British power and global expansion between 1755 and 1815 have mainly been attributed to the fiscal-military state and the achievements of the Royal navy at sea. Roger Morriss here sheds new light on the broader range of developments in the infrastructure of the state needed to extend British power at sea and overseas. He demonstrates how developments in culture, experience and control in central government affected the supply of ships, manpower, food, transport and ordnance as well as the support of the army, permitting the maintenance of armed forces of unprecedented size and their projection to distant stations. He reveals how the British state, although dependent on the private sector, built a partnership with it based on trust, ethics and the law. This book argues that Britain's military bureaucracy, traditionally regarded as inferior to the fighting services, was in fact the keystone of the nation's maritime ascendancy.

Explores the fundamental role of the British state in facilitating the nation's global expansion and ascendancy in the eighteenth century.

About the Author
Roger Morriss is Senior Lecturer in the Department of History, University of Exeter, and General Editor of the Navy Records Society. His previous publications include Naval Power and British Culture, 1760-1850: Public Trust and Government Ideology (2004).


Book Information
ISBN 9780521768092
Author Roger Morriss
Format Hardback
Page Count 458
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 860g
Dimensions(mm) 236mm * 160mm * 27mm