Imperial Rivalries 19/07/2007 07:31:00

Imperial Power
• Power over individuals
• Nation-states (Irish)
• Internal challenges
o The problems that occurred when the cultures interact
together
o How they changed because of the result
What fueled European rivalries?
• There are now nations, ruled with parliaments. They are defining
themselves as the French, British, Irish. Nationality
• Silesia
o Nations were fighting for real estate in Europe
• How’s going to be head of states
• Fighting for commercial advantage
• National prestige
Second Hundred Years War (1690 – 1815)
• The long 18th century
• These continental wars began to be increasingly global
• Colonies become pawns that get traded from one European power
to another
First 18 century war that involved the colonies was the War of the League
th

of Augsburg (King William’s War)

• He was worried about the European power balance not about the
colony itself
• The French launch attacks into the colonies hoping to divert British
resources
• King Williams did not really defend them and Americans had to
defend themselves
o The beginning of American militias
• William was willing to sacrifice America because he needed the
navy in Europe
War of the Spanish Succession (Queen Anne’s War)
• Queen Anne does send some help
 • British were concerned with the succession of power in Spain
o They were afraid that France might take control of Spain
o If this occurred then they would gain huge lands in the
Americas
• This was the first war that witnessed a massive deployment of
troops by the British into the colonies
• Treaty of Utrecht
o Asiento from Spain
o They get a contract from Spain to be their primary slave
trader
o The British get a lot of property in the Americas
• After this war they took a break from wars
o They now used more political deals and foreign policy
War of Jenkins Ear and War of the Austrian Succession (King George’s War)
• European conflict that started when the holy roman emperor
Charles V died without a male heir
• First war that had begun for specific commercial gain outside of
Europe
• There were local clashes between Spanish navy and British
merchants
o Captain Robert Jenkins lost his ear during one of these clashes
 He keeps the ear in a jar and presents it to the house of
commons
 He pushes them to go to war and they follow suit and
declare war on the Spanish
• The Spanish had their own reason for going to war
o The Spanish were upset about the British commercial activity
• The British establish the colony of Georgia in 1732
o James Oglethorpe begins it
o He creates it for people coming out of debtors prison so they
could start a new life
o Few debtors actually went there, but colonizers were helped a
lot there
• The Spanish are upset about the colony of Georgia because its too
close to the Spanish territory
 o They had a buffer before between their lands and the British
colonies before Georgia
• This war then shifts toward a more European war because of the
succession issues of the Austrian king
• Instead of pursuing a blue water conflict they have a continental
war
• The conflict ends in a stand-off with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
o Fighting continued unofficially in north America
Seven Years War (French and Indian War)
• First world war
• First imperial in a way no other way had been
• After 1748 with the previous war the animosity intensified
• Ohio valley region
• The British then get officially in the war
• 55k French in new France by this time
• war is declared in 1756
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