This study provides an analysis of the major questions surrounding the debate, formulation and execution of foreign policy in the age of Walpole. It is a subject which has tended to be ignored by historians, yet it was central to the political activity of the period. as well as to historians of Parliament, Jacobitism, trade and the press. Drawing on a range of primary source material, Jeremy Black explores the substance and direction of policy, and the inevitable political wrangles. This text should be of interest to students of foreign policy, but also to historians of Parliament, Jacobitism, trade, and the press.

This is the first detailed and comprehensive study of British foreign policy before and during the war which led to the loss of the American colonies, a period from 1756 to 1783 in which Britain's position in Europe was transformed. H. M. Scott examines the nature and the role of British diplomacy in the age of the American Revolution in the context of Britain's other eighteenth-century conflicts. Two themes receive particular attention: Britain's continuing rivalry with the Bourbons, exemplified by the great crisis over the Falkland Islands in 1770-1, and the unsuccessful efforts to strengthen Britain diplomatically by concluding alliances with major Continental powers. Dr Scott has provided a major scholarly reassessment of British diplomacy in this period, analysing both the impact of the personalities involved, and the successes and failures of their policies.

This vivid account of the leader who shaped 18th century English politics and culture focuses on his 20 years in office.

In 1783 Britain had lost America and was unstable domestically. By 1793 it had regained its position as the leading global power. Three successive crises are examined during the intervening years in an effort to throw light on the British state in an "Age of Revolutions" and a crucial period of international development.