Alfred Mahan Influence

When looking at Alfred Thayer Mahan it is impossible to overlook his military prowess during the 1800’s as well as the immense influence he had on the United States militarily. However, unbeknown to most people Mahan was a scholar and writer as well as a budding political influence during the 1800s. It is only because Alfred Mahan was so capable in history, economics, and geography that he was able to become influential and make decisions and suggestions that helped to shape the United States as a global power. Without all the knowledge Mahan had acquired, in conjunction with his military knowledge, the United States never would have been able to take the steps during this time period that allowed it to become so significant throughout the
Military Academy at West Point. Alfred Mahan’s father, Dennis Mahan, had a profound influence on the man that Alfred would become. Dennis himself was a renowned military influence during his time, he wrote a variety of books, many which were used as textbooks for students studying military influences and strategies. However, one of Dennis Mahan’s most crucial contributions was his use of topography and his use of certain terrain to develop new strategies as well as helping to develop and focus the concept of calculated risks. It is because of Alfred father, Dennis, that Alfred grew up surrounded by the knowledge of geography and theory, and was instilled with knowledge of and an intense pride for the United States and its military. It was largely to do with the influence of his upbringing that lead Mahan to join the United States Navy and become and influence of his own. Alfred Mahan’s focus on geography and economics was largely in part to do with his father, however it was Alfred’s interest in the field that allowed it to make it his own and use it to help officiate the United States as a world
He taught navy history and tactics at United States Navel War College before eventually becoming president of the college in 1886. During this time Mahan published several books, two of his most important ones, which almost instantaneously became best sellers, were The Infulence of Sea Power upon History, 1660-1783 and The Influence of Sea Power upon the French Revolution and Empire, 1793–1812. The Influence of Sea Power upon History was focussed on Mahan argument that military performance at sea was vital for narrational supremacy, while the Influence of Sea Power upon the French Resolution and Empire was written to dictate the “interdependence of the military and commercial control of the sea and asserted that the control of seaborne commerce can determine the outcome of wars”. It was these books that allowed Mahan to start to become an important influence in the academic military world and start to gain attention from important and influential figures. However, it was not these books themselves that caused Mahan to become actively engaged in helping to the United States to become a world power, but instead it was the declining of the United States economy. Mahan unbeknown to many was a very active economist and sought to use this, along with other attics, in order to help the United