The Dreadnought and the Edwardian Age

HMS Dreadnought (1906) is closely associated with the age of empire, the Anglo-German antagonism and the naval arms race before the First World War. Yet it was also linked with a range of other contexts - political and cultural, national and international - that were central to the Edwardian period. The chapters in this volume investigate these contexts and their intersection in this symbolically charged icon of the Edwardian age. In reassessing the most famous warship of the period, this collection not only considers the strategic and operational impact of this 'all big gun' battleship, but also explores the many meanings Dreadnought had in politics and culture, including national and imperial sentiment, gender relations and concepts of masculinity, public spectacle and images of technology, and ideas about modernity and decline. The volume brings together historians from different backgrounds, working on naval and technological history, politics and international relations, as well as culture and gender. This diverse approach to the subject ensures that the book offers a timely revision of the Dreadnought and the Edwardian Age.'

Robert J. Blyth is curator of imperial and maritime history at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, UK. Andrew Lambert is Laughton Professor of Naval History in the Department of War Studies at King's College, London, UK. Jan RÃ-ger is Senior Lecturer in Modern European History at Birkbeck College, University of London, UK.

Contents: Preface, Andrew Lambert and Jan RÃ-ger; Introduction: the Dreadnought and the Edwardian age, Robert J. Blyth; Part I The Symbolism and Significance of Dreadnought: The symbolic value of the Dreadnought, Jan RÃ-ger; The power of a name: tradition, technology and transformation, Andrew Lambert. Part II Political and Diplomatic Contexts: 'The greatest and richest sacrifice ever made on the altar of militarism': the finance of naval expansion, c. 1890-1914, Martin Daunton; Grey ambassador: the Dreadnought and British foreign policy, T.G. Otte; Dreadnought: a 'golden opportunity' for Germany's naval aspirations?, Michael Epkenhans. Part III Social and Cultural Contexts: The Woman's Dreadnought: maritime symbolism in Edwardian gender politics, Lucy Delap; 'The surest safeguard of peace': technology, the Navy and the nation in boys' papers, c. 1905-1907, Max Jones. Part IV Technological and Operational Contexts: Dreadnought science; the cultural construction of efficiency and effectiveness, Crosbie Smith; The battleship Dreadnought: technological, economic and strategic contexts, Eric Grove; Grand battle-fleet tactics: from the Edwardian age to Jutland, John Brooks; HMS Dreadnought and the tides of history, Paul Kennedy; Index.