Vietnam and Iraq. Chapters five and six offer the views of political scientists on the topic, one in light of the global systems theory, the other from the perspective of domestic opinion and governance. The concluding essay is written by historians Fred Anderson and Andrew Cayton, whose co-authored book The Dominion of War: Empire and Liberty in North America, 1500-2000 provided the common reading for the symposium which produced these essays.
America, War and Power will be of much interest to students and scholars of US military history, US politics and military history and strategy in general.

A much-needed survey and synopsis of literature on strategic culture and ways of war.

It clearly shows how national strategies and approaches to warfare are, to a significant extent, culturally determined. The concept of national 'ways of war' dates from the 1930s, when Basil H. Liddell Hart theorized that there was a 'British Way in Warfare'.

The concept of strategic culture dates from the 1970s, when Jack Snyder introduced it to explain why leaders of the Soviet Union did not behave according to rational choice theory. These ideas have gained wide acceptance among historians of international politics and warfare, and remain controversial for political scientists seeking general or universal theoretical understanding of such subjects. Because political scientists have focused on strategic culture and historians on ways of war, this work will greatly benefit both audiences and provide each with valuable exposure to the ideas of the other.

Written by leading historians and political scientists, this collection of essays offers a broad and comprehensive coverage of the role of war in American history.

Addressing the role of the armed force, and attitudes towards it, in shaping and defining the United States, the first four chapters reflect the perspectives of historians on this central question, from the time of the American Revolution to the US wars in Vietnam and Iraq. Chapters five and six offer the views of political scientists on the topic, one in light of the global systems theory, the other from the perspective of domestic opinion and governance. The concluding essay is written by historians Fred Anderson and Andrew Cayton, whose co-authored book The Dominion of War: Empire and Liberty in North America, 1500-2000 provided the common reading for the symposium which produced these essays.

America, War and Power will be of much interest to students and scholars of US military history, US politics and military history and strategy in general.

A much-needed survey and synopsis of literature on strategic culture and ways of war.

It clearly shows how national strategies and approaches to warfare are, to a significant extent, culturally determined. The concept of national 'ways of war' dates from the 1930s, when Basil H. Liddell Hart theorized that there was a 'British Way in Warfare'.

The concept of strategic culture dates from the 1970s, when Jack Snyder introduced it to explain why leaders of the Soviet Union did not behave according to rational choice theory. These ideas have gained wide acceptance among historians of international politics and warfare, and remain controversial for political scientists seeking general or universal theoretical understanding of such subjects. Because political scientists have focused on strategic culture and historians on ways of war, this work will greatly benefit both audiences and provide each with valuable exposure to the ideas of the other.

Series Information:
Warfare and History

World War I and its aftermath witnessed a global revolution. This was reflected in the revolutionary war aims of most of the belligerents, the technological revolution that made the war so deadly, the revolutionary sentiment that grew among ordinary combatants, and the revolutionary pressures that led to the collapse of the Romanov, Habsburg, and Ottoman empires. In this revised edition of World War One, Lawrence Sondhaus synthesizes the latest scholarship on the war and incorporates insights from the vast body of work published during the war's centenary. He charts the political, economic, social and cultural history of the war at home and on the frontlines as well as the war's origins, ending and transformative effects on societal norms and attitudes, gender and labor relations, and international trade and finance. The accessible narrative is supported by chronologies, personal accounts, guides to key controversies and debates, and numerous maps and photographs.

World War I and its aftermath witnessed a global revolution. This was reflected in the revolutionary war aims of most of the belligerents, the technological revolution that made the war so deadly, the revolutionary sentiment that grew among ordinary combatants, and the revolutionary pressures that led to the collapse of the Romanov, Habsburg, and Ottoman empires. In this revised edition of World War One, Lawrence Sondhaus synthesizes the latest scholarship on the war and incorporates insights from the vast body of work published during the war's centenary. He charts the political, economic, social and cultural history of the war at home and on the frontlines as well as the war's origins, ending and transformative effects on societal norms and attitudes, gender and labor relations, and international trade and finance. The accessible narrative is supported by chronologies, personal accounts, guides to key controversies and debates, and numerous maps and photographs.

This is a major new naval history of the First World War which reveals the decisive contribution of the war at sea to Allied victory. In a truly global account, Lawrence Sondhaus traces the course of the campaigns in the North Sea, Atlantic, Adriatic, Baltic and Mediterranean and examines the role of critical innovations in the design and performance of ships, wireless communication and firepower. He charts how Allied supremacy led the Central Powers to attempt to revolutionize naval warfare by pursuing unrestricted submarine warfare, ultimately prompting the United States to enter the war. Victory against the submarine challenge, following their earlier success in sweeping the seas of German cruisers and other surface raiders, left the Allies free to use the world's sea lanes to transport supplies and troops to Europe from overseas territories, and eventually from the United States, which proved a decisive factor in their ultimate victory.

World War One was the cause, catalyst, trigger and accelerator of revolutionary change on an unprecedented scale. This is an indispensable new introduction to the global history of the conflict and its revolutionary consequences from the war's origins to the making of peace and across all of its theatres, including the home fronts and the war at sea. Lawrence Sondhaus sets out a new framework for understanding key themes such as the war aims which inspired the belligerents, the technological developments that made the war so deadly for those in uniform, and the revolutionary pressures that led to the collapse of the Romanov, Habsburg and Ottoman empires. He also highlights the war's transformative effects on societal norms and attitudes, gender and labour relations, and international trade and finance. The accessible narrative is supported by chronologies, personal accounts, guides to key controversies and debates, and numerous maps and photographs.

Navies in Modern World History traces the role of navies in world history from the early nineteenth century, through both World Wars, to the dawn of the twenty-first century and beyond. In a series of case studies Lawrence Sondhaus examines the national fleets of Britain, France, Germany, the United States, Japan, Brazil, Chile and the Soviet Union, and demonstrates the variety of ways in which each country has made decisive use of naval power. In each case the author argues that the navy in question helped change the course of modern world history, as well as systematically analyzing the challenges faced in assembling materiel, training personnel and performing its mission. This book discusses the leading role of navies and shipbuilders in key technological innovations of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, including advances in steam power, armour, artillery and torpedoes, and also looks at aircraft carrier design and naval aviation in general in the second half of the twentieth century. At the dawn of the twenty-first century, technological breakthroughs are centred around naval stealth and maritime propulsion systems. Special attention is devoted to the evolving state of naval technology, and the book shows how the relative industrial capabilities of seafaring countries have been reflected in their maritime building programmes, providing an important link between the evolution of modern national fleets and the broader history of the period.