Political
Developments in the
1700’s
Military Conflicts
 Philosophes condemned war but rivalries
led to numerous conflicts in the 18th
century
 War of Spanish Succession
 Attempts to unify Spain and France under
the same Bourbon ruler following the death
of the last Spanish Hapsburg
 France tries to dominate western Europe
 Peace of Utrecht
Military Conflicts
 War of Austrian Succession
 Attempts to take advantage of Austria while
she is “weakened” by a female ruler
 Prussia attacks Silesia, an Austrian territory
 Gets to keep the land after the war ends
Military Conflicts
 With conflict so common, states began to
place a great deal of emphasis on
military
 Prussia spent 80% of its government
revenue on military
 Peasants often conscripted (drafted) into the
military
Competition between
France and England
 France and England both competing for land in
North America
 Also competing for dominance in Europe and
access to trade in India
 Seven Year’s War: 1756-1763
 Major conflict that involved most major European
powers
 In Europe, there were few territorial changes
resulting from the war, but major changes took place
in North America and India
Seven Years’ War
 Known as the French and Indian War in
North America
 British defeat the French and seize much of
the French territory in N.Am.
 France lost Canada but got to keep islands in
Caribbean
 War debts cause the British to increase
colonial taxes, which will lead to conflict with
the colonists
Seven Years’ War
 Conflict between England and the colonies
would eventually lead to the American
Revolutionary War
 In India, both France and England were
seeking trade and land
 After winning the war, the British kick the French out
of India
 The British East India Company eventually takes
over India
 The Mughal Dynasty (India’s government) was weak and
unable to fend off European expansion
The British Raj in India
 As time went on, the British government
became more invested in India
 In 1800’s, India eventually became a royal
colony
 Queen Victoria of England was declared the
Empress of India
 India would remain a major part of the
British empire until the 1900’s.
Partitions of Poland
 Poland was traditionally dominated by powerful
nobles, lacking a strong monarch
 The weakness of the Polish government made it
vulnerable to aggressive neighbors
 Beginning in 1772, Poland lost land to Austria,
Prussia, and Russia
 Three major partitions (1772, 1793, 1795)
would eventually lead to all of Poland’s land
being taken
 Poland ceased to exist as an independent state until
after WWI
Partitions of Poland