Britain and colonial maritime war in the early eighteenth century : silver, seapower and the Atlantic / Shinsuke Satsuma.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Satsuma, Shinsuke, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

South Sea Company.

Spanish Succession, War of, 1701-1714--Naval operations, British.

Spanish Succession, War of, 1701-1714.

Naval history.

Military policy.

History.

Great Britain--Military policy--History--18th century.

Great Britain.

South America--History, Naval--18th century.

South America.

Physical Description:

288 pages : illustrations (black and white) ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Woodbridge : The Boydell Press, 2013.

Summary:

In early modern Britain, there was an argument that war at sea, especially war in Spanish America, was an ideal means of warfare, offering the prospect of rich gains at relatively little cost whilst inflicting considerable damage on enemy financial resources. This book examines that argument, tracing its origin to the glorious memory of Elizabethan maritime war, discussing its supposed economic advantages, and investigating its influence on British politics and naval policy during the War of the Spanish Succession (1702-13) and after. The book reveals that the alleged economic advantages of war at sea were crucial in attracting the support of politicians of different political stances. It shows how supporters of war at sea, both in the government as well as in the opposition, tried to implement pro-maritime war policy by naval operations, colonial expeditions and by legislation, and how their attempts were often frustrated by diplomatic considerations, the incapacity of naval administration, and by conflicting interests between different groups connected to the West Indian colonies and Spanish American trade. It demonstrates how, after the War of the Spanish Succession, arguments for active colonial maritime war continued to be central to political conflict, notably in the opposition propaganda campaigns against the Walpole ministry, culminating in the War of Jenkins's Ear against Spain in 1739. The book also includes material on the South Sea Company, showing how the foundation of this company, later the subject of the notorious 'Bubble', was a logical part of British strategy. Book jacket.

Contents:

Chapter 1 English Expansion into Spanish America and the Development of a Pro-maritime War Argument 15

Part I Pro-Maritime War Arguments During the War of the Spanish Succession 37

Chapter 2 The Idea of Economic Advantages of Maritime War in Spanish America 39

Chapter 3 Pro-maritime War Arguments and Party Politics 69

Part II Impact on Reality 97

Chapter 4 Impact on Reality: Naval Policy 99

Chapter 5 Impact on Reality: Legislation 134

Chapter 6 The South Sea Company and its Plan for a Naval Expedition in 1712 160

Part III Pro-Maritime War Arguments After 1714 189

Chapter 7 Pro-maritime War Arguments during the War of the Quadruple Alliance and Anglo-Spanish Conflict of 1726-29 191

Chapter 8 Changes in Naval Policy after 1714: From Conquest to Security of Trade 222.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 251-270) and index.

ISBN:

1843838621

9781843838623

OCLC:

856964788