Continental connections (terms 1 and 2)

The purpose of this course is to explore the many connections between Britain and continental Europe in the eighteenth century. Recent historiography of the period has been dominated by Britain’s emerging role as an imperial power, and there has been a consequent downplaying of Britain’s links to the Continent. Three-thousand miles ofthe Atlantic Ocean are often conceptualised as an economic and cultural highway, linking communities on its eastern and western shores; while much smaller stretches of water are viewed as barriers, separating rather than connecting Britain and the mainland. Indeed, in some studies, Britain is depicted as turning away from Europe in the middle of the century, and concentrating instead on empire. But if in some senses the relationship between Britain and the Continent did become more distant at this time, in others it most emphatically did not.

Assessment: two 4,000 word course papers