Description
Book SynopsisHegemonic transitions are never clear, and they usually emerge from a period of multi-polarity in the world-system. Two types of state tend to contend for power: trading states and territorial states, although most states are never pure and tend to contain within them multiple polities with different agendas. This book describes the hegemonic transition between two major trading states, Britain and America. British decline began in the late Victorian era, but the transition to American power was slow, and other states also sought hegemony. Transitions between trading states focus on economic struggle, though struggles between trading and territorial states and between territorial states are marked by armed conflict. In 1919 President Woodrow Wilson saw three arenas of competition developing between Britain and America: in international transportation, international communication, and petroleum. But Britain was challenged economically by America as early as 1861 via the Morrill Tariff,
Trade Review"Peter Hugill is a gifted scholar whose insights, particularly into the impact of technology, enable him to craft complex and novel explanations. In this book he does not disappoint. Drawing on the three themes of transport, communications and oil, he then nests them within a framework structured from a concept of transition, cultural perspectives and the impact of technology to produce a compelling narrative of the transition of pre-eminent world power from Britain to the United States." -- Alan Dobson, University of Swansea
An interdisciplinary and intellectual tour de force how innovations in marine, land and air technologies and telecommunications contributed to America replacing Britain as the global military and political power last century. The thought-provoking analysis is essential for scholars interested in 20th century global geopolitics and world systems. -- Stan Brunn, Univ of Kentucky
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Chapter 1: The Nature of Transition Struggles and the Background to the Anglo-American Struggle Chapter 2: The Struggle over the Evolution of the Military and Merchant Marines Chapter 3: The Struggle over Air Power and Technology Chapter 4: The Struggle over Telecommunications Chapter 5: The Struggle over Broadcasting Chapter 6: The Oil War: The Struggle to Control the Middle Eastern Oil Spigot after World War One Chapter 7: Multi-polarity to Hegemony. The switch from British to American hegemony through Australian eyes Conclusion Bibliography About the Author
