An Imperial State at War: Britain From 1689-1815

by Lawrence Stone (Editor)

The study of eighteenth century history has been transformed by the writings of John Brewer, and most recently, with The Sinews of Power , he challenged the central concepts of British history. Brewer argues that the power of the British state increased dramatically when it was forced to pay the costs of war in defence of her growing empire. In An Imperial State at War , edited by Lawrence Stone (himself no stranger to controversy), the leading historians of the eighteenth century put the Brewer thesis under the spotlight. Like the Sinews of Power itself, this is a major advance in the study of Britain's first empire.

Genres: History, Politics

382 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Lawrence Stone was an English historian of early modern Britain. He is noted for his work on the English Civil War and marriage. Stone was a major advocate of using the methods of the social sciences to study history.