At the dawn of the 20th century, Britain was witnessing a relative
national decline as other powers caught up to the industrial revolution.
New rivals with large navies posed tough strategic choices. Competition
for fiscal resources was intense, as the demand for social initiatives
battled with the needs of national defense. Tax increases were
politically untenable and not seriously considered. Compounding these
factors was continuing and significant technological change. To the
degree that Britain led the world technologically, it could master
change. Yet the breadth, depth, and speed of change were significant.
The legacy systems upon which Britain’s naval mastery had long been
based were rapidly becoming obsolete.
Link:
http://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2012-10/shifting-targets
Link:
http://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2012-10/shifting-targets
