Classical republican martial enthusiasm was defensive in intent despite seeming imperialistic.

Evidence

The classical republicans rarely advocated conquest for its own sake: “swords were given to men,” writes Sidney, “that none might be slaves,” not that they might enslave others (1698, 343). In a hostile world populated by autocratic rivals, Machiavelli may have been right to believe that a republic’s best defence is a good offense. — Frank Lovett, Republicanism, 67

Categorization

• XREF: Complicates the reader’s mental default that republicanism was inherently imperialistic; dovetails with thinking about how political ideals weaponize defense rhetoric. — connects to: Political self-protection, not military necessity, drove the basing decision
• corroborated: 5 independent passages support this claim — Frank Lovett, Republicanism, 67

Broader Connections

• Political self-protection, not military necessity, drove the basing decision #complicates (0.75)