Britain 1914-1945: The Aftermath of Power Book

In my opinion, this book is grossly under-rated on Goodreads. McLynn is smart, opinionated but dispassionate, and a fine writer -- though be warned, your dictionary will get a workout. McLynn argues that 1759 was a pivotal year in the Seven Years War, or the French and Indian War as I was taught growing up. What's more, the outcome of this war set the stage for the independence of the American colonies and the development of the British empire in India, Canada, and the West Indies (and, ultimately, much of the rest of the globe) and the waning of the French empire. So the modern world would look markedly different if 1759 hadn't been a year of British military breakthroughs.

McLynn breaks the conflict into different theaters and themes: naval action off the coasts of Portugal and France, the threatened invasion of Britain, the struggle for Canada, the war on the European continent, the role of various Native American tribes and supergroups, irregular warfare, and the conflicts in the Carribean and India. He examines the political structures of the major players, Britain and France, with an eye to internal wrangling and power struggles. His description of the various military campaigns is uniformly excellent; his ability to explain 18th century naval combat is superb.


At the outset of each chapter, McLynn examines significant Western cultural milestones of 1759, in philosophy, literature, and so forth. These didn't read like tacked-on discursions, but helped to put the military and political events in context. I enjoyed his brief bio of Voltaire so much that I'm going to pick up a proper biography at some point.


An excellent overview of the world's first truly global conflict.