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Atlantic Wars

From the Fifteenth Century to the Age of Revolution

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In a sweeping account, Atlantic Wars explores how warfare shaped the experiences of the peoples living in the watershed of the Atlantic Ocean between the late Middle Ages and the Age of Revolution.

Nearly everywhere they went, imperial soldiers, missionaries, colonial settlers, and traveling merchants sought local allies, and consequently they often incorporated themselves into African and indigenous North and South American diplomatic, military, and commercial networks. Indigenous and colonial communities felt vulnerable in these circumstances, and many believed that they had to engage in aggressive military action - or, at a minimum, issue dramatic threats - in order to survive. Examining the contours of European dominance, this work emphasizes its contingent nature and geographical limitations, the persistence of conflict and its inescapable impact on non-combatants' lives.

Addressing warfare at sea, warfare on land, and transatlantic warfare, Atlantic Wars covers the Atlantic world from the Vikings in the north, through the North American coastline and Caribbean, to South America and Africa. Geoffrey Plank underscores how the formative experience of combat brought together widely separated people in a common history.

©2020 Oxford University Press (P)2021 Tantor
Africa Americas Caribbean & West Indies Colonial Period Europe Military United States World War Caribbean Middle Ages Civil War Latin American British Empire Imperialism
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This is a good book, well narrated and covering a huge scope.
The format is good, giving lots of background and details lots of conflicts that aren’t well covered already.
It can get a bit turgid at times, but I learned a lot.

Wide ranging fills in a lots of gaps about conflicts in the Atlantic area.

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