Page 337 - 1992 - XVIII Congresso Internazionale di Storia Militare

ALTERNATL~G STRATEGie CONCEPTS TN U.S.A.
FROM 1890 TO 1941

JORG-EN ROH\VER

Milìcary scrategies depend on a set of preceptS whicb may differ from one coun·
uy ro the other according to internai and exrernaJ conditions. First robe mencioned
are the geographical siruacion, the strucrure of the population, rhe constirution and
the economie sysrem with its induscriaJ capacities. Because strareg.ies are developed
by men, one of rhe most imporrane facrors is the counrry's hisrorical experience
with its conllict:s and wars as weU as rhe politicaJ aims and the thteats, wbicb aie
perceived by che polidcal and milirary leaders .
.Look.ing at the Unired Stares in the late 19th cenrury rbe overriding hisroricaJ
experience was the Civil War with its devastacing effccts in .many areas. Behind
this we should not forget the experience with the Bcitish and the French during
the wars for independence and of 1812. The lattee experiences led tO a lasting feel-
ing of distance from rhe Europea n colonia) powers, which resulted in the Monroe
Docuine. The forme c experience led ro a strong concentration o n the internai reco.n·
sr.ruccion of rbe cou.nrry, aggressive industrializacion, rhe inregration of the big flow
of European inunigrants, and the conquesr of che cerrirories in rbe W est.
Wirh no real thl'eat from abroad, milicary thinking was concerned mosdy with
rhe cac.tics co be used in the lndian wars. At rbar cime there was no real danger
from overseas so rh e Navy was completely neglecred for rwo decades. Mosr A.mer:i-
can leaders were conlìdem that c-oasral defenses could procecr rbe seaboard frorn
naval or a.mphibious attacks. Some fast, weU-equipped raidlng cruisers mighr play
havock wich the enemy's merchanr ships.
Wich rhe conquest of cbe Wesr co.mplered, a quickly growing populacion and
sweeping industriai developmenr, in rbe late 1880's che role of che Army became
more and more a matter of secondary i.mporrance. Tbe American l.eaders rurned
their eyes overseas co win new markets as djd rbeii economie rivals in .Europe dm·
ing tbis peak period of imt>erialjsrn. The introduction of steamships ro rransporr
raw macerials and industriai productS overseas made it necessary ro acqui re coal-
ing scarions abroad and ro expand che navies to prorect rrade. So imperialism be-
carne dosely relared co a navalism, a build-up of naval forces to suppott this
world-wide economie and colonia! expansion.
Around 1890 rwo aggessive concepts of naval srraregy carne co be accepred.
Tbe rechnical revolution, with sream driven ships. the use of iron in srup bujlding,