The Global Seven Years War 1754-1763: Britain and France in a Great Power Contest (Modern Wars In Perspective) [Paperback]

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 world’s 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.

'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 Europe’s 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 war’s 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).