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Maritime Supremacy and the Opening of the Western Mind

Maritime Trilogy Series, Book 1

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Maritime Supremacy and the Opening of the Western Mind

By: Peter Padfield
Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
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In the great wars of modern history, maritime powers have always prevailed over land-based empires, whether Habsburg, Napoleonic, Nazi, or Soviet.

In contrast to the rigid hierarchies and centralization of land-based empires, those nations attaining mastery at sea have been distinguished by liberty, flexibility, and enterprise. The 17th-century Dutch were the first to achieve naval and trading dominance and, exploring the effects on daily life, industry, art and thought, finance and power politics, Peter Padfield reveals the Dutch in their golden age as the heralds of modern Western society.

The British took over the Dutch system of naval, trading, and world supremacy in the 18th century and were, in their turn, displaced by the United States in the 20th. This book carries the story from the defeat of the Armada in 1588 to the American Revolutionary War and Rodney's victory.

Maritime Supremacy and the Opening of the Western Mind charts the growth of linked strengths - sea-fighting, trading, financial, and constitutional - that made empires so formidable and reveals how supremacy at sea freed thought and society itself.

©1999 Peter Padfield (P)2021 Tantor Armed Forces Europe Military Naval Forces Western Europe War Maritime History
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Most relevant
It makes a refreshing change to hear an historian get his references to who was actually involved correct.
All to often, it is the English who are offered up as single handedly doing this and doing that.
In a historical context this is not only utter nonsense, it is a travesty with regard to our shared history, and is misleading in the extreme when it is incorrectly offered up as British history.

The Author correctly maintains it was Great Britain not just England from 1707, that played the decisive role with regard to nautical history and the narrative is all the better for it.

This is a highly enjoyable, interesting and informative read and is well worth a listen. Highly recommended !

Broad and Inclusive, highly recommend.

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Fascinating history of the 16th to 18th centuries with a focus on maritime trade and naval developments but set in the context of the detail of the wider social, political and economic changes. The audio book is brilliantly narrated. Highly recommended.

Excellent history

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