Publisher's Synopsis
The eleven essays in this volume entail three broad themes, first, the dynamics of national policy making during the Hanoverian period: secondly, the role of diplomats in the formulation as well as execution of foreign policy: thirdly, the political impact of the press. Cabinets regularly led by dukes who engaged in arcane maneuvers such as "forcing the Closet" spread a musty scent of the antique over eighteenth-century politics. Yet the era was also the forcing ground of modern society and no period in British history now has so exciting or controversial a historiography. Globalization, industrialization, the rise of nationalism, imperialism, the emergence of a free press, and numerous other vital themes reverberate among what was once seen as a time veiled in cobwebs. Karl Schweizer's essays illuminate a number of the most important issues currently under scrutiny by historians. Many of his pieces are focused around the crucial decades of the mid-century when the monarchy, parliamentary government, the shaping of public opinion, the conduct of war, and diplomacy were all being tested and reshaped.;Not only does his work illuminate these problems in new ways, but also his masterly command over the issues is based on a wide-ranging and ingenious use of primary sources. Indeed, several of his chapters are devoted to explicating the complexities of using archival sources frequently ignored by his predecessors. I know from my own special interest in the Whig Party how often what appear as plausible interpretations are built on insecure foundations because historians have failed to dig deep enough. Schweizer's resourceful and brilliant use of secondary work, often dating from early in this century, is quite unusual and brings an entirely new perspective to many issues.
