Published in 1890, Alfred Thayer Mahan’s ‘The Influence of Sea Power Upon History’ catalyzed a wave of strategic realignment around the world and the naval arms race of World War one. Mahan’s book is still required reading in military history courses today and has been studied by historians, scholars, and sailors for over a century.
Reviewed by ENS Sean Bland, USNR (Chaplain Candidate) I first encountered Alfred Thayer Mahan as an undergraduate student in Professor Paul Kennedy’s “Military History of the West Since 1500” course at Yale. Mahan was studied in-depth and championed as the premier naval historian and strategist of the modern world. Mahan’s personal, religious convictions were, unsurprisingly,
By Benjamin F. Armstrong, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD (2013) Reviewed by Capt. Scott Mobley, USN (Ret.) Despite Alfred Thayer Mahan‘s tremendous influence upon naval policy, national security affairs, and international politics during the early 20th century, many people today regard his ideas as curious artifacts of a bygone era. In his time, Mahan achieved
