1759, The Year Britain Became Master Of The World

Resumen del libro

The entire history of the world would have been different if not for the events of 1759. Called the Year of Victories, it was the fourth year of the Seven Years', or the French-and-Indian, War and crucial victories against the French in this two-front conflict laid the foundations of British supremacy throughout the world for the next hundred years. The defeat of the French not only paved the way for the global hegemony of the English language but also made the emergence of the United States possible. Here, in 1759, Frank McLynn focuses on the deadly duel between Britain and France in the climactic year of the first truly global conflict.

Guiding us through England's conquests (and often extremely narrow victories) in India, North America, and the Caribbean, McLynn controversially suggests that the birth of the great British Empire was more a result of luck than of rigorous planning. Along with stirring depictions of key battles, McLynn includes anecdotes of the intellectual and cultural leaders of the day Swedenborg, Hume, Voltaire and interweaves primary sources, ranging from material in the Vatican archives to oral histories of Native Americans, in a brilliant chronicle of this pivotal year in world history.