Navies in History

The book opens with a brief overview of the functions of navies and then is divided chronologically into the following chapters: Antiquity, the Middle Ages and Early Renaissance, Iberian Global Empires, Dutch Naval Mastery, the French Naval Challenge, British Naval Supremacy, the War of the American Revolution, the Age of Nelson, the British Pax, the American Civil War, Naval Strategists and Arms Races, World War I, Naval Arms Control, World War II in the Atlantic, World War II in the Pacific, and the American Pax. The narrative is enhanced by essays on such special topics as life at sea, the advent of steam and steel, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Principal naval leaders are highlighted. Illustrations and diagrams of selected naval battles and warships, maps, and a list of suggested readings add to the text.