Parliament and Foreign Policy in the Eighteenth Century [Hardcover]

A scholarly study of the British Parliament's role in foreign policy during the eighteenth century.Drawing on a wide range of British and foreign archival sources, this book tackles the role of Parliament in the conduct of eighteenth-century foreign policy, the impact of this policy on parliamentary politics, and the quality of parliamentary debates. It will also be an important study for our assessment of eighteenth-century Britain and for an understanding of the role of contingency in the assessment of political systems. Reflecting over a quarter-century of work on parliamentary sources, it also highlights the influence of Parliament on foreign policy and politics.Drawing on a wide range of British and foreign archival sources, this book tackles the role of Parliament in the conduct of eighteenth-century foreign policy, the impact of this policy on parliamentary politics, and the quality of parliamentary debates. It will also be an important study for our assessment of eighteenth-century Britain and for an understanding of the role of contingency in the assessment of political systems. Reflecting over a quarter-century of work on parliamentary sources, it also highlights the influence of Parliament on foreign policy and politics.This book tackles the role of Parliament in the conduct of eighteenth-century foreign policy, the impact of this policy on parliamentary politics, and the quality of parliamentary debates. Drawing on a wide range of British and foreign archival sources, it is an important study for assessing eighteenth-century Britain and for understanding the role of contingency in the evaluation of political systems. Reflecting over a quarter-century of work on parliamentary sources, it highlights as well the influence of Parliament on foreign policy and politics.Preface; Note on dates, spelling and titles; List of abbreviations; 1. Introduction; 2. The Revolution settlement, Parliament and foreign policy, 16891714; 3. The Walpolean system, Parliament alC{