NAVAL POLICY BETWEEN THE WARS: 2 VOLUME SET VOL I: The Period of Anglo-American Antagonism 919-1929; Vol II: The Period of Reluctant Rearmament 1930-1939

Captain Stephen Roskill is one of the foremost twentieth century naval historians. This is a welcome Seaforth reprint of the two volumes (1919-1929 and 1930-1939) which emerged originally in 1968 and 1976.
Published at a shade under £40 we have a small publishers overstock available at £11.99 for the 2 volumes

Volume 1 Softback 672 pages
The main themes of the first volume are: the after-effects of the Armistice; the struggle to prevent a renewed naval arms race, despite the challenge from the USA and Japan, which culminated in the Washington Naval Treaty; and the broader attempts at peace-keeping through diplomacy and the fragile vehicle of the League of Nations. On a technical level, the primacy of big-gun battleships was increasingly challenged by air power, and the Navy fought an internal battle with the Air Force to obtain sufficient aviation assets for the fleet. Although the 1920s is largely ignored in naval history, this volume demonstrates that the period is key to understanding the development of the Navy that fought the Second World War.

Volume 2 Softback 544 pages
Picking up the story in 1930, the second volume covers the rise of the European dictatorships on the one hand, alongside continuing attempts at controlling arms expenditure through diplomacy and treaties. Eventually, Italian, German and indeed Japanese aggression diminished the prospects for peace, to the point where Britain felt forced to rearm. How the Navy used the precious few years leading up to the outbreak of war is a crucial section of the book and forms a fitting conclusion to this important study of the inter-war years.

Overseas clients please note: Due to excessively high wrapped weight shipping is weighted on this title.