The closing question asks what might have followed if states had agreed after the American Civil War to outlaw commerce raiding and commerce warfare. It tests that hypothetical prohibition against the strategic pressures of World War I, especially submarine warfare. No answer is prescribed. It leaves open whether legal restraint can survive when belligerents see attacks on trade as militarily useful.
Notable Point · 43:58-44:21
Could states have outlawed commerce warfare after the Civil War?
The closing counterfactual asks whether an international ban on commerce raiding after the American Civil War could have survived the pressures of World War I submarine warfare.