British Diplomacy in the Eighteenth Century

Voltaire wrote that the british believed a man contributed more to society by working as a merchant than by living the traditional life of an aristocrat. The country had moved further away from the old, rigid feudal system than almost any other society in europe. By the middle of the century, prussia was britain's only major european ally. They fought together through the wars of frederick the great but there was constant friction. When rebel forces in america began winning victories against the britian army, the french pounced. France, spain and later the netherlands,. declared war on britain in support of the rebel united states of