System Of Ambition: British Foreign Policy 1660-1793

System of Ambition: British Foreign Policy 1660-1793

In 1701, in reaction to the exertion by William Pitt the Youngers government of diplomatic pressure and the threat of naval force to determine the outcome of the struggle between Russia and Turkey in the Balkans, the playwright, and opposition MP, Sheridan attacked what he called the system of ambition, of vain glory in British foreign policy.Foreign policy was of central concern in Britain between 1660 and 1793. It affected and interested not only politicians but also all those involved in matters of economics and religion-with taxation, religion and the succession being intimately bound up with Britains alignment in Europe. It was a time of state-making and of colonial expansion and empire building. A time of expansion, consolidation, and the protection of interests.Jeremy Blacks respected history of British foreign policy in this crucial and fascinating era deals with all the major conflicts, including the Anglo-Dutch Wars, the Wars of the Spanish and Austrian Successions, the Seven Years War and the American and French revolutions. It includes the role of parliament; the influence of the crown; the diplomatic system; the impact of military considerations; the importance of trade and the growing effect of public opinion and the press. A fascinating record of Britains rise to spectacular greatness on the world stage, A System of Ambition? Will be invaluable for any student of eighteenth-century British and European history.