British victories are sometimes credited to luck. Structural features of the system and service culture may also confer advantages that become visible only in action. Even with those reservations, the two Copenhagen battles are presented as unusually persuasive evidence for exceptional British performance. In this interpretation, neither victory should have been as extensive as it was.
Notable Point · 3:55-4:48
Luck, institutions, and the exceptionalism question
Luck and structural advantages complicate any simple claim of British exceptionalism, though the two Copenhagen victories are presented as unusually strong evidence for exceptional performance.