Crucible of War: The Seven Years War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754-1766 (Vintage)
EUR 13,10
Auf seine Weise einzigartig! - Dass der siebenjährige Krieg der erste Weltkrieg der Geschichte darstellte, ist ein Gemeinplatz, nur: In Deutschland weiß man wenig über den amerikanischen und indischen Kriegsschauplatz. Mir war nur aus den Lederstrumpf-Erzahlungen der Kampf der Franzosen und Irokesen gegen die englischen Kolonien und insbesondere die Geschichte von Fort William Henry bekannt. Hier wird sehr umfangreich und im Detail der dazu gehörige Kontext geschildert. Zunächst erfährt der Leser einiges über den bemerkenswerten Zustand der Neuenglandkolonien, die mit einander rivalisierend und einer Politik finstersten Provinzialismus verpflichtet, dennoch ein gewaltiges wirtschaftliches und soziales Potenzial darstellten. Beeindruckend ist auch der Zusammenprall mit der englischen Militärkultur, die ihre eigenen Reglements anpassen muss, um im Wald- und Buschkrieg vor allem mit den Indianern mithalten zu können. Bspw. war in der Armee des 18 Jhr. der gezielte Schuss auf einen Gegner verpönt, man gab nur kollektive Salven ab. Im harten Kampf mit den Franzosen wurden aber zum ersten Mal Scharfschützen in die Armee integriert.Der Autor schildert aber nicht nur das lokale Geschehen im Grenzgebiet zum heutigen Kanada und zum Ohio, sondern vor allem auch die Details der englischen Politik, wo Pitt der Ältere mit überwältigendem Weitblick einen Richtungswechsel im zunächst desaströs verlaufenden Krieg einleitet und damit den englischen Truppen den Weg zum Sieg bahnt. Sein politisches Ende mit dem Herrschaftsantritt des labilen George III ist ein Daram eigener Art. Die vorliegende Darstellung bezieht aber auch ganz andere Schauplätze mit ein: Auch die Eroberung Havannas und Guadeloupes werden beschrieben und man erfährt zumindest einen kleinen Ausblick auf die Taten Clives in in Indien. So wechseln buchstäblich spannend packende Episoden mit ideenreichen Darstellungen, die die historischen Strukturen sorgfältig vor dem Leser aufdecken: Für mich war vor allem neu, dass die französische Armee praktisch auf dem Seeweg, nicht aber dem Landweg bezwungen wurde. Das Buch erklärt schließlich beeindruckend die Grundlagen des späteren Konflikts zwischen Kolonien und Mutterland, der zum amerikanischen Bürgerkrieg führt und nimmt die ersten Auseinandersetzungen vorweg.Für dieses Werk sollte sich der Interessierte wirklich Zeit nehmen, weil es das historische Geschehen wie kaum ein zweites veranschaulicht und auf höchstem Niveau unterhält.
Forging the American Idea of Independence - Fred Anderson s absorbing book about the Seven Years War is a remarkably readable history of an episode that receives scant attention in recounting the forging of the uniquely American idea of independence. His study of the interaction of the colonies and Great Britain before, during, and after the war shows how America s unique idea of individual liberty was actually forged in reaction to Britain s insistence on attempting to treat the colonies as if they were Ireland or Scotland--which they weren t. An absorbing study that creates much food for thought. (I also found out how Pittsburgh got its name, and who Pittsburgh s old ball park--Forbes Field--was named after!)
Opened my eyes to the American Rev s prelude - Professor Anderson has opened for this avid, but picky history buff a much broader perspective on the immensely complex First Global War. Up to now, my habitual take on the 18th century was in the context of the two great revolutions of its last twenty-five years. But Anderson s pellucid prose and uncanny knack for the telling anecdote fills and embellishes a former blank decade in my personal historical timeline. I then bought Kevin Phillips The Cousins Wars to help me better understand the lead-in to the French & Indian War! As my wife is from Massachusetts, looks like I will buy her the Anderson book on Provincial soldiers.
Everything you always wanted to know about the Stamp Act.... - Ostensibly, this book is a comprehensive history of the Seven Years War (known as the French and Indian War in America) and its affects upon the British Empire in North America. In fact, the focus of this book is on the triangular relationship between the American colonists, the Indian tribes struggling to maintain a balance between the warring European empires, and the power struggles of British parliamentarians, rather than the war itself. Fred Anderson, a university professor, writes well and he avoids a narrow, parochial viewpoint in favor of a broad canvas that depicts the struggle as a multi-dimensional global conflict. Unfortunately, Anderson often only scrapes the surface and fails to provide real detail on important issues, like what was the actual balance of power between New France and the British colonies (figures on population, economic productivity and military potential would have been useful). Instead, Anderson spends many tedious pages detailing various treaties with Indian tribes, inter-colonial bickering and the land interests of the Penn family. The real weakness of the book is that Anderson fails to properly address the meat and potatoes of this subject: the military campaigns fought between 1755 and 1760 for the control of Canada. Anderson eschews details such as order of battle, casualties or analysis in favor of selected eyewitness accounts, which add little. Major military operations are glossed over quickly: the siege of Louisburg gets only four pages but the post-war land squabbles between Connecticut and Pennsylvania get six. Only eight pages are spent on the Battle of Ticonderoga in 1758, but more than thirty pages are spent on the Stamp Act. The only exception to this is the climatic Battle on the Plains of Abraham, which Anderson dismisses as a dubious battle that was neither decisive nor brilliantly fought. In his most controversial interpretation, Anderson claims that the British General Wolfe blundered into the battle without a plan, as part of a suicidal death wish. No evidence is presented to support this revisionist accusation, nor does Anderson disclose how he knows what was going on in Wolfe s mind. This leads to a second weakness of the book, which is that while many historical characters parade through the chapters, they remain ciphers because the author makes little effort to detail their backgrounds or pre-war experience. This book desperately needs several appendices, covering topics such as a list of the British regular units that served in America during the war, a list of colonial units raised and war-expenses of each colony, and capsule biographies of all the major participants. Anderson does provide some additional detail in the 85 pages of endnotes, but he often finds it sufficient to cite a source without telling the reader what additional information it contains. To be sure, Anderson s book is impeccably researched. Yet the book is sadly lacking in detail on many important topics, including Britain s naval superiority and economic mobilization, both of which were crucial to the outcome. Interesting topics, such as the creation of Roger s Rangers and the British condoning of scalping are glossed over. In order to make sense of Anderson s sketchy detail, I frequently had to consult other books on the war. A 746-page volume should not force a reader to conduct so much extra legwork. French perspectives are also given short shrift, and their strategic objectives are never explained (what did France hope to gain?). After the fall of Montreal in 1760, France drops out of Anderson s account and we hear no more of them - which is pretty ridiculous given that the effect of losing Canada upon France is never discussed. In another area, Anderson s use of colonial-era maps, while quaint, was a poor choice since they are very difficult to read and hence constitute only useless eyewash. Finally, the real crux of this book comes down to one issue: Anderson wants to break from standard historical accounts that depict the war as merely a prelude to the American Revolution and instead, to portray it as a stand-alone event that did not inevitably lead to revolution. However much his intent, Anderson actually does tend to use foreshadowing of future British-American friction throughout his narrative. At heart, Anderson is a colonial-era historian and his main interest is in the political and emotional ramifications of the war. Indeed, less than half of the book is actually devoted to the war and the last 180 pages are pre-occupied with post-war taxation policies. Nowhere does Anderson summarize the war s human and financial costs, which are certainly more germane than the antics of various colonials in frustrating British customs policies. Contrary to what other reviewers might claim, Fred Anderson has not written the definitive account of the Seven Years War or even come close, most of his work covers well-trodden ground with few new revelations. If you want to learn a lot about the Stamp Act, read this book. If you want to learn a lot about the Seven Years War, keep looking...
A satisfying volume on a relatively obscure time in history - I bought this book for my father, who is, among other things, an American history buff. I won t give a syopsis of the book, you can read that above. I will say he enjoys the book immensely, read the whole thing through, and refers to it regularly as needed. It was well worth the price I paid for it as a gift, and he and I were quite pleased. If you re considering buying this for someone who studies this period in American history, don t hesitate.