Continental tension between French and English
 Frederick II “the Great” invaded Saxony and
started what would become the “First World
War”

• suspected conspiracy by Saxony, Austria, and France to
destroy Prussian power
• Regarded it as continuation of defensive strategy of
Convention of Westminster
Coalition of states joined against Prussia. France,
Russia, Austria, Sweden
 Smaller Germanic states formed a loose alliance

 GB supported Prussia with $
 Prussia was getting its butt kicked by Russia
 Frederick the Great was on the verge of
suing for peace
 Death of Empress Elizabeth of Russia
 Successor Peter III loved Frederick
• Raised in Germany
• Admired Prussian military
• Married a German
 Peter
withdrew from the conflict restoring
all that Frederick had lost to Russia
• Treaty of Hubertusberg 1763 confirmed Prussia’s
rights to Silesia




William Pitt “the Elder”
employed a brilliant
strategy during the conflict
Previously opposed British
involvement with
Continental Europe
Once he became secretary
of state he gave lots of
money to Frederick the
Great
Regard German conflict as
a way to divert French
resources and attention
away from the colonial
struggle


Won America on plains of
Germany
Pitt wanted all of North
America east of the
Mississippi for GB and he
got it
• Sent more than 40k English and
colonial troops against French
in Canada
• Cooperation with American
colonies

Major French losses in
America
• Unwilling to direct the same
European claims to America before and
after the war
amount of resources against
English in America
• Military administration corrupt
and divided
 Major
islands of French West Indies fell to
British fleets
 Income from sale of captured sugar helped
finance British war efforts
 British slave interests capture most of
French slave trade
 Between 1755-1760 value of French colonial
trade fell by more than 80 percent
 Battle of Plassey: British defeat French in
India under Robert Clive
• Lead to eventual conquest of Bengal in northeast
India
• Later all of India
George III replaces Pitt
with Earl of Bute after
policy disagreement
 Bute negotiates
agreement
 Agreement did not
reflect British victory

• GB receive all of
Canada, Ohio River
Valley, and eastern ½ of
Miss riv valley
• Returned some holdings
in India and sugar
islands to France
 Prussia
sacrificed greatly to permanently gain
Silesia from Austria
 Turn HRE into empty shell
 France no longer great colonial power
 Spanish Empire still intact, but British
determined to penetrate its markets
 India: British East India Company was able to
impose its own authority on govt.
 British govt. face task of organizing its new
territories
 Domestic crises among the European powers
• French defeat convince people they need
political and administrative reform
• Financial burdens
 What
does this tell us about Europe at
this time?
 Causes of the American Revolution?
 Impact of the American Revolution?
 George
III
 Numerous ministers,
finally settles on Lord
North
 Trying to gain power
relative to the HOC
 Disagreements with
the Whigs
5 of George’s 14 ministers
 1763 The
North Briton issue 45 critiqued
George III and the Earl of Bute
 King had him arrested but he was a
member of the HOC.
• Convicted of libel and expelled from the HOC.
• Fled the country and many citizens participated
in demonstrations on his behalf
 Returns
1768
• Won election to the HOC , Parliament refused to
seat him.
• He was elected and refused three times




The fourth time he won
caused the Parliament to
invalidate the results of
the election.
They placed their own
candidate
“Wilkes and Liberty”
became slogan of
political radicals and
opponents of the
monarch
Finally he was seated in
1774 when he was
elected as the Mayor of
London
Satirical engraving of Wilkes
 Founded 1778 by Christopher Wyvil
• Mismanagement of American war
• High taxes
• Lord North’s ministry
 calls
for parliamentary reform
 Property holders (freeholders) of Yorkshire
met in a mass meeting to demand moderate
changes in Parliamentary elections
 Popular attempt to establish an extralegal
institution to reform govt
 Collapsed early 1780’s because supporters
were unwilling to appeal for broad popular
support