1759: The Year Britain Became Master of the WorldHistory would have been different if not for the events of 1759. It was the fourth year of the Seven Years', or the French-and-Indian, War, and crucial victories against the French in the first truly global conflict laid the foundations of British supremacy throughout the world for the next hundred years. The defeat of the French not only paved the way for the global hegemony of the English language but also made the emergence of the United States possible. Guiding us through England's often extremely narrow victories in India, North America, and the Caribbean, McLynn controversially suggests that the birth of the British Empire was more a result of luck than of rigorous planning. McLynn includes anecdotes of the intellectual and cultural leaders of the day--Swedenborg, Hume, Voltaire--and sources ranging from the Vatican archives to oral histories of Native Americans.--From publisher description. |
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Abenaki Admiral Amherst army artillery attack battalions battle began Belle-Isle Berryer Boscawen Bougainville Brest Britain British Broglie Bussy campaign Canada Canadian Captain Charles Edward Choiseul colonies commander Conflans Contades Crown Point d'Aché d'Aiguillon defeat defenders eighteenth century enemy England English European expedition Ferdinand fighting fire fleet force Fort William Henry France Frederick French frigates George Guadeloupe Hawke Hawke's Highlanders Indian allies infantry invasion Iroquois island Jacobite Jesuits killed King Lake Lally Lally's land later Lévis Louis XV Louisbourg Madame de Pompadour Madras Martinique military Minister Montcalm Montmorency naval Newcastle North America Ohio Ohio country once orders parlement Pitt Pitt's Pompadour Pondicherry Prince Quebec Quiberon Rangers river Rogers Royal Navy Sackville sail scalping Scotland sent September Seven Years War ships Soubise St Francis St Lawrence Stuart Thurot Ticonderoga tion took tribes troops Vaudreuil Versailles vessels victory Voltaire warriors warships West Indies Wolfe Wolfe's wounded wrote