In this pioneering new work, based on a thorough re-reading of primary sources and new research in the Austrian State Archives, Franz Szabo presents a fascinating reassessment of the continental war.

Professor Szabo challenges the well-established myth that the Seven Years War was won through the military skill and tenacity of the King of Prussia, often styled Frederick the Great. Instead he argues that Prussia did not win, but merely survived the Seven Years War and did so despite and not because of the actions and decisions of its king.

With balanced attention to all the major participants and to all conflict zones on the European continent, the book describes the strategies and tactics of the military leaders on all sides, analyzes the major battles of the war and illuminates the diplomatic, political and financial aspects of the conflict.

A ground breaking account of the eighteenth-century's "world war".

About the Author

Franz A.J. Szabo, is Professor of History and Director of the Wirth Institute for Austrian and Central European Studies at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. Among his publications are Kaunitz and Enlightened Absolutism, 1753-1780(1994), which won the "Barbara Jelavich Prize" of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies and the "Austrian Cultural Institute Prize" for best book in Austrian Studies. He has been awarded the Austrian Order of Merit for the Arts and Sciences for his contributions to Central European scholarship.

Reviews

"Both scholars and students will be most grateful to Szabo for having provided them with a compact and well-written summary of the present state of knowledge."
Michael Hochedlinger, Austrian State Archives

Book Information
ISBN 9780582292727
Author Franz A.J. Szabo
Format Paperback
Page Count 536
Imprint Longman
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 771g