The British Seaborne Empire Sparknotes

The British Seaborne Empire, by naval historian Jeremy Black, is a narrative of the British Empire through the lens of seaborne trade, military power projection, and marine exploration. Jeremy Black focuses on the maritime tradition of Britain. He examines how Britain’s identity has been shaped by her interactions with, and across, the sea. He identifies the origins of this maritime tradition with the trading network fostered by Rome, and traces it through to the present day. The book suffers from two major problems, both of which could be fixed by a question that does not distort what he seeks to define. Black’s use of a narrative format that follows the rise and fall of empire, and which focuses on just the maritime tradition, leads him to an analysis hobbled by comparisons. These comparisons do not indicate the scope and domain of influence by which Empire is identified. Furthermore, he is concerned solely with the masculine pursuits of military conquest, trade, and power projection. The book misses
This would imply an awareness of the dangers of using the narrative format of an Empire’s rise and fall. Black, however, spends a great deal of time discussing the relative power of the British Empire in the postcolonial period and after World War II. He comes to the conclusion that the Empire and its relationships continue to hold potency in a modern context. He cites the lasting effects of Empire; continued influence through the spread of language, demographic movements, and ideas. In addition, he mentions that Britain retains a number of her overseas possessions. This continued territorial control is comparatively extensive to Britain in 1500. This selection of evidence indicates that Black has not managed to distance his analysis from a method of comparative success and