Monday, January 12, 2009
Revolution, Restoration, and Britain (Coffin 709-717)
In addition to the Industrial Revolution, the effects of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic wars made Britain and its empire one of the most powerful entities of the 19th century. To begin with, Britain won the wars, so it didn't have to give away any money as an indemnity, like the French did (also, Britain's infrastructure wasn't even damaged, as happened with countries on the continent, particularly Russia). In fact, Britain received new territories from France as compensation for the war, increasing the size of the British Empire and giving a large base from which to expand. The British Empire also benefited from the Congress of Vienna. The delegates there wanted stability in Europe and thought the best way to achieve this goal would be to maintain a balance of power by means of organizations like the Quintuple Alliance and the creation of small independent states. This meant that Britain's rivals wouldn't become too powerful a threat to Britain, or, if they did, the other countries of Europe would ally with Britain against that rival. Britain, then, didn't have to commit as many troops to Europe and could instead use its armies to conquer and rule territory for its empire. In the Western Hemisphere, the French Revolution and the ideas associated with it had inspired revolutions and wars of independence in almost every country. These developments took land, resources, and markets away from some of Britain's trading competitors, Portugal and Spain, and opened up new markets for British goods. The Monroe Doctrine in 1823, which warned against European intervention in the Western Hemisphere and which Britain supported, helped secure these markets for Britain. Interestingly enough, the ideas of both the French Revolution and the Congress of Vienna, which was a reaction to the French Revolution and Napoleonic wars, were beneficial to Britain and the growth of its empire.
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Indeed, it's pretty interesting that, as all of these European diplomats (Metternich, Tsar Alexander the first, Talleyrand etc.) were squabbling over small territories in Europe, England was quietly establishing itself around the rest of the world. This would form the basis of Imperial England's power. England had colonies to trade with. These colonies were customers for Britain's manufactured goods, and also provided exotic imports for England.
ReplyDeleteThis speaks to the advanced quality of England at the time: English government had realized that small territories in continental Europe were not as important as the ability to trade. Admittedly, because Great Britain is an island, England could afford to be less preoccupied with balance of power on the continent. However, this does not belittle the impressiveness of the English valorizing trade (and internalizing the new liberal ideas of Adam Smith) over mere territory.