HI 319

Beginning in 1688 England was a middling European power, but by 1815 had built a worldwide military and commercial empire. The long eighteenth century of British history reveals tumultuous developments whose effects are still being felt. We examine the emergence of parliamentary democracy, the formation of the union of Britain, the struggle against French power that defined British strategic aims, and the loss of the American colonies. Attention is also paid to technological innovation. {P}