Page 210 - 1992 - XVIII Congresso Internazionale di Storia Militare

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French artacks on her colonia l possessions in me East lndies - che cwo grc:ac pow-
ers had during thc precedJng decadcs gained much experience in arranging com-
bined army and navy opernions in vcry discanr areas.

The End of che Aùantic Power Suuggle
By 1790 che Bricish, French and Spanish navies wcre far larger ma n chey ever
had been. Bricain had around 475 000 tons of warships, France 325 000 cons and
Spain 250000 cons. The Ducch navy had 125000 rons and the Portugucse 45000
cons. Since me mid-1770s chey had expandc:d by almosc 50 per cene and che growd1
showed no s1gns ofbcing a c an end. The facr mar it was me Fcench stare- general-
ly cegarded as bankrupr - rhac hc:ld rhc: lead in this shipbuilding race is cemarka-
blc:. 70 years earlic:r, a bankrupt Frenc.h srate had cuc down che navy by 75 per
cem bue che regime: of Louis XVI sa w an increase of 60 per cene in 15 ycars. Spain
nlsu suffc:rcd from wc:ak finances but ma t did nor scop her navy from increasing.
The Bourbon powers ha d by me late ei,ghteemh cenrury bccomc obsesse<.l w.ith naval
preparations and, a c lcast in che Spanish case. me oumbcr of wacships far outri.in
me availablc mnnpower.
Technicnlly che navies were wcll prcparc:d for a ncw struggle on che occans:
che new gencracions of battleships an d frigaces wcre largcr and had bctter saìlìng
qualides and endurance than before. The scagc secmcd ro be sec for global warfare
over era de and sphercs of influcnce in rh e Ada mie, che lndia'n ocean and rhc Paci f-
ie, an area that increasingly carne imo focus during tbc l770s and l780s. l.ooking
ahead [Q whar happened in che ninccecnth cemury, me perceprion of me future
mac che policy-makers in Western Europe held was noc unrcallscic. The division
of mc world imo Eucopean spheres of influence was indeed abouc to take piace
and logically chis would lcad to fìerce scruggles over tradc:, colonies and maritimc
lines of communicadon around the world. Thc: struggle for hegemony in Europe
which cook piace from l 792 to 181 5 came as a surprise ro narions thar had bcen
expecting a scruggle abour mc rese of che world.
As wc know, no new Aùandc war cook piace during che sailing-ship period.
Armed srrugglcs ovcr che Aùantic lines of communicaùon had to wair unril che
rwo World Wars of mc cwenriem cemury when Germany challenged che Anglo-
Saxon contro! of these lines. Conrmry to the expeccacions of me 1780s, thc Frcnch
Revolurion broughr power scrugglcs on rhe conrincnr back imo focus. The t\Ctions
oucside Europe during the war period from 1792 co 1815 were ~mali compared
to che scrugglc on che conrinenr and on me seas around Europe. The French and
Spanish navies bega n co dedine during thc t 790s and alchough me formcr rcmained
mc second largcsc barde flcer in me worJd, me Spanish navy pcaccically disappeo.red
in rhc early nineceenrh ccnrury. The Brirlsh navy gaincd conu:ol of che lincs of m;tr·
icime communicacion around rhe world by defeating her encmies in .Europea n wnters
in wars thac were esscmially foughc nbouc rhe hegemony on me conrincnr.