SEVEN YEARS' WAR: CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES - HISTORY - 2024

The Seven Years' War was an armed conflict that took place between 1756 and 1763, with the most powerful nations in Europe as protagonists. It was a conflict with origins much older than its starting date, since its main protagonists (Great Britain and France) had already had strong differences for more than a century.

The conflict developed with the formations of two large coalitions that fought each other. The first to be created was the French-led coalition, which included Austria, the Holy Roman Empire, Sweden, Spain, and several smaller nations. The second was the Anglo-Prussian coalition, which was made up of Great Britain and Prussia.

The outcome of the war ultimately favored the British, whose coalition was victorious and crushed the French. This ended the dominance of France in Europe, which had been in force for several centuries, and made the United Kingdom one of the most important powers in the world.

Background

War of the Austrian Succession

The Treaty of Aachen was signed in 1748 to end the War of the Austrian Succession, which was itself a conflict between several European nations and an important precedent to the Seven Years' War.

The signing of the treaty, while halting the armed conflict, left several nations dissatisfied. The British had supported Austria, but their troops were not able to retake Silesia, which did not please the Austrians. In fact, it was Prussia (another German state) that took control of this area.

The desire to retake Silesia was one of the main reasons why Austria decided to ally with France in the Seven Years' War. Furthermore, the common interests of Great Britain and Prussia were the catalysts for the alliance between the two nations.

Treaty of Aachen

The treaty that ended the War of Succession was one of the main catalysts for the armed conflict that unfolded in Europe less than a decade later.

The end of the War of the Austrian Succession laid the foundation for the alliances that were formed in the Seven Years' War. In fact, while the Seven Years' War was fought shortly after the end of the Austrian, various nations took different sides.

At the end of the war of succession, the Russians had sent troops to the United Kingdom to support them in their fight against France. As a consequence, the French responded by excluding Russia from the peace treaty, which meant that Prussia gained a large amount of territory.

In turn, Prussia had originally received support from the French, but none of these events greatly benefited either side. This resulted in another antecedent to the war, which basically started it: the diplomatic revolution.

Causes

Conflicts in North America

The United Kingdom and France had had countless clashes for dominance over North America (specifically the territory now occupied by Canada and the United States). However, from 1748 to 1754 the nations were in a state of peace.

The French reached trade agreements with the Iroquois Indians and claimed Canada and the Great Lakes as their own territory.

This was accepted by the British, until the French began to advance south to avoid the English advance. The then British Lieutenant Colonel George Washington was sent to give the French an ultimatum.

This triggered a conflict in North America that was called the Franco-Indian War, which began two years before the Seven Years' War (1754) but was part of the same conflict.

Not only was it an important antecedent to the war, but it also developed throughout its duration, culminating in 1763.

The diplomatic revolution

This event was so named because several alliances between European nations that had been in force for several years were canceled and reversed. It is the most important event in the history of Europe that occurred between the War of the Succession and that of the Seven Years.

During this period Austria decided to end the allied relationship it had with the United Kingdom, to go to the side of the French. Similarly, Prussia became an ally of the British, following the agreement they had reached with Austria after the war (which did not sit well with the French).

The United Kingdom met with emissaries from Prussia in a meeting in which the lack of usefulness that the Austrians had for the British cause was defined.

Thus, the British agreed with Prussia that they would not help Austria to retake Silesia, as long as they helped to defend Hannover (Prussian province) from the French.

This event led to the foundations of the Anglo-Prussian alliance, while it caused Austria to meet with France to agree on a pact in which control of Silesia would be retaken.

Anglo-Frankish hostility

The Treaty of Aachen failed to appease the hostile relations between France and the United Kingdom. The conflicts in North America were not so severe at first, and the British had a policy of leaving what happened in America to the responsibility of the colonists.

However, this attitude had to be abandoned by the English, as the French defeated their colonial troops on countless occasions.

France took a very aggressive attitude in North America, which caused a marked English intervention in colonial operations.

However, this hostility goes back much further than the conflicts in America. France and the United Kingdom were European powers for several centuries, which caused one nation to collide strongly with another throughout history.

These conflicts were reflected throughout various battles and wars that were fought in the course of European history, including the Seven Years' War. This war is a consequence of a history of historical rivalry between two powers on the continent.

Austro-Prussian hostility

While the importance of the rivalry between the United Kingdom and France was heavier on a historical level, the encounters between the German nations of Austria and Prussia were also of high importance for the Seven Years' War.

The rivalry between the two nations dates back to the end of the 13th century, when the Habsburgs rose to power in Austria. Since then, the family began to have an important power that spread to several European regions (including Spain and the Netherlands).

It was in the middle of the 16th century that the armies of Prussia and the Habsburgs collided in a struggle for control of power in the region.

This, accompanied by the events that led to the Prussian conquest of Silesia, were primarily responsible for the rivalry between the two nations.

Consequences

The Treaty of Paris

This treaty included a series of complex exchanges of territories between the nations involved in the conflict. It was one of the peace agreements where more territory was ceded in history, particularly by the French.

France had to cede all the dominance it had in North America to the English (although some regions remained in the possession of Spain). Furthermore, all French control of India was lost as a result of its defeat in the war.

British power was absolute in North America, as Florida was even ceded to them by Spain. However, the establishment of some restrictive policies for the colonies ended up causing the American Revolution.

Austrian might

The Seven Years' War ended up largely benefiting Austria. While they did not regain the territory they wanted when the war started, the Austrians became strong enough across the nation for Austria to begin to be considered a European power.

The Peace of Hubertusburg

This treaty was signed together with that of Paris, and confirmed the dominance of Prussia over the Silesia region. This agreement is one of the main reasons why Prussia ended up being considered a European power.

The victory of the Prussians and the benefits that war brought them were one of the greatest achievements of Frederick II.

Modernization of the imperial administrations

After the end of the war, a series of events took place and allowed the modernization of Europe.

These events can be seen as "consequences of the consequences" of the war; events that forced the modernization of the continent after the end of the conflict.

French Revolution

The French Revolution originated in 1789, after the end of the Seven Years' War. France lost a lot of power in the war, as well as the extensive control it had in India and America.

The ideas of equality that were proposed in this revolution were completely innovative for the time, since the wide privileges that the Church had were taken away and it was sought to establish a marked equality between all the people who inhabited the nation, not only the rich and the privileged.

These events led to the establishment of democracy and free thought, not only in France, but also in Europe and America.

Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution originated in 1760; however, it lasted approximately 60 years. It was a process in which human labor began to be progressively replaced by heavy machinery, capable of doing the same work at a lower cost in the long run.

It is important to note that, at first, most of these machines required human intervention. The individual's job was much easier and more effective, requiring fewer individuals to be hired and better products to be produced.

It originated in the UK. In fact, many of the technologies that began to be used were of British origin. This process led to the rise of capitalism.

Independence of the colonies

After the war, the French lost their presence in America. This left the colonies without European support, while the United Kingdom imposed a heavy tax on them to finance the costs of the war.

Discontent was widespread in North America, and just 13 years after the end of the Seven Years' War, the American colonies declared their independence from the United Kingdom.

The civil wars that occurred because of this came to be supported even by some British thinkers, and led to the independence of the United States.

Prominent figures

Frederick II of Prussia

Also known as Frederick the Great, the King of Prussia not only established the nation as a European power, but was a great military strategist who conquered countless battles throughout his reign.

He was in charge of breaking the agreement that was had with Austria for the Austrian dominion of Silesia, which makes him one of the most important characters of the war.

His strategies were crucial to the victory of the Anglo-Prussian coalition and the subsequent fall of French rule after the end of the war.

Thomas Pelham, Duke of Newcastle

He was the British Secretary of State for several years, and the 1st Duke of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. He was one of the most influential figures in the United Kingdom, as his brother was the Prime Minister, and he even became so twice.

He was the British Prime Minister during the war and controlled the decisions of the nation alongside William Pitt, Earl of Chatham. Their alliance was successful; the strategies of both led to British victory in the Seven Years' War.

Maria Teresa of Austria

Maria Teresa managed to maintain dominance of the Austrian throne after the end of the War of Succession. In addition, it was she who signed the Treaty of Aachen, a decision she made in order to restore the power of her army and seek new military alliances and then seek to retake Silesia.

References

1. Seven Years' War, The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, (nd). Taken from Britannica.com
2. Maria Theresa, Robert Pick, (nd). Taken from Britannica.com
3. Imperial Administration, World Eras, 2001. Taken from encyclopedia.com
4. Seven Years' War, Mount Vernon Digital Encyclopedia, (nd). Taken from mountvernon.org
5. Diplomatic Revolution, Wikipedia in English, December 12, 2017. Taken from wikipedia.org
6. The Seven Years' War: 1754-1763, Lumen Learning, (nd). Taken from lumenlearning.com
7. Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle, Wikipedia in English, February 17, 2018. Taken from wikipedia.org
8. William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, Wikipedia in English, March 14, 2018. Taken from wikipedia.org
9. Austria – Prussia rivalry, Wikipedia in English, September 15, 2017. Taken from Wikipedia.org