18th Century Dynastic Rivalries and Politics The Philosophes condemned war as a foolish waste of life and resources in stupid quarrels of no value to humankind Rulers, however, ignored this By the 18th century the European system of self-governing, individual states was grounded in self-interest 18th century concept of balance of power was predicated on how to counterbalance the power of one state by another to prevent one state from dominating the others This did not imply a desire for peace though Emphasis on dynastic interests Reason of state  long term future of the state is important as well

Austrian Succession When Charles VI died with no male heir, daughter Maria Theresa assumed the Habsburg throne Frederick the Great seizes Austrian Silesia Maria Theresa gets help from Hungary Recognizes they are separate kingdom Other states drawn into the war England enters to prevent French power on the Continent 1748- Treaty of Aix-la Chapelle ended the war Prussia keeps Silesia British return French fort in America War of Austrian Succession reflected absolutist aggression Chares VI had no son, but did not want to see Habsburg rule end- in 1713 tried to get European powers to recognize the Pragmatic Sanction, which asserted the indivisibility of the Habsburg domains and recognized the right of female as well as male succession After Charles’s death the Pragmatic Sanction is conveniently pushed aside- especially by Frederick II of Prussia Frederick the Great coveted Silesia – textile, mining, and metallurgical industries The vulnerability of Maria Theresa pushed France to join the war against Austria King George II became the last British monarch to fight in battle In North America- British capture French fort – Louisbourg at the St. Lawrence River 1745- Battle of Fontenoy was bloodiest of the century until French Revolution By 1748- all countries exhausted and agreed to stop Prussia’s refusal to return Silesia guaranteed another war, at least between Prussia and Austria

War of Austrian Succession, 1740-1748

Diplomatic Revolution of 1756 France and Britain continued the struggle in the Ohio River Valley and Upper New England Prelude to French and Indian War Britain joins forces with Prussia and France joins Austria

Seven Years’ War (1756-1763) Two rivalries Britain and France over colonial empires Austria and Prussia over Silesia France with Austria and Russia saw Prussia as a threat so aligned with France Great Britain in alliance with Prussia First global conflict Commercial interests of France and Britain clashed in N. America Frist time war not just of kings, but of nations (Britain v France) Push for more efficient management of war for national interest In what became Canada, French and British fighting over control of territory French had informal Native American allies ended domination of France on continent and made way for British expansion Treaty of Paris- 1763 France and England go through a surge of patriotism Fighting spreads to India- British secure control British pumped money to Frederick to make sure he won British get Canada, Ohio River Valley, Eastern Mississippi Austria recognizes Prussia absorbing Silesia Spain gets western Mississippi area from France (Louisiana Territory) War left Britain heavily in debt- will lead to American Revolution

Seven Years’ War in Europe With superb army and military power, Frederick the Great able for some time to defeat the Austrian, French, and Russian armies Under attack from essentially three sides wore the Prussians down and gradually faced defeat Death of Tsarina Elizabeth of Russia brought relief Peter III came to power He admired Frederick the Great and withdrew Russian troops Peace of Hubertusburg in 1763 all occupied territories returned, Austria officially recognized Prussia’s permanent control of Silesia

War in India Great War for Empire French had returned Madras to Britain after the Austrian Succession Constant power struggle in India as British and French supported opposing Indian princes British under Robert Clive won out because were more persistent With the Treaty of Paris in 1763, the French left India and the British had total control

The French and Indian War Greatest conflicts of Seven Years’ War took place in North America Two areas of contention Waterways of the Saint Lawrence Ohio River Valley French found allies among the Native Americans, they considered the French less threatening than the British settlers British efforts revived by William Pitt the Elder  convinced had to destroy French colonial empire for success of British empire Defeat of French fleets gave the British advantage French forced to make peace Treaty of Paris, 1763 Ceded Canada and lands east of Mississippi to British and Spain gave Florida to British Great Britain becomes world’s greatest colonial power As the French moved south from the Great Lakes and north from their garrisons along the Mississippi, they began to establish forts from the Appalachians to the Mississippi River To British settlers in the 13 colonies to the east, this French activity threatened to cut off a vast area for British Expansion Due to Pitt’s ideology, emphasized focus on North America vs Europe concentrating resources, especially the navy, in the colonial war British captured Louisbourg and Duquesne In Sept 1759, took Quebec Went on to seize Montreal, Great Lakes area, and the Ohio Valley

American Revolution Impact of the French and Indian War (7 Years’ War) Proclamation of 1763 Britain in debt- increase taxes on the colonists Believed the war had benefitted them the most Various Acts passed Stamp Act Declaratory Act Townshend Acts Tea Act Intolerable Acts Colonists wanted representation Boston Massacre, Boston Tea Party 1775- first open fighting – Concord and Lexington

Involvement of other European Nations France joins Spain and Netherlands give support American victory in 1781 at Yorktown Treaty of Paris, 1783

“This vast continent which the seas surround will soon change Europe and the Universe.”- French observer in 1789

Poland an excellent example on why a strong monarchy was needed in early modern Europe The Polish king was elected by the Polish nobles and forced to accept drastic restrictions on his power, including limited revenues, a small bureaucracy, and a standing army of no more than 20,000 soldiers. For Polish nobles, these limitations eliminated an absolute king, for Poland’s powerful neighbors this was an open invitation

Division of Poland The destruction of the Polish state in the 18th century resulted from rivalries of Austria, Russia, and Prussia To avoid war, the leaders decided to compensate themselves by dividing Poland To maintain the balance of power in central and eastern Europe, broke Poland into equal territories 1772- Poland lost 30 percent of land and 50% of population Austria got agricultural center of Galicia Russia Eastern Poland Prussia West Prussia (united two major sections of Prussia) The remaining Polish state was technically independent but it was dominated by the Russians After the Poles attempted to establish a stronger state in 1791, the Russians gained the support of the Austrians and Prussians and intervened militarily in 1792 The next year there was a second partition of Poland (Russia and Prussia)

Division of Poland Polish rebellion in 1794-1795 under General Thaddeus Kosciuszko Obliterated by Austria, Prussia, and Russia and Polish state removed by third partition in 1795 Many historians point to Poland’s demise as an example of why building a strong, absolute state was essential to surviving the 17th and 18th centuries