18th century

Thesis: Europeans developed a market economy by investing their money in agriculture, local labor, overseas trade, and increasing the flow of money with a new financial system. 

Evidence and support:

Agricultural revolution: Investments in agriculture led to lots of farmland and increased crop yield per acre-> lower food costs and more, healthy livestock

• Little Ice Age: Very ideal conditions for growing crops for a long period after the ice age. (More moderate climate)

• Crop rotation: Turnips, clover, alfalfa added nitrogen to the soil and allowed more winter food for livestock->increased protein in Europe

• Jethro Tul: Used drill to plant seeds in rows and invented hoeing. (Fewer seeds are lost)

• All the livestock provided more manure(fertilizer)

• Potatoes became a staple crop: easy to mass produce and full of nutrients. Important to Ireland and Germany.

• Crop yield increasing caused food prices to decrease, leading parliament to pass Encloser acts. 

Finance in West Indies:

• Sugar cane (high demand) 

• High profit in capital

• Bank of England was created to store and invest all the money

  • Loaned money to the government and produced bank notes that substituted gold and silver.  (dutch style) Increased flow of money. 

• National debt now exists. (Better than monarch debts)

Mercantile trade and industry

• growth of crops and materials/industry led to the growth of trade

• Flying shuttle->invention for textiles, making the production more mechanical and efficient.

• The cottage industry began. Rural workers spin cotton into yarn and cloth.

  • Keeps family units together in the countryside

  • International trade is transferred to the family units. 

  • Entrepreneurs pick up the products to sell to the city

  • Gets destroyed in the Industrial Revolution. Factories moved to cities.

• Enclosure act: made to keep landowner profits high. 

  • Large farms became more common, Fields converted into pastures for sheep, Can evict people from the land

  • Common areas taken by Aristocrats at the expense of small landowners(peasants)

  • Becomes more efficient for Aristocrats

  • Forces poor people to the city

• Cheap cotton and sugarcane motivated increase in Atlantic trade

  • Mercantilism

  • Increase in industries

  • Slaves increased, workers increased. 

Keogh Add on:

1. Using pages 539-543, explain how the War of Austrian succession and, more importantly, the Seven Years War dictated the political picture in Europe and the economic dominance in the world markets.

   1. Terms to Include: Balance of Power, Reasons of state, Pragmatic Sanctions, (The usual European countries), Maria Theresa, Silesia, Conflict in Europe, War in India, French Indian war, winners and losers.

Thesis: The War of Austrian Succession and Seven Years War saw political leaders focusing on “Reasons of State” politics, resulting in warfare that produced clear international winners and losers.

Evidence and support:

• Balance of Power - (Keeps all states in check)

  • One state could not overtake the others. Keeping equal power between all states. 

  • Armies were created to both defend the state and attack others.

• War of Austrian Succession - (The start of all of the war in Europe and the Americas)

  • Emperor, Charles VI’s reign in Austria was unable to produce a true heir but Maria Theresa was considered the heir (Pragmatic Sanction - European states accept Theresa as heir, at the moment) 

  •  The Emperor dies and Maria Theresa takes over (seen as vulnerable). Prussia and France attack.

  • 1748 Peace of Aix la Chapelle returned all original territories except Silesia. This makes Theresa start the Diplomatic Revolution.

    • Theresa used diplomacy to separate Prussia from France. (This is an example of Reason of State)

    • Shows England that Austria is now powerful since it is allied with France 

  • Austrian dominance is challenged by Prussia.

• The Seven Years War - (Made Britain the dominating power in the economic world)

  • Maria Theresa refused to accept the loss of Silesia to Prussia. 

  • France abandoned Prussia to ally with Austria, Russia allied with Austria, and Britain allied with Prussia. (Ex. Russians believed Prussia’s values would hinder their goals) 

    • This is an example of Balance of Power because the countries ally together to prevent a few countries (Ex. Russia thought Prussia was getting too powerful) 

  • Conflict in Europe - (Gave Prussia more land and shows the Balance of Power)

    • The British and Prussians were against the Austrians, Russians, and the French.

    • Fredrick the Great (Prussia) could defeat the others briefly. Frederick’s troops were worn down, Tsarina Elizabeth of Russia saved Fredrick from death, and Peter III withdrew troops. This led to the start of the Peace of Hubertusburg.

    • All countries recognized Prussia’s permanent control over Silesia.

  • War in India - (Gave Britain all the trading routes to the east)

    • The Great War for the Empire (French struggle) was fought in India and North America. Jockeying for power continued after France and Britain supported opposing native princes.

    • The British got Madras back with Robert Clive from France after Austria’s succession. 

    • Treaty of Paris 1763, France withdrew and left India to Britain.

      • This is an example of the Reason of State because Britain started the war to try to increase economic power.

  • The French Indian War - (Britain gets much more land and French power is diminished)

    • Areas of contention at the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Ohio River Valley. 

    • French established forts from the Appalachians to the Mississippi River. William Pitt (Brit) wanted to destroy the French to increase Britain's colonial power. 

      • This is an example of the Reason of State because Britain started the war to try to increase economic power.

    • Brits had a naval advantage. The British received and got a lot of land.

    • In 1763, Great Britain became the world's greatest colonial power. 

• Armies and Warfare -  (Fewer casualties and more advanced tactics for warfare)

  •  Armies used clever tactics and maneuvers were created to minimize confrontation.

  •  Armies were based on social class. For example, officers were primarily aristocrats. They didn't put a lot of peasants in because they wanted to keep their farmers alive. This shows the Reason of State because they thought about the future state of their agriculture. Massive increase in army sizes throughout Europe. 

  • No longer influenced by religion whatsoever. (No ideological warfare)

• Country Winners and Losers - (No real winners in Europe but Brits win in the Americas)

  • Great Britain is the world's greatest superpower. The country was persistent and won in India and America.

  • Prussia controls Silesia. Russia ends up not being able to stop Prussia from controlling Silesia. Russia helps ally with people but with no real effect.

  • Great Britain right now is the main winner (only in the Americas).