Undersea cables and the extension of empire: The rise of Britain, Japan, and the United States and the competition to connect Hawai‘i

This article examines the history of undersea cables from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century. How did geopolitics affect cable construction historically? What parallels exist in the present day? Drawing on new archival data and Japanese-language sources, the article examines case studies of Britain, Japan, and the United States to demonstrate how the construction of cable networks was historically shaped by rising powers seeking to connect their territories and colonies for strategic purposes, which sometimes put small island nations such as Hawai‘i at the center of competition over connectivity. Geopolitics influenced the structure of cable networks during this period; connections tended to proliferate among countries that shared colonial links, while tensions and distrust among countries stopped potential construction projects. When countries came into conflict with one another, cable networks were disrupted due to intentional sabotage, or they were allowed to fall into disuse in some cases. This article contributes to the existing literature by incorporating data that has previously received little attention into discussions about the history of undersea cables and by bringing the cases of the United Kingdom, Japan, and the United States into dialogue with one another. This historical approach to analyzing the hegemonic activities of three imperial powers through the lens of submarine cables yields findings that have implications for contemporary policy, despite changes in technology and legal frameworks over the years.