To what extent is it reasonable to suggest that the expansion of the Royal Navy in the years 1763-1914 was the result of political imperatives?

Ultimately, the motive behind all Naval expansion and diminishing was political, as the Navy was under the instruction of Westminster. However, it is possible to sub-divide the over-arching political motive into political, technological, and military motivations. Over the course of the years 1763-1914, the Royal Navy waxed and wained, reacting to other imperial threats. For example, a sizeable Navy was needed to combat the French, after the Seven Years’ War and during the American Civil War ( 1763-1783), as well as during the Napoleonic Wars, culminating, in particular, the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Britain’s Two Power Standard also resulted in the expansion of the Navy when the French and Russians started innovating theirs, especially when iron-cladding and steam ships were introduced, making older fleets obsolete.Firstly, Britain from 1763-1914 considered itself to be the supreme Naval power, more advanced than the Dutch, French or Spanish ( having beaten the French in the Seven Years’ War, 1756-1763). The drive to continue this naval hegemony led to the expansion of the Royal Navy on a number of occasions to maintain the two-power standard, and also resulted in the size of the fleet being reduced after 1805. Politically, 1805 and the Battle of Trafalgar represented a turning-point for there Royal Navy, as Britain’s victory resulted in the near complete destruction of the French and Spanish fleets, resulting in there being no there power which could compete with the size and expertise of the Royal Navy. Therefore, from 1805 virtually until the 1850s, Britain decreased the size of the Royal Navy as its role as Pax Britannica did not require such a large and expensive fleet to be maintained. Thus, whilst the Navy had 241 ships of the line and 792 frigates in 1815, this was eventually reduced to 100 ships of the line and 62 frigates, and then further reduced to 58 ships of the line by 1835, as such a large Navy as the one in 1815 was not necessary or cost-effective. However, with the introduction of the Two Power Standard, Britain’s Navy was expanded through the Naval Defence Act of 1889, which committed Britain to 10 battleships, 42 cruisers and 18 torpedo gunships by 1893-94. This was to ensure that Britain’s position as ruler of the waves was unassailable, and prevented the French and Russians from being able to combine and produce a navy the size of Britain’s. Ultimately, these were political imperatives which determined the expansion or shrinking of the size of the Royal Navy between the years 1805-1889, as Britain during this time was not conducting any major naval battles and, thus, only wanted to demonstrate her might by producing mightier ships than other naval nations.