Politics and Foreign Policy in the Age of George I, 1714–1727 by Jeremy Black (review)

Mr. Black is a leading expert in eighteenth-century British foreign policy. For more than thirty years, he has published on numerous aspects of the period’s international relations, ranging from diplomacy, warfare, and the Atlantic slave trade, to the monarchy, the press, and the mapping of foreign policy. His most recent addition to a long list of books is advertised as a new perspective on the reign of George I. How far does it differ from earlier accounts? Mr. Black devotes an equal share of his interpretation to both foreign policy and domestic politics, emphasizing the importance of national concerns for foreign political decision-makers as well as the impact of diplomacy, international alliances, and warfare on British politicians at home. To a much larger extent than in his earlier books, Mr. Black integrates economic aspects into his analysis of foreign policy. The “affordability of policies” and the sensitivity of politicians—including the monarch—to financial markets create a very balanced and nuanced interpretation demonstrating the nexus between “internal stability” and “external strength.”

Six chapters following chronological order are framed by an introduction and conclusion. Mr. Black takes a multiperspective approach. He underlines the importance of the public sphere, the politics of the Hanoverian monarch, and the confessional dimension. The short periods of time discussed in the chronological chapters—two or three years each—allow for a very detailed narrative and an account that emphasizes dynamics, change, and personal agency. It is a key argument that eighteenth-century Britain was to a large degree a face-to-face society, which had an enormous impact on the way foreign policy was conducted. Despite such powerful ideas as the balance of power and Britain’s Protestant interest, Mr. Black underlines the room for individual agency. As he observes, realism and ideology should not be too starkly divided. He describes foreign policy as much more inconsistent than have other historians.

The complexity of foreign political decision-making and the impact of individual policies are key elements of Mr. Black’s interpretation. He reflects his methodological approach at several places in his book, stressing the need for extensive archival research. In this sense, the book is classic “Black.” Based on an incredible wealth of material from British and European archives—few people have seen more diplomatic dispatches—he appears to have an endless list of references to diplomatic or ministerial correspondences. Mr. Black is also a very opinionated author. The importance of Jacobitism or party politics is stated with a reference to the failure of other historians to consider contemporary source material adequately or sufficiently. With a few exceptions, the potential shortcomings of historiography do not lead to an elaborate discussion of other works. In many ways—and this is also typical of Mr. Black—the account does not engage with recent historiography. Although he stresses that he sees his book “commenting on others,” Mr. Black evinces very little need to engage in a broader debate with his narrative of eighteenth-century events. While the footnotes burst with references to archival material, few refer to other historiographical works. There are three exceptions to this criticism. The introduction and particularly the conclusion refer to Andrew Thompson’s argument that British foreign policy was influenced by denomination. Although Mr. Black agrees that the Protestant interest had an impact on foreign policy, he sees anti-Catholicism as the more potent idea in public discourse. This includes the perception by foreign Catholic diplomats of Britain as a “disorderly” Protestant-parliamentary power.

In addition, Mr. Black comments on recent research on Britain’s German connection. George I came to Britain as Elector of Hanover and continued to reign as such until his death. The Personal Union between Britain and the German state has long been neglected. Mr. Black identifies “Hanoverianism” as an important element of British foreign policy and domestic politics. It consisted not only of the need to defend...