FRANCE VERSUS ENGLAND, SEVENTEENTH TO NINETEENTH CENTURY

From the late seventeenth century until the final ending of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815, France and Britain were at war more than 50 percent of the time, in addition to their frequent and quite visible manifestations of commercial rivalry (see Table 2.1). Other European nations were involved in some of these wars; for example, in the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714) and the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748). In others, such as the Seven Years' War (1754–1763), the French and British were the sole or primary antagonists in North America, but with many nations involved in Europe. In the American Revolution (1775–1783), despite the possible importance of their contribution to the final outcome, the French role was probably relatively small. But, for the years between 1793 and 1815, with a small pause with the Peace of Amiens, from March 1802 until May 1803, the major fight for dominance in Europe was between France and England, with both nations seeking as many political and military allies as they could acquire, whether by military force (France) or by cash subsidy (Britain).

During periods of warfare, as well as during the intervals of peace, restrictions on trade, including tariffs and blockades were deployed by these nations against each other, as well as in their involvement with other nations, belligerent or neutral. These constraints were designed to affect the European power balance and also to encourage domestic economic development.