Crucible of War: The Seven Years' War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754-1766

While Fred Anderson's main goal is to put the contingency back in the history of the American Revolution, as the last thing that men like Benjamin Franklin and George Washington could have imagined at the conclusion of the French & Indian Wars is that they would be leading a revolution against London in the not-so-distant future, the pivot of this story would appear to be "blowback" to empire.

Consider that the last round of the game of empire between France and Britain had more to do with the Iroquois Nation losing their hold on their satellite nations in the Ohio County, having compromised the interests of those peoples one time too many. Thus leading to the situation where a subject leader of the Iroquois overrides George Washington show more to stage a sanguinary massacre against French captives to try and regain his authority, thus leading to a great war.

Or look at how British Empire quickly runs upon the rocks at the end of the Seven Years' War, as differing understandings of what it means to be a British subject could no longer be fudged, between the American attitude that empire was a collaborative effort, and the British effort to forge an efficient system in keeping with their understanding of what constituted proper order. This is while in a maelstrom of demographic changes and economic dislocation, the affects of which would have challenged the most daring of political leaders.

That last point might be the key issue, as the dislocations of empire, even in a winning cause, did open the door to daring leadership in America, and these are the men who swept away the old British order in the 13 Colonies; men who realized that popular sovereignty could now only be disregarded at one's own risk. The thing is that Anderson does not interpret this turn of events in a romantic "great man" fashion, but as a wave of chaos that could only be channeled, not held back. show less

Detailed analysis of the French and Indian (F&I) Wars, also known as the Seven Years War, and its influence on the course of history. Anderson contends the F&I Wars laid the groundwork for the American Revolution and his case is compelling. It points out that cultural misunderstandings started very early, and there were many cultures involved, including the English, the Anglo-Americans, the French, the Franco-Americans (including those in Canada), the many American Indian tribes that joined alliances, and the tribes who desired to remain independent.

It is structured around groupings of most impact. It starts with the colonial and imperial situations at the beginning of the war. It then moves into the phases of fighting on the North show more American continent, follow-on fighting in other places in the world, and the aftermath of adjustment to the British Empire’s victory. It contains one of the best explanations of the Stamp Acts, and their consequences, that I have read.

The author excels at explaining the context in which these events took place, the battles (strategy, tactics, participants, and outcomes), and is one of the best examples of portraying the American Indian tribes as astute participants in the politics of the era (rather than the old-fashioned treatment as mostly ignorant “savages.”) For example, the American Indian tribes knew about the value of land ownership and the power it entails, which is often discounted in older histories of this period.

I cannot even imagine how much research went into this book. It is hard to complain that a book is too thorough, but at over 900 pages, the author seems to have covered all the vital material (and more). Anderson’s aim is far-reaching – he wanted to create a book that would appeal to historians and scholars, as well as us “regular readers” who are interested in history. It highlights a period of time that is often overlooked. It is written in a storytelling style and tries to avoid dry factual recitations (which it mostly achieves). I learned a lot from this book and recommend it to fellow history lovers. show less

WOW! Just WOW!
This is one of the clearest, and most concise books on history I have ever read. Fred Anderson takes a little talked about time in not only American but world history and spreads a web across the globe. Who would have known what the events taking place in this short amount of time would lead to. The author brings out so many situations that are pure foreshadowing to not only the American Revolution but the Civil War as well. The players on this stage fly off the page and shake you. Wolfe, Washington, Montcalm, Pitt, Braddock... and many others. As you read this book these men are standing right in front of you. Washington with his calm expression of surprise and his ability to absorb the events unfolding around him with show more reluctant surprise. Wolfe in his manic OCD mannerisms. Braddock's one track mind. Pitt's desire for over achievement and the melancholy distrusting mind of Montcalm. My favorite chapter is probably the battle of Quebec between Wolfe and Montcalm. This book is highly recommended and you can smell it. It is amazing what History writers like Anderson bring to the table. Anderson is in good company with, Asbridge, Bauer and Dan Jones. It is quite obvious how much a labor of love this book is. My hats off to Mr. Anderson for sharing it with us.
Having finished this book only a few days ago It is still lingering in my mind. The last half of the book goes into detail in regards to the events that would eventually lead to revolution: The Stamp act and other events that ruffled the feathers of the Colonist. The author really shows us the way they looked at the world around them. The ghosts of men like Wolfe and Braddock and their deeds (or misdeeds, accomplishments or failures) regardless, their actions teetered like ghosts as the road to change went from one lane to a super highway in a very short period of time. show less

This history opens with an argument: that the French and Indian War (or Seven Years War) was not the prologue to the American Revolution, but rather that the American Revolution was the epilogue to the French and Indian War. The author recenters this war as the pivotal event of the 18th century, and no more was this true than in North America. While the conflict in Europe and the rest of the world is covered (the Seven Years War was a global war), the role and battles in North America are delved into in detail. Figures like George Washington come up frequently, although I was left more intrigued by the role played by multiple native groups, who switched sides and rebelled in attempts to assert their rights. Overall, a book that enhanced show more my understanding of American history and a war that likely deserves more attention. show less

Though long overshadowed in the traditional historical narrative by the American Revolution, the Seven Years’ War, as Fred Anderson argues, is the most important event in the eighteenth-century North American history. Fought in the untamed wilderness which both France and Britain claimed, the struggle brought an end to the French empire in North America. Yet ironically in doing so, it sowed the seeds for the eventual collapse of Britain’s own empire in the Americas by expanding it beyond a manageable size and creating pressures that ultimately led the thirteen colonies to rebel. This war and its legacy is the subject of this superb book, one that offers a complex and inter-layered narrative of the origins, conduct, and consequences show more of this often-ignored conflict.

Anderson begins by examining the interaction between the British, the French, and the Iroquois in the Ohio Valley. Sandwiched between the two European empire, the Iroquois Confederacy played one off the other successfully for many years. Yet land concessions to the British in the 1740s soon paved the way for growing encroachment of the Ohio Valley by British colonists, prompting the French to assert their own claims to the region. When war erupted in 1754 (as a result of a clash between a French force and a party of Virginians and Indians, one carefully reconstructed and dramatically retold by Anderson), it expanded gradually into a general conflict between Britain and France, with fighting taking place on nearly every continent.

The war is the dominant focus of Anderson’s book, and he supplies a readable and insightful narrative of the course of the war. While his focus is predominantly on the political and military struggles in North America, he also provides an description of the relevant British politics and a summary of the war in Europe. Particularly notable is his coverage of the Native Americans, which he depicts not as opportunistic savages but as canny political operators who saw themselves as free agents involved in a web of relationships with each other as well as with the colonial powers. Though the book bogs down in his subsequent examination of the postwar adjustments to British victory, these chapters make for fascinating reading by demonstrating just how close the link was between the problems posed by Britain’s triumph and the protests that ultimately would lead to rebellion.

By the end of the book, it is hard to deny the merits of Anderson’s argument. Through his expert analysis and deft interweaving of people and events, he succeeds in restoring the Seven Years’ War to the pivotal place it deserves in American history. Clearly written and supplemented with numerous images and maps, it is a masterful study of the war, one unlikely to be surpassed in its breadth of coverage or quality of its analysis. For anyone seeking a history of the war and its legacy for American history, this is the book to read. show less

This is a masterful work of history. Anderson seamlessly blends scholarship with clear and engaging writing. When I first picked the book up I was concerned that it would be a slog, but the pages just flew by.

While providing an excellent history of the French and Indian War, Anderson also tracks the larger trends shaping 18th Century North America, putting the war in the context of relations between the European colonists and the Native Americans as well as the relations between the colonists and Europe.

Anderson presents and elegantly defends the thesis that the American Revolution is founded in American experiences directly related to the Seven Years' War. Utilizing historical documents, the author shows how the conflict in the colonies lead to a war England did not want to fight and could not afford to fight; how the taxation measures intended to pay the colonists' part of the war lead to the fight against taxation without representation; how the treatment of British soldiers was in direct conflict with what the colonists' saw as their rights as Englishmen; and how the freedoms generally taken for granted by the colonists were is conflict with the realities in England and what the rulers (governors, etc) saw as their roles.

One other show more thing brought forth very clearly in his discourse is that the Seven Years' War really was a 'world war' as it was fought around the globe by the English and the French.

I found the book to be a very good read and very stimulating. While I may have had minor quibbles with some points, I think the author has done a very good job of presenting, defending and proving his thesis. show less