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The British Way of War: Julian Corbett and the Battle for a National Strategy Hardcover – December 14, 2021

by Andrew Lambert (Author)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 27 ratings
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How a strategist's ideas were catastrophically ignored in 1914—but shaped Britain’s success in the Second World War and beyond

Leading historian Andrew Lambert shows how, as a lawyer, civilian, and Liberal, Julian Corbett (1854–1922) brought a new level of logic, advocacy, and intellectual precision to the development of strategy.
 
Corbett skillfully integrated classical strategic theory, British history, and emerging trends in technology, geopolitics, and conflict to prepare the British state for war. He emphasized that strategy is a unique national construct, rather than a set of universal principles, and recognized the importance of domestic social reform and the evolving British Commonwealth. Corbett's concept of a maritime strategy, dominated by the control of global communications and economic war, survived the debacle of 1914–18, when Britain used the German "way of war" at unprecedented cost in lives and resources. It proved critical in the Second World War, shaping Churchill’s conduct of the conflict from the Fall of France to D-Day. And as Lambert shows, Corbett’s ideas continue to influence British thinking.
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  1. Print length
    544 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Yale University Press
  4. Publication date
    December 14, 2021
  5. Dimensions
    6.3 x 1.9 x 9.3 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0300250738
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0300250732
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“One of the most substantive studies we have yet of a British public intellectual in the early decades of the twentieth century. . . . A powerful and opinionated book, and a larger achievement for being so.”—Paul Kennedy, Journal of Military History

 “This book is a must. . . . As ever with Professor Lambert, the prose is flowing and engaging, the arguments convincing, and the stamp of rigorous scholarship and considerable thinking evident on every page.”—G. H. Bennett, Journal of Military History

“Andrew Lambert trawls through all of the relevant archives to uncover Corbett’s life and times, and then to overturn the standard accounts of British seapower from 1895 to 1915. This outstanding work will become an essential text for anyone interested in naval history and strategy.”—John Ferris, author of Behind the Enigma

“Andrew Lambert, the leading naval historian of our generation, writing a biography of Sir Julian Corbett, the best maritime strategist ever: this is a perfect match. The result is a tremendously erudite, beautifully written study of Corbett’s thoughts and world in all its detail, against the background of Britain’s global politics of his times.”—Beatrice Heuser, author of The Evolution of Strategy

About the Author

Andrew Lambert is Laughton Professor of Naval History at King’s College, London, and a fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He is the author of Seapower States.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Yale University Press (December 14, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 544 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0300250738
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0300250732
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.25 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.3 x 1.9 x 9.3 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 27 ratings

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Andrew Lambert

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4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
27 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Salty Sailor
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Assessment of British Naval Strategist
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2022
Verified Purchase
Author Andrew Lambert's recently published book is an incisive intellectual history and biography of Julian Corbett who became prominent writer for the Royal Navy's efforts retain dominance in the internal struggles to control Britain's military policies in the run-up to World War I. He traces Corbett's early days and literary writings through their awkward beginnings to his mature days as a defense intellectual of the highest order. During the twenty years preceding the war Corbett was absorbed in studies of earlier naval histories in an effort to glean lessons to establish that there was a true British strategy or "way of war" that he felt would be necessary for national survival. The essence was to prove that Great Britain had always depended on a naval strategy combined with expeditionary warfare to keep her from becoming deeply involved continental warfare. The island kingdom's strength was in its maritime sinews and far-flung imperial possessions. As World War became more menacing, the continentalists who spoke for British Army's defense establishment wanted to shift imperial defense to dependence on a large army of conscripts so as to oppose the enormous army that Germany would put into the field. Corbett foresaw disaster in the making for Britain if she threw her resources into creation and supporting a continental army rather than a flexible, mobile expeditionary force based on sea power. Corbett's acute legal mind and skilled writings made him one of the most important naval intellectuals of that time and he was much in demand as a speaker and discussant at the Royal Navy War Course and Royal Naval College, Greenwich. He was often on call for writing papers for the Admiralty to use in its internal debates and to write essays in defense of current naval strategy and policy for the liberal Monthly Review, the Quarterly Review, as well as The Times of London, read by Members of Parliament and senior officers of the armed services. As pressure of approaching war grew, so did the influence of the British Army and ultimately the Crown adopted a continentalist strategy rather than the Corbettian "British Way of War." The Army's dominance of policy making lessened the role of the role of the Royal Navy at the highest levels. The way the war turned out was a disaster for Britain given her deep involvement on the battlefields of the Western Front, even though she was one of the victorious powers in 1918. Lambert's book is highly recommended for all interested in British strategy and policy of the pre-World War I era and afterward. Corbett's writings are still taught at war colleges in Britain and the United States, along with Mahan, Clausewitz, and others.
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Mark V.
4.0 out of 5 stars Intellectually stimulating, some minor weaknesses
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2024
Overall, I liked this book a lot, with a few reservations.

It introduced me to Julian Corbett and made a convincing argument that he was a major British strategist who is well worth reading today. (I intend to read his "Some Principles of Maritime Strategy"; it's available for free on the internet.) I'd describe the writing as "perfectly competent for an academic book" but not as "has sufficient literary verve that people will read it even if they aren't interested in the subject." So be warned: you have to be seriously interested in British strategy before and during WWI.

Still, the book does have some minor literary pleasures. First, Lambert obviously likes Corbett, which makes for a pleasant read. Second, Lambert—unusually for an academic work—isn't shy about stating his preferences and giving the book clear heroes and villains. Corbett and Admiral Jacky Fisher are in the first group. The second group includes German militarists, the British generals who dogmatically followed them, and spineless and/or uninsightful politicians. A young-ish Winston Churchill falls into that last group. He ended up following Corbett's strategic recommendations in WWII... without admitting it or giving him any credit, apparently.

Despite these limited complaints, I've already checked out Lambert's "Seapower States" from the local public library.
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Scott Usborne
5.0 out of 5 stars Impressive deep-dive into the foundations of British strategic thought.
Reviewed in Canada on January 2, 2022
Verified Purchase
An excellent dive into the foundations of British strategic thought. Also a strong compliment and expansion on Andrew Lambert's previous work on British strategy during the Crimean War.
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