Indifference to the Navy? Security, identity and naval power 1870–84

Abstract

This article explores the public discussions about the Royal Navy in the period 1870–84, a period that has seen research into naval policy, but little into the wider support for the Navy. Through an examination of contemporary coverage in newspapers, journals and pamphlets it argues that in this period the British were not apathetic or uninterested in their Navy, but instead were complacent and lacked informed comment on the issues. The degree of public engagement with naval issues before 1884 may lead historians to look again at the significance of the wave of navalism that swept across Britain after 1884.