Changes and challenges : the Royal Navy's China Station and Britain's East Asian empire during the 1920s
Examining Britain's position in 1920s East Asia at a point amid changes in the international balance of power, this thesis bridges the gap between the existing imperial and naval accounts of a key transition point in global history. In doing so, it focuses upon the foremost organisation involved in maintaining and supporting the peripheral regions of imperial influence, the Royal Navy's China Station. The thesis provides an important new segment to help in explaining the wider story of the slow decline of British imperial and naval dominance in the 1920s. Foremost among the findings is an emphasis on how heavily inter-related Britain's strategies for China and Japan were during the decade. Indeed, China was expected by the Admiralty to play a pivotal role in any future relationship between the British Empire and the increasingly expansionist Japan, which adds a significant new angle to existing discussion of Britain's far eastern defence strategy. Providing fresh insights into how those grand strategies were implemented in practice, the thesis shows how naval officers serving in the region willingly and repeatedly deviated from official policy on a day-to-day basis in order to assist their counterparts from
Heaslip, M.
Royal Navy ; British Empire ; China ; Gunboat Diplomacy
Changes and challenges : the Royal Navy's China Station and Britain's East Asian empire during the 1920s. Examining Britain's position in 1920s East Asia at a point amid changes in the international balance of power, this thesis bridges the gap between the existing imperial and naval accounts of a key transition point in global history. In doing so, it focuses upon the foremost organisation involved in maintaining and supporting the peripheral regions of imperial influence, the Royal Navy's China Station. The thesis provides an important new segment to help in explaining the wider story of the slow decline of British imperial and naval dominance in the 1920s. Foremost among the findings is an emphasis on how heavily inter-related Britain's strategies for China and Japan were during the decade. Indeed, China was expected by the Admiralty to play a pivotal role in any future relationship between the British Empire and the increasingly expansionist Japan, which adds a significant new angle to existing discussion of Britain's far eastern defence strategy. Providing fresh insights into how those grand strategies were implemented in practice, the thesis shows how naval officers serving in the region willingly and repeatedly deviated from official policy on a day-to-day basis in order to assist their counterparts from
changes challenge royal_navy china station britain east asian empire examining britain position east asia point amid change international balance_power bridge_gap exist imperial naval account key transition point global history focus_upon foremost organisation involve maintain support peripheral region imperial influence royal_navy china station provide_important new segment help_explain wide story slow decline_british imperial naval dominance foremost among finding emphasis heavily inter_related britain strategy china_japan decade indeed china expect admiralty play pivotal_role future relationship british_empire increasingly expansionist japan add significant new_angle exist discussion britain far eastern defence strategy providing fresh_insight grand strategy implement practice show naval officer serve region willingly repeatedly deviate official_policy day_to_day basis order assist counterpart