‘The truth is that we have ceased to be a nation; we have forgotten nationhood, and have become a conglomerate of classes, parties, factions, and sects. That is the disease. The remedy consists in reconstituting ourselves as a nation.’
Written five years before the outbreak of World War I, Wilkinson foresaw the possibility of Germany and Great Britain blundering into war. In his opinion, Germany’s naval build up was causing a naval arms race in Europe leading to a decrease in trust between nations. Fearing a coming conflict, Wilkinson was worried for Britain since he thought Britain was neither prepared nor nationalistic enough to face off Germany in war. Britain at Bay documents the thoughts and anxieties of a British military observer in the face of an increasingly hostile and complex world.
Spenser Wilkinson, full name Henry Spenser Wilkinson, was a British professor of military history.