Great Powers In The 17th And 1
8th Centuries
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Great Britain, France, and the Hapsburg Empire were all competing for the fate of Europe. France, in particular, was caught between being a continental power or a world power; taking control of the Rhine and most of Central Europe, or taking control of The New World. France’s primary goal at the time was for control of the Rhine, but this goal was not without obstacles. Great Britain’s main concern was to keep the balance of power in Europe on their side, while expanding overseas. The Hapsburg Empire’s goals were dealing with conquering the Holy Roman Empire and the Germanic states, in turn taking over the entire continent from the inside ...
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with barracks, hospitals, parade grounds, and depots to support them. Along with an organized enormous fleet at sea, France became a true hybrid power. Its energies were diverted between continental aims and maritime and colonial ambitions. For two decades with no real competition, France was successful, but other powers soon built up enough recourses and power to challenge it. By 1713, and the Treaty of Utrecht, France’s boundaries were established covering the Saint Lawrence River valley, the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys, the West Indian islands of Saint Domingue, Guadeloupe, and Martinique. Constantly defending these territories with the navy, and wars on land with Italy and other states, split French energy into the navy and military. Never putting enough effort into just one of these two divisions, French strategy was described as a constant “falling between stools”, with no direction. If one of the two divisions were solely concentrated on, French success ...
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social structure. The “financial revolution” was a huge part in the role Great Britain played during this time. The tax structure was much less resented by the public than that of France, or any other country. Britain had a system of loans and interest that increased their total income greatly. Three-quarters of extra wartime funds used to help Britain’s troops came from loans, while outgoing loans had an interest fee. The Bank of England in 1694 controlled the national debt as well as much of the stock exchange, while growth of paper money without much inflation helped the economy. As a result of the organization of England’s economy, foreign investors flocked to the ...
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"Great Powers In The 17th And 1." Essayworld.com. November 17, 2006. Accessed April 20, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Great-Powers-In-The-17th-1/55701.
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