Synopses & Reviews
'Daniel Baugh's substantial new book on the Seven Years War illuminates the contest across the world - in Europe, North America, the Caribbean, West Africa, and Asia - between the British and the French. He provides a masterly and accessible narrative, based on many years of study and reflection.'
Stephen Conway, University College London.
'Daniel Baugh's book meets a genuine need: a one-volume history of the eight-year struggle between Britain and France for maritime and colonial dominance. He presents a clear and engaging narrative, informed and highly informative, smoothly melding political, diplomatic, military, and naval history into a single, persuasive account of a war that was as consequential as it was complex.'
John Shy, Professor Emeritus of History, University of Michigan
"Baugh, an eminent naval historian, displays astonishing breadth in describing and analysing the strategies, logistics, politics, and leading personalities of this first Anglo-French global war, fought on four continents and in seven seas. The result is a narrative bristling with fresh and challenging perspectives, insights, and evaluations. Masterful."
Ian K. Steele, Professor Emeritus of History, University of Western Ontario
The Seven Years War was a global contest between Europes two most advanced monarchies of the eighteenth century, France and Britain. Winston Churchill called it the first World War. Neither side could afford to lose advantage in any part of the world, and the decisive battles of the war ranged from Fort Duquesne in what is now Pittsburgh to Minorca in the Mediterranean, from Bengal to Quebec. By the wars end British power in North America and India had been consolidated and the foundations of Empire laid, yet at the time both sides saw it primarily as a struggle for security and influence among contending European powers.
Daniel Baugh, a leading authority on eighteenth century maritime history, here provides a lucid, comprehensive and insightful account of the war. Battles and sieges are treated as inseparable from the difficulties of campaigning in far-flung and unfamiliar places; particular achievements (and failures) of the Royal Navy are highlighted. By unfolding the narrative as a series of challenges to statesmen and military officers, often presented in their own words, Baugh allows fresh evaluations of the performance of political systems and leading statesmen, including William Pitt and the duc de Choiseul, on both sides.
Anyone interested in the demands of war-making and the political stresses of peacemaking, especially in the eighteenth-century world, will gain knowledge and insight from this magisterial work.
Daniel Baughis Professor Emeritus of History, Cornell University. Born in Philadelphia, he received his Ph.D. from Cambridge University and is author of British Naval Administration in the Age of Walpole (1965).
Review
"This is an important account. It provides a comprehensive and accessible means to follow the war outside Europe, and Baughs judgements about the skills of those involved are pithy and fair... Both expert and novice will learn much from Baughs detailed history of a decisive conflict."
- The English Historical Review
Synopsis
The Seven Years War permanently changed the balance of power in Europe and paved the way both for the American War of Independence and for the British Empire. This is the definitive account of that conflict.
- Military history and US history combined are really hot topics and have a cult following amongst amateur historians
- The author is well known and respected within his field any bookshop with a history section will want a copy!
- Daniel Baugh has an excellent and accessible writing style which will appeal to all levels
- Includes many details of military campaigns and decision making which will appeal to the target market
Benchmark:
Death or Victory: The Battle of Quebec and the Birth of an Empire by Dan Snow (Harper Press 2009)
Synopsis
The Seven Years War was a global contest between the two superpowers of eighteenth century Europe, France and Britain. Winston Churchill called it the first World War. Neither side could afford to lose advantage in any part of the world, and the decisive battles of the war ranged from Fort Duquesne in what is now Pittsburgh to Minorca in the Mediterranean, from Bengal to Quèbec. By its end British power in North America and India had been consolidated and the foundations of Empire laid, yet at the time both sides saw it primarily as a struggle for security, power and influence within Europe.
In this eagerly awaited study, Daniel Baugh, the worlds leading authority on eighteenth century maritime history looks at the war as it unfolded from the failure of Anglo-French negotiations over the Ohio territories in 1784 through the official declaration of war in 1756 to the treaty of Paris which formally ended hostilities between England and France in 1763. At each stage he examines the processes of decision-making on each side for what they can show us about the capabilities and efficiency of the two national governments and looks at what was involved not just in the military engagements themselves but in the complexities of sustaining campaigns so far from home.
With its panoramic scope and use of telling detail this definitive account will be essential reading for anyone with an interest in military history or the history of eighteenth century Europe.
About the Author
Written by the winner of the Caird medal, 2011, awarded by the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. Previous winners include Paul Kennedy, David Attenborough and our own
FelipeFernández-Armesto Table of Contents
CONTENTS
Preface and Acknowledgments
Chapter 1 Introduction
North Americas Emerging Importance
Canadas Utility for France
A Global Contest
Geography and Policy
Chapter 2 Statesmen and Regimes
The Duke of Newcastle
The Earl of Hardwicke
William Pitt
The Duc de Choiseul
Chapter 3 Origins: The Contested Regions, 1748-1754
Acadia and Nova Scotia
The New York Frontier
Ohio: The French Predicament
Ohio: The French Solution
Virginia Responds
A Contest in India: Dupleixs Project
Chapter 4 Risking War, 1754-1755
Unreadiness of the British Colonies
Britain Raises the Stakes
The Futile Negotiation
Britain and Europe
Whitehall Under Pressures, Versailles Under Illusions
Chapter 5 War Without Declaration: North America, 1755
The French Navy Wins a Gamble
Nova Scotia
Braddock and Disaster
Campaigns in Northern New York
Chapter 6 Indecision in Europe: May to December 1755
Seizure of French Shipping
The Netherlands and Hanover
Pitt and the Russian Subsidy
Paralysis at Versailles
Chapter 7 French Triumphs, British Blunders, 1756
Frances Initial War Plan
France and the Diplomatic Revolution
Admiral Byng and the French Conquest of Minorca
Oswego Destroyed
British and American Armies
Chapter 8 Frances New War Plan, 1756-1757
Pitt Attains his Goal
War Begins on the Continent
Frances New War Plan
The Trial of Admiral Byng
Pitt, George II and Germany
The French Invasion of Germany
A Hanoverian Policy
Louisbourg and Lake George
The Rochefort Expedition
Chapter 9 The Tide Turns, 1758
The French Army in Germany: Defeat and Disaster
War in India: Bengal
Achieving Naval Superiority
Raids on the French Channel Coast
France in Distress
Chapter 10 The Atlantic and North America, 1758
Seapower and Shipping
West Africa
Changing Conditions of North American Warfare
The Conquest of Louisbourg
Ticonderoga and Frontenac
Mountains and Indians: The Road to Fort Duquesne
Chapter 11 The West Indies and North America, 1759
Martinique and Guadeloupe
Niagara and Lake Champlain
Montcalm, Vaudreuil and the Defence of Canada
The Capture of Quebec
Chapter 12 The British Victory at Sea, 1759
Invasion Threat and Blockade of Brest
Lagos Bay and Quiberon Bay
France Defeated: The War Lost
Chapter 13 Britain Conquers Afar, Disunity Looms at Home
Choiseuls Approach to Peace, 1759-60
War in India: The Coromandel Coast
The Conquest of Canada, 1760
Pitt and the German War
The Pitt-Newcastle Administration Undermined
Chapter 14 The Chance of Peace, 1761
Antecedents: Spain, Austria, Russia, and Ferdinands Winter Campaign
Choiseuls Two Negotiations
Belle-Île and Westphalia
The Anglo-French Negotiation
Choiseul and the Lost Chance of Peace
The Path to War with Spain
Chapter 15 Peacemaking 1762: Concessions Before Conquests
Aftermath of Pitts Resignation
The German War and the Prussian Subsidy
Martinique Conquered
The Secret Negotiation
The Defence of Portugal
The Capture of Havana
Peace with Bitterness
Chapter 16 Conclusion and Aftermath
Fundamental Causes of British Military Success
Why Peace was Delayed
The Significance of 1762
Outcomes: Peace Terms, Finances, Navies, Spain and France
Britain and North America
Abbreviations and Short Titles
Notes on Sources