This history examines changes in the composition of military fleets sailing the Mediterranean Sea brought about by British weakness, the rise of the Austrian navy, and the Italo-Turkish War, and considers how shifting international positions in the Mediterranean region drove naval growth. Disagreeing with previous studies on the era's naval policy, the author argues that while internal factors played a role in naval growth, direct pressure from other countries drove the expansion of Mediterranean navies prior to World War I. Annotation ©2014 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)