Afterword

Summary

Britain was a nation at war for much of the time between 1688 and 1815, yet it is only in recent years that the full implications of this state of affairs have been acknowledged and explored by historians, and it is only now that we are beginning more fully to understand the importance and consequences of developments on the home front. The domestic history of war in this period might have far less colour, dash, and vigour about it than accounts of military and naval exploits in Europe and further afield, but it is no less important in helping to explain Britain's long-term success and rise to a position of ascendancy among the great powers. In countless different ways, the victories secured by the army and navy were dependent upon the routine and often barely acknowledged efforts of thousands of anonymous men and women who toiled in the shipyard, armoury, foundry, field, and government office to provide the sustained level of support that was necessary for the successful prosecution of extended wars of attrition. Moreover, for most of the time, those who remained at home offered the patriotic and loyal support that was necessary for successive war efforts to be undertaken in the face of acute economic and social strain.

As British society and the economy gradually attuned itself to the demands of war, Britons grew accustomed to wartime conditions and the state became increasingly adept at meeting the various challenges posed to it by France.