Gunboat Policy

The term comes from the colonial wars, in which shows of force with gunboats, which were the most common type of warship and symbolized military advancements, were frequent. A country negotiating with a European power — generally on trade matters — could be warned that a ship, or even worse, a fleet of warships had positioned itself outside its ports, threatening all its maritime traffic and even the safety of its citizens. This mere fact had a great effect on the fearful rulers of the time, and no other demonstrations such as shelling of ports and civilian facilities were necessary.