No more Napoleons: how Britain managed Europe from Waterloo to World War One

Abstract

"How, for just over a century, Britain ensured it would not face another Napoleon Bonaparte -- manipulating European powers while building a global maritime empire. At the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars, a fragile peace emerged in Europe. The continent's borders were redrawn, and the French Empire, once a significant threat to British security, was for now cut down to size. But after decades of ceaseless conflict, Britain's economy was beset by a crippling debt. How could this small, insular sea power state secure order across the Channel? Andrew Lambert argues for a dynamic new understanding of the nineteenth century, showing how British policymakers shaped a stable European system that it could balance from offshore. Through judicious deployment of naval power against continental forces, and the defence strategy of statesmen such as the Duke of Wellington, Britain ensured that no single European state could rise to pose a threat, rebuilt its economy, and established naval and trade dominance across the globe. This is the remarkable story of how Britain kept a whole continent in check--until the final collapse of this delicately balanced order at the outset of World War One."-- Provided by publisher.

Contents

Introduction: Ordering and offshore balancing: Britain, Europe and global power -- Sea power, strategy and the Scheldt: Shaping British policy -- Culture, ideas and cash: Shaping post-war agendas -- Lord Liverpool and European order, 1812-27 -- The 'Wellington System' and national strategy, 1814-52 -- Steam warfare -- Engineering security: Harbours, canals, roads and railways -- Neutralising the Schedlt: Belgian independence, Antwerp and the 'Offshore Balance' -- France and the impact of relative decline -- Cherbourg, 1815-58: Chancing geography -- Identifying the French threat, 1815-56 -- Fading glory: Post Napoleonic France and the art of war -- The denouement: Cherbourg, 1858 -- Military manpower: Invasion scares, expeditionary forces and militia -- Commanding the sea and creating strategy: The royal Navy, 1815-70 -- Antwerp and the Scheldt from 1870 to 1914.