This general balance of political, military, and economic fo
Citations (1)
- The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers whole source · open book
This general balance of political, military, and economic force in Europe was underwritten by an Anglo-French détente lasting nearly two decades after 1715.59 France in particular needed to recuperate after a war which had dreadfully hurt its foreign commerce and so increased the state’s debt that the interest payments on it alone equaled the normal revenue. Furthermore, the monarchies in London and Paris, not a little fearful of their own succession, frowned upon any attempts to upset the status quo and found it mutually profitable to cooperate on many issues.60 In 1719, for example, both powers were using force to prevent Spain from pursuing an expansionist policy in Italy.
chapter: The Winning of Wars, 1660–1763