The Influence of Sea Power upon History grew out of a longer campaign. Mahan had already published The Gulf and Inland Waters and had spent years building relationships and arguments around naval affairs. By 1890 he possessed a professional reputation and an audience receptive to the case he wanted to make. The book reached widely because it drew on that earlier political and intellectual groundwork.
Chapter · 29:19-30:17
The Influence of Sea Power as a political intervention
Mahan's 1890 classic built on years of teaching, prior writing, and engagement with the politics of an expanding U.S. Navy.