Importance of Thalassocracy

Although it is a term rarely used today, thalassocracy or mastery of the seas is a concept that has been applied to various societies throughout history. history that they made their power in relation to the water courses that have surrounded them more than around the terrestrial spaces.

The domination of the seas is a way of dominating the geopolitical space

The term thalassocracy comes from the Greek, language in which thalassa means sea and Kratos can. This makes thalassocracy power over the seas, a very important and distinctive element in times when navigation was a central method of trade as well as control between companies. The phenomenon of communities that have managed to dominate the seas has always been directly related to the presence of that medium predominantly, which led the communities that we will mention later to have to specialize in their domain.

The Phoenicians were the first thalassocrats in history: dominating the Mediterranean

Without a doubt, when one uses the word thalassocracy, one thinks of the Phoenicians. These towns, located in what today would be the coast of Israel, Jordan and the Syro-Palestinian corridor, stood out in antiquity for dominating the

Mediterranean Sea Almost completely. This sea, which is enclosed between lands, was the main means of wealth for the Phoenician cities, since it was where they carried out trade among themselves and with other peoples.

But the Phoenicians were not the only ones. The British, the Minoans, the Italian Renaissance cities, the Spanish and Portuguese at different times of the history have also been able to develop important techniques of navigation, mastery of the sea and control over other populations. All these towns had advanced ships that allowed them to sail the seas and oceans, transport a large amount of resources and become substantially rich.

Thalassocracy is a form of central rule on a planet in which the seas and oceans are an important part of the territory. Although in recent times the communication and air transport have taken first place, even today commercial, military and policy they continue to occupy a relevant place that no country with an interesting maritime power can or should leave aside. This means that thalassocracy cannot fail to be analyzed as a possible form of domination.

Images: Fotolia. Alexander Shebanov–Jukovskyy