Discussion: "Policy in Action: Spencer Wilkinson and the Foundations of Modern Grand Strategy" by Paul Ramsey

This talk examines Spenser Wilkinson's pivotal role in shaping modern grand strategy amidst nineteenth-century industrialization and globalization. Wilkinson broadened strategy to encompass all national resources, integrating military and policy dimensions to address the complexities of imperial defence. The talk explores his vision of grand strategy as national policy in action. It also traces how his ideas impacted later scholars, challenging the attribution of grand strategy’s origins to figures like J.F.C. Fuller and Basil Liddell Hart. By revisiting Wilkinson’s contributions, the talk illuminates the historical roots of grand strategic thought and its relevance to contemporary security challenges. It argues that Wilkinson laid the foundations of modern grand strategic thought, offering a comprehensive framework that remains pertinent today.

 

Paul Ramsey is a historian of war and strategy. Paul is ABD in history at the University of Calgary, and a visiting researcher at the University of Toronto. He was the Edward S. Miller Research Fellow in Naval History at the United States Naval War College. He completed his MA in the History of Warfare in the Department of War Studies at King’s College, London, and his BA in Military and International History at the University of Salford. Paul’s research examines the early academic writing about national strategy and public opinion about war. His dissertation shows the role of Spenser Wilkinson, a leading thinker on war, strategy and society, in the professionalisation of strategic planning and national defence policy in First World War era Britain.