Cunard Liner RMS Lusitania

The famous transatlantic ocean liners of the early 20th century were important national symbols in the rivalry between Britain and Germany.

Or at least, that’s the traditional view.

But the construction and interior design of these ships indicate that their owners were actually more concerned with profits than with patriotism.  While the shipping lines may have paid lip service to nationalism — especially when it helped them win public support and government subsidies — their real motivation was a simple desire to appeal to fare-paying passengers.

An examination of ships like the Mauretania, Lusitania, Olympic, Titanic, Imperator, Vaterland, and others reveal a striking dichotomy between the way the ships were described at the time, and the way they were actually designed.

  1. Introduction: Liners and Nationalism
  2. England and the Anglo-German Rivalry
  3. England’s Maritime Heritage
  4. Cunard’s Mauretania and Lusitania: Symbols of National Renewal
  5. The Kaiser and Germany Ocean Liners
  6. The Steamship Lines
  7. Ocean Liner Interior Design
  8. Conclusion
  9. Sources
  10. Contact

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