The Naval Scenario after the First World War: DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18847/1.6.9

Abstract

World War I stands out as one of the conflicts where the naval scenario, and the way to carry out the war in, faced bigger changes. The behaviour of the naval leaders of the great powers before 1914, provoked an extraordinary naval race and an increasing rivalry over the maritime environment. Over this cornerstone, the shape and outcome of WWI changed the scenario dramatically, defining a new setup for the inter-war period. The new post-war leadership forced a total change in the main naval actors that would set the pace for the coming years, creating new and unstable regional equilibriums. At the same time, the technological development and the war-time experiences shaped the predominant naval thinking into a global view of the war at sea, with the addition of submarine, air and electromagnetic dimensions to the traditional, mainly surface-driven means of conducting a war.