Description:
Eighteenth-century Britons were frequently anxious about the threat of invasion, military weakness, possible financial collapse and potential revolution. Anthony Page argues that between 1744 and 1815, Britain fought a 'Seventy Years War' with France. This invaluable study:
- Argues for a new periodization of eighteenth-century British history, and explains the politics and course of Anglo-French war
- Explores Britain's 'fiscal-naval' state and its role in the expansion of empire and industrial revolution
- Highlights links between war, Enlightenment and the evolution of modern British culture and politics
Brief description: Anthony Page is Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Tasmania.
Review Quotes:
"Book focuses on what he terms the 'Seventy Years War', an almost-continuous series of conflicts between Britain and (mostly) France, which started with the shambolic response to the Jacobite rebellion and culminated in the triumph of Waterloo, paving the way for a century of imperial dominance under the Pax Britannica ... Given the focus on war, this is necessarily an international account of British history ... New book makes a striking claim for the continued relevance of Georgian Britain." --Matthew McCormack, The Journal of the Historical Association
"The prose is clear and readable, the analysis is enlivened with well-chosen examples, and Page offers much helpful contextual material ... The book will be valuable to researchers and teachers who will find here a scholarly, up-to-date introduction to the "war and society" theme in eighteenth-century British history." --John Shovlin, Journal of British Studies, Vol. 55 (1)