Overview

Just how did the changing relationship between Britain and America in the 18th Century affect both world powers?Britain and the USA have helped define much of world history in recent centuries, and the relationship between the two is crucial to this history. This book focuses on a key period in their relationship, one that moulded the character of the British Empire and of the USA and thus the way they would relate to one and other in future. The rise and crises of empires will always fascinate the observer because in their fate we see much of human history. Certainly, the struggle of and for empire in the 18th Century was key to the fate of North America and more generally to that of the West Indies and North Atlantic.British victory followed by the American Revolution help to define and delimit the modern world. At European level the players were Britain, France and Spain eager for predominance and for trappings such as trade, land and prestige. Within North America there were the local agents of these powers but also their subjects, who held their own interests and views. In addition, the Native Americans were more than simply the passive victims of European expansion.The fascinating and complex story is told by Black with all the narrative drive and brilliance of a Barbara Tuchman book.

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9781847252432

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a welcome addition to the undergraduate study of the American Revolution and 18th-century Anglo-American relations. -;em>Library Journal, October 1, 2008--Douglas King Library Journal

A fascinating and complex story, told with textbook authority but of interest to all who follow the history of British and American relations. Catholic Herald, February 2009

a welcome addition to the undergraduate study of the American Revolution and 18th-century Anglo-American relations. - Douglas King, Library Journal, October 1, 2008--Sanford Lakoff Library Journal An extract from the review in The Independent. --Sanford Lakoff A fascinating and complex story, told with textbook authority but of interest to all who follow the history of British and American relations. Catholic Herald, February 2009 As always Prof. Black writes well and provocatively but his provocations are always gently put and not designed to ruffle American feathers over much. Contemporary Review, Autumn 2009 Jeremy Black is the most prolific writer of history currently practising in the English-speaking world. This book demonstrates the virtues and defects of his position. BBC History Magazine, February 2009 An extract from the review in The Independent. --, Impressive ... This little book is crammed with large ideas and Black consolidates his reputation as one of the finest interrogators of 18th-century history. - The Independent This book attempts to widen the focus of both American and British eighteenth-century history, employing a transnational perspective to bring the finer points of the story of American independence into sharper relief.. ..This is not a story of enlightened founding fathers unbinding the shackles of avaricious parliaments and obtuse monarchs; rather, Crisis of Empire presents us with a sober reflection on the interconnections of British and American history and successfully escapes acquiescing in the belief that the American Revolution was somehow preordained or that British society was somehow estranged from its empire. -Journal of British Studies, volume 49, number 1 An extract from the review in The Independent. --Times Higher Education Reviewed in Contemporary Review

Author Information

Jeremy Black is Professor of History at the University of Exeter. He is a prolific author and reviewer, and a leading expert on eighteenth-century Britain.

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