War, State, and Society in Mid-Eighteenth-Century Britain and Ireland

The middle of the eighteenth century was a period of more or less continuous warfare. Britain, and therefore Ireland, was involved in conflict with the Bourbon powers of Spain and France for much of the time between 1739 and 1763. Even in times of nominal peace, war between Britain and France continued beyond Europe. This book explores the impact of these wars on Britain and Ireland, looking at the mobilization of manpower, resources, and money to fight the wars, and the consequences for the economy, society, politics, religious divisions, national consciousness, and attitudes to empire.