73. Slide to war
We’re into the slide into the most destructive of the series of wars of that rocked the eighteenth century. It would be a war that had a devastating effect on most of Europe. It was also the last war ...
16 Jan 202214min
72. France explodes
The French Revolution! A turning point in the history of the world. Or so it’s frequently claimed. But in the myth-busting spirit of this podcast, this episode questions that belief, without denying t...
9 Jan 202214min
71. The calm and madness before the storm
The mid-1780s were a good time for Pitt. He’d mastered the nation’s finances and cleverly manoeuvred government spending not just into balance, but into surplus, despite spending more on the navy than...
1 Jan 202214min
70. Joys and disappointments of limited government
Like so many good things, this one could have some fairly lousy consequences. Just like the United States, if not quite to the same extent, Britain after the War of American Independence was pushing f...
24 Dec 202114min
69. On towards the second empire
Losing an Empire? Not a problem if you’re the world power Britain was in the late eighteenth century. You just have to build a new one. In part that would come from new journeys of so-called discovery...
17 Dec 202114min
68. New Economics
As we emerge from the serious instability in Britain caused by the defection of the American colonies and the war that followed, and as we stand on the brink of Britain’s pursuit of a second empire to...
10 Dec 202114min
67. A new era
After a period of serious instability, the fifth government in a period of a mere two years secured itself a position in which it would last for the best part of two decades. The process was a particu...
3 Dec 202114min
66. Crisis in Britain
While there’s much talk about the huge gains made by the American colonists, and the triumphant launching of the United States of America, far less is generally said about the effect of the American w...
29 Nov 202114min
