The Rise of the Great Powers 1648 - 1815 (The Modern European State System) 1st Edition

This a heavy duty, factual history of European diplomacy from 1648-1815. It is not political science; there are no analytical, scholarly theories that the authors try to push; it's just the facts. With so many facts though, it can be quite overwhelming to general readers.This book offers a very rare account of the diplomacy of 1648-1740. On that basis alone, it is highly recommended. There is so much going on in this period though, with lots of twists and turns, that it can be quite confusing. The book really hits its stride with its account of 1740-1789; there's an increase of clarity. Coverage of 1789-1815 is good too, if not too concise.

The book gives a thorough and clear overview of international relations between the Peace of Westphalia and the Congress of Vienna. It also guides the reader through the emergence of the big powers. Much recommended.

"The Rise of the Great Powers, 1648-1815" is the history of how the European State system that existed in the century before World War I, given that premise historians Derek McKay and H.M. Scott focus on the diplomatic developments from the end of the Thirty Years War to the end of the Congress of Vienna. Even with the focus of the book being on the diplomatic side of events, the complexity of events from military events to economic concerns to internal state struggles over foreign policy are discussed as all three and more influenced how diplomacy was handled. In the course of approximately 170 years, the landscape of European power shifted numerous times as old powers fell away (Spain) or the new grew in strength (France, Britain, Russia, Prussia) or briefly existed (the Dutch Republic and Sweden) or endured despite weakness (Austria); all told in clear language and easily readable for the history enthusiast to get a general perspective of the time period.

Despite its age, The Rise of the Great Powers remains one of the best overviews of eighteenth-century European diplomatic history. Detailed enough for students, yet simple enough for those with no prior knowledge of the period, it charts the development of the European 'balance of power' from the end of the Thirty Years' War to the beginning of the Pax Britainica. The depth of McKay and Scott's uderstanding of such a complex subject is awesome, and they combine to produce a thoroughly enjoyable and informative book.

This is a really nice, substantial work covering international relations in the period from the Treaty of Westphalia (the end of the 30 Years War) to the Congress of Vienna (after the end of the Revolutionary & Napoleonic Wars), during which the five "Great Powers" (France, Britain, Austria-Hungary, Russia and Prussia) came to dominate Europe.The period saw the eclipse of some earlier major powers, Spain, the United Provinces and Sweden, and a series of major wars in which a shifting pattern of alliances saw these polities acting in conjunction or against each other.The book navigates through the complex events at what was, for me, just the right level of detail. I found it highly instructive in terms of understanding the modern nation-state based Europe familiar to me at the end of the twentieth century. The book is "international history" rather than military history, so readers should not expect too much detail in terms of the military events, but having said that, I found it was also a handy single-volume summary of the various wars of the period, in terms of their protagonists as well as the broad course of the wars and their outcomes.For a British reader, it was especially interesting to see how England (until 1707, then Britain) emerged from being little more than a French client state in the period 1660-1688 to be a major partner in the anti-French "Grand Alliance" under William III in the 9 Years War and Spanish Succession War.In addition, it was also instructive to learn of the impact on British policy of having the Elector of Hanover as the British king, so that King George's worries over the actions of Hanover's neighbours (mainly France or Prussia) could influence British policy towards continental matters when otherwise the British government might have preferred to focus on trade or colonial matters.Having said that about the British aspects, this is by no means Anglo-centric history, and France's central importance to the period is properly reflected, from Louis XIV to Napoleon.I find this a fascinating period and this book is a really substantial overview of the relations between the powers.

The authors present a clear overview of the diplomatic history of the period, perfectly readable for the general reader. Concise without being superficial.