The British Isles and the War of American Independence

This book examines a hitherto neglected aspect of the War of American Independence, providing the first wide-ranging exploration of the impact of this eighteenth-century conflict upon the economy, society and culture of the British Isles. The author examines the level of military mobilization, far greater than is usually appreciated, and explores how the war forced pressure for parliamentary and religious reform, acting as an agent in both retarding and furthering widespread identification with Britain amongst the peoples of the British Isles. New light is cast upon recent debates about the war-waging efficiency of the British state, and on the role of war in the creation of a sense of 'Britishness' and in shaping overall attitudes to armed conflict and to empire. This study provides a probing account of the profound impact of the war in the British Isles, thus lending weight to the case against the established model of eighteenth-century wars as being 'limited' in their demands and effects.