Shennan examines the changing criteria upon which European relations were based between 1689 and 1789, a complex period which saw:
* the decline of dynasticism
* the emergence of economic power as a concomitant of military might
* the growth of British influence
* the dawn of nationalism
For easy reference, this book also contains extensive chronologies of the important battles, treaties and alliances of the period, along with a list of further reading.

Looks at the king and his beliefs, domestic problems, and foreign policy.

Since the first appearance of this book in 1983, the bicentenary of the French Revolution has been celebrated. In order to make contemporary sense of that momentous and dramatic event, historians have re-examined the world of 18th-century France. This fully revised second edition takes account of this and of other historical work produced during the last decade. It is a concise introductory text for students, covering: the period between Louis XIV's death in 1715 and the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789; France's accomplishments in international affairs, commercial expansion, and...

This fully revised second edition takes account of historical work produced during the last decade. Covering the period between Louis XIV's death in 1715 and the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789, it discusses:
* France's accomplishments in international affairs, commercial expansion, and intellectual and artistic life
* the significance of long-term political, social and economic forces in causing the Revolution
* how the changing perception of government, from one of divine-right kingship towards the idea of a national enterprise, ultimately undermined the old...