| ID | 144525 |
| Title Proper | Myth of a naval revolution by proxy |
| Other Title Information | Lord Fisher’s Influence on Winston Churchill’s naval policy, 1911–1914 |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Bell, Christopher M |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Revisionist historians have argued that in July 1914 Britain’s First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, was preparing to implement a ‘Naval Revolution’ based on radical ideas they attribute to Admiral Sir John Fisher. This article examines Fisher’s influence on Churchill in 1911–14. By subjecting the revisionist argument to rigorous scrutiny, it demonstrates that Churchill did not embrace either ‘flotilla defence’ or the ‘battlecruiser concept’, the two central components of Fisher’s supposed radical agenda. On the eve of war, Churchill’s immediate goals were neither revolutionary nor inspired by Fisher. The weakness of the revisionists’ argument undermines their broad interpretation of naval policy during the Fisher era. |
| `In' analytical Note | Journal of Strategic Studies Vol. 38, No.7; Dec 2015: p.1024-1044 |
| Journal Source | Journal of Strategic Studies Vol: 38 No 7 |
| Key Words | Royal Navy ; Naval Revolution ; Churchill, Fisher |