The Sinews of Power: War, Money and the English State 1688-1783

by John Brewer

Overview

First published in 1989. ‘The book is a distinguished work - of importance to students of governmental development generally. It is written in a fluent, non-technical manner that should reach a wide audience.' American Historical Review.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415754927
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	04/24/2014
Pages:	312
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

John Brewer is Director of the Center for Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Studies and Director of the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library at the University of California at Los Angeles.

Table of Contents

Introduction PART I 1. Before the Revolution: The English State in the Medieval and Early Modern Eras PART II 2. Patterns of Military Effort 3. Civil Administration: The Central Offices of Government 4. Money, Money, Money: The Growth in Debts and Taxes PART III 5. The Paradoxes of State Power PART IV 6. The Parameters of War 7. War and Taxes PART V 8. The Politics of Information: Public Knowledge and Private Interest Conclusion Notes Index

Editorial Reviews

Addressing the question of how Britain emerged in the 18th century as a major international power, Brewer's (Director of the Center for Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Studies, UCLA) analysis reveals that the drastic increase in Britain's military involvement (and success) in Europe and the expansion of her commercial and imperial interests would not have happened without a concurrent radical increase in taxation, along with a surge in deficit financing and the growth of a substantial public administration. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

‘The book is a distinguished work - of importance not just to eighteenth-century specialists but also to students of governmental development generally. Though authoritative and historically sophisticated, it is written in a fluent and non technical manner that should reach a wide audience. It even has a first-rate index.' - American Historical Review

‘ ... a radical, but wholly convincing, reinterpretation of the Georgian state ... Brewer's elegant analysis shows how parliament itself, then as today, readily serves as a most effective engine for the centralisation of power.' - New Statesman and Society

From the Publisher