Publisher's Synopsis
Few would have predicted at the end of the troubled seventeenth- century that Britain would emerge as a leading power in Europe, ruler of a vast Empire, and as one of the fastest growing economies in the world. There was nothing inevitable about this transition to stability. It was a political achievement, the product of a number of individuals, above all Sir Robert Walpole. In this volume, Jeremy Black examines in detail how Walpole was able to achieve this success. By considering Walpole's career against a longer timescale of British history this volume not only clarifies his immense achievement but also throws valuable light on the political structure and political culture of eighteenth-century Britain.
