Beira

The ability to influence world events through control of seaborne trade was profoundly affected by 19th-century developments in economic theory, commercial organization and naval technology, and by the growing power of the United States. In consequence the international law of belligerent rights at sea was repeatedly amended. Naval strategy in four wars reflected these changes in technology, power and law, and the ongoing process continues to influence international use of economic sanctions.

Dr Nicholas Tracy is the Adjunct Professor of History at the University of New Brunswick, Canada. He is the author of The Collective Naval Defence of Empire, 1900-1940.