The epic and extraordinary story of the fate of an Empire
Brendan Simms is a Fellow of Peterhouse, Cambridge, Reader in International Relations at the Centre for International Studies, University of Cambridge and the author of The Struggle for Mastery in Germany, and Unfinest Hour- Britain and the Destruction of Bosnia, which was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize.
Britain's empire and security, according to Simms (European International Relations, Univ. of Cambridge; Unfinest Hour: Britain and the Destruction of Bosnia), were not so much the results of its vaunted and storied navy, but were, rather, the consequences of its many canny alliances on the continent. To forestall the always anticipated attack by France, Britain's Hanoverian kings cloaked their nation with an ever-shifting canopy of ententes, sometimes with the Dutch, sometimes the Russians, but always with someone who had an interest in containing the dreaded Bourbons. The defeat of Britain by its American colonies marked the end of that phase of British history as well as a definite downturn in the empire's fortunes. Yet again, the continent had played a pivotal role in deciding England's fate. Britain simply could not defend itself from the east while attacking to the west, and the colonists knew it. Simms has created a prolifically annotated and vividly detailed recounting of the 18th-century watershed that temporarily sundered the British Empire. Profoundly scholarly, yet still accessible to the nonscholar, it is recommended for academic and public libraries.-Michael F. Russo, Louisiana State Univ. Libs., Baton Rouge, LA Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.
Simms, of Cambridge University, is among the finest of a new generation of British historians. In his most ambitious work to date, he addresses arguably the fundamental question of British identity: is it European or insular? Simms lines up solidly with the Europeanists, but provides a global twist. He interprets Britain's greatness and survival as a function of maintaining a buffer zone on the continent. The Low Countries and the Holy Roman Empire had to remain in friendly hands. In the first half of the 18th century, Britain, as a burgeoning empire, sought allies with economic resources and, when necessary, with armed force. The result was "three victories"-against Spain, Austria and in the Seven Years' War-that established a balance of power. Yet Britain's government and people began to believe the sea and the Royal Navy alone guaranteed Britain's security. Neglecting and alienating its continental neighbors led to the expansion of a debate with the North American colonies into a global war. Britain suffered disaster, but learned a lesson as well, Simms shows, maintaining in succeeding centuries the continental commitment that sustained its existence. Illus., maps. (Jan.) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.
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