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Quote by Linda Colley

“From the 15th century to 1688, England and Wales, like Scotland, had been peripheral kingdoms in the European power game, more often at war with each other that with Continental powers, and - except under Oliver Cromwell - scarcely very successful on those occasions when they did engage the Dutch, or the French, or the Spanish.”

Quote by Linda Colley

Book:Britons: Forging the Nation, 1707-1837
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Britons: Forging the Nation, 1707-1837

This book delves into the political, social, and cultural transformations that shaped modern Britain during the 18th and early 19th centuries, focusing on key events and figures that contributed to the nation's formation. more

Author

Linda Colley
Linda Colley

Linda Colley is a prominent historian specializing in British history, with a particular focus on the history of the British Empire. Born on September 13, 1949, she has made significant contributions to the field with her insightful analyses and scholarly writings. more

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“The pre-war empire had been sufficiently informal and sufficiently cheap for Parliament to claim authority over it without having to concern itself too much about what this authority entailed. The post-war empire necessitated a much greater investment in administrative machinery and military force. This build-up of control had to be paid for, either by British taxpayers or by their colonists.”

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“In the last quarter of the 20th century, Britons have been understandably obsessed with the problem of having too little power in the world. In the third quarter of the 18th century, by contrast, their forebears were perplexed by the problem of having acquired too much power too quickly over too many people.”

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“A British imperium enabled Scots to feel themselves peers of the Ebglish in a way still denied them in an island kingdom. The language bears that out very clearly. The English and the foreign are still all too inclined to refer to the island of Great Britain as 'England'. But at no time have they ever customarily referred to an English empire.”

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“Can it be entirely accidental that the most famous fictional spy of them all, James Bond, Number 007, deadly marksman, intriguer, the ultimate man behind the curtain, sexual athlete and ruthless patriot, is also a Scot, as was the author, whose wish-fulfilment he was?”

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Book:Britons: Forging the Nation, 1707-1837
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“In the past, the British had signally failed to build an effective structure of royal authority and administration in their American colonies. As a result, no possibility existed of soothing and winning over influential and talented Americans, in the way that influential and talented Scotsmen were increasingly being won over, by giving them increased access to state employment.”

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Book:Britons: Forging the Nation, 1707-1837
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