Economics of maritime flows, Economics of naval forces. Reflections on the notion of spatial address in the British thalassocratic strategy

Abstract

Studying the heyday of English imperial power from 1830 to 1940, John Darwin judges that “[if] the British were able to build a world empire, [it] is because they were able to exploit the opportunities of global connectivity more completely than their rivals” Whether we consider the Empire in terms of its politico-economic “connections” or its military “maintenance”, can we say that this double dimension of “global connectivity” was thought by the British simultaneously? In other words, can we establish that a same coherent and unitary scheme governs the economy of the trade flows which irrigate the Empire, and the economy of the naval forces which guarantee the persistence of these same flows? This research note suggests that from the beginning of the 18th century to the end of the 19th century, the builders of the British thalassocratic construction, inspired by a utilitarian worldview with a triple philosophical, economic and strategic sense, effectively carried out constant geostrategic arbitrations, allowing the efficient operation, protection and maintenance of the British imperial network, thus demonstrating what one might label as a specific “adresse spatiale” (spatial optimum).

About the Author

Research fellow at the Institute for Strategic and Defense Studies (IESD) for studies on nuclear arms control and ballistic non-proliferation. Former Research assistant at the Brazilian Center for Strategy and International Relations (NERINT). He holds a Master's degree in International Security and Defense from the University Jean Moulin (Lyon, France) and a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (Porto Alegre, Brazil).