The Seven Years War: The First World War and Its Consequences

The Seven Years War was partially caused by issues lingering from the War of Austrian Succession. The War of Austrian Succession started when powers in Europe, notably France and Prussia challenged the power of the Habsburg-ruled Holy Roman by claiming that Maria Theresa, the heir apparent to the Holy Roman Empire could not rule since she was a woman. Austria, Great Britain, Hanover, and Russia fought  France, Prussia, Spain, and Bavaria. The war had no clear victor as Maria Theresa became confirmed as ruler of the Holy Roman Empire but the Prussians led by Frederick the Great seized Silesia. Tensions remained high among the powers of Europe as little of the other conflicts between the powers were resolved.  The War of Austrian Succession led to a reshuffling of alliances. Austria who previously supported Great Britain now allied themselves with their ancient enemy France. Prussia ditched France to ally themselves with  Great Britain. In this tense climate, Prussia established itself as a significant power. The older powers in Central Europe, Mostly Austria and to a lesser extent the Holy Roman Empire viewed the new nation as a serious threat. In North America, tensions existed between the British with their thirteen colonies and France with their Trans-Mississippi Valley and Canadian holdings. The populous thirteen colonies experienced overcrowding and as a result, Great Britain sought to gain new territories for the colonies. The British set their sights on the sparsely populated but vast land owned by the French. In India, France and Great Britain sought to gain control and influence over India to further enlarge their budding overseas empire; these circumstances led to the Seven Years War.

Outbreak Of The 7 Years War

The Outbreak of War in Europe occurred when Prussia invaded and seized Saxony. The moment Austria lost Silesia, they immediately thought about how to exact their revenge. Austria made preparations for war in 1756. Prussia knew Austria was planning an attack so Frederick decided on a preemptive attack. The well-oiled Prussian Army took Saxony with relative ease. Prussia's conquest of Saxony prompted outrage from many European powers. It seemed that Prussia invaded a sovereign and neutral country unprovoked. As a result, the great powers of Europe mobilized their armies and declared war on their enemies. The outbreak of war for North America occurred two years earlier in 1754. A young British Lt. Colonel named George Washington (yes that George Washington) ambushed a small French force near modern-day Pittsburgh. This event infuriated the French and was the very first fighting of the Seven Years War

The War

Most of the fighting in the war took place in Europe. Prussia essentially had to fight most of Europe at once as the British provided little troops and instead subsidized the Prussian government. To clarify, the Anglo-Prussian alliance had to fight Austria, the Holy Roman Empire, France , Russia , Spain, and Sweden. However, France and Great Britain did most of their fighting outside of Europe. In fact, France only fought Prussia in a few battles. France and Great Britain’s main contribution was fighting each other around the globe, in North America, West Africa, and India. The fighting in Europe started in 1756 and ended in 1763. As soon as the war started, Prussia was surrounded by its enemies. Russia to the east, Sweden to the north Austria to the south and France to the West

This geographical situation put Prussia in an awkward situation for the entire war. As soon as Prussia would neutralize one threat, a new threat from a new direction. In particular,  Austria and Russia threatened Prussia on a constant basis. Throughout the war, Prussia was outnumbered in almost every battle. This did not stop the brilliant tactician Frederick the Great from outmaneuvering and defeating Austrian and Russian armies that were much larger. Prussia started off successfully seizing Saxony. However, the sheer numerical that Prussia had taken its toll and by 1759 Prussia was in dire straits. Prussia continued to be battered by their European enemies and Prussia began losing territory. In fact, Prussia saw their capital Berlin fall into enemy hands twice. Over in North America, France started the war strongly seizing two British forts. Part of France’s success was due to their allyship with the Iroquois confederation and other Native Americans. France’s luck would soon run out as William Pitt took over control of British actions in North America. Pitt organized a naval blockade of North America which severely weakened France’s fighting ability. A decisive moment came when the British defeated the French at the Battle of Quebec. This battle marked how France had quickly lost control of the situation in North America. In India, the French allied themselves with the ruling Mughal empire. These two nations allied to prevent encroachment from the British and their trading companies. The battle of Plassey saw France lose a key ally in India and the capital of French influence in India fell to the British. The French and British naval fleets fought battles off the coast of West Africa. By 1762 Prussia seemed to be at the end of its rope. Prussia’s territory was gradually enveloped by Austria and Russia. A Russian army was closing in on Brandenburg and the war seemed almost over. But then suddenly a miracle happened. The empress of Russia, Elizabeth died and was succeeded by Peter III. Peter, a life-long admirer of Prussia, could not bear to destroy the country he had a fondness for. Peter pulled Russia out of the territory they took from Prussia and negotiated a favorable treaty. Peter even sent a Russian army to fight for the Prussians. This allowed Frederick to focus his full attention on Austria. Prussia reconquered Saxony and pushed the Austrians back. At this time the powers of Europe realized the war was right back where it started. It was time for the Seven Years War to end. 

Results

Europe

A truce was soon negotiated and the status quo before the war became the new political situation. Prussia ceded Saxony maintained control over Silesia and established itself as a European power. 

North America

France ceded all of its North American territory east of the Mississippi river including Canada to Great Britain Britain.

India

France lost all control of India and the British now had considerable influence in India. India would become a British colony in 1858 and that groundwork was laid at the end of the Seven Years War.

Long Term Effects

Europe

The Seven Years War did not see a significant increase in territory change but had long-lasting effects that contributed to the future world order.

Prussia

Prussia was an upstart power in Europe and the Old Guard of European nations sought to push Prussia back into obscurity and not a sovereign nation. Despite being considerably outnumbered and out-funded, Prussia staved off its enemies and confirmed its status as a power in Europe. This was due to the keen leadership of Frederick the Great and when later leaders had to rule Prussia, Prussia would fade and decline.

Austria

Austria had the most to gain from a defeat of Prussia and since the Seven Years War cemented Prussia as a European power, Austria suffered. Austria did not lose any territory but they failed to neutralize the threat of Prussia. Prussia’s gain was Austria’s loss. Austria lost influence in the German states and the declining Holy Roman Empire. However, Austria was able to maintain the influence of the Habsburg dynasty and Austria did reconquer Saxony from Prussia albeit in a weakened form.

Russia

Russia established itself as a first-rate power and a force to be reckoned within Europe. Previously Russia was regarded as a weaker nation on the edge of Europe. During the war, the Russians consistently troubled the Prussians beating them many times. The only reason why Russia could not prevail was their poor supply chains and organizations. Russia’s military performance caught the eye of many European countries and caused an increase in status. Russia’s abrupt 180 during the war under Peter III led to the rise of Catherine the Great. Peter’s policy towards Prussia prompted talks in Russia that Peter was weak and ineffective. The aristocrats and Peter's wife, Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, plotted to overthrow Peter and install Sophie as empress. Peter was arrested, forced to abdicate, and later died of a stroke although some claim he was assassinated. Sophie took the name of Catherine and became one of Russia’s greatest leaders.

France

 France saw a blow in status after the war. The French fought on three different continents, lost in two of them, and achieved one stalemate. France lost all of its territory in North America and any influence they had in India. Ever since the two countries existed, Great Britain and France fought each other for supremacy in Europe and the world. The Seven Years War was a significant step in confirming that Great Britain would win the eternal struggle. These results and developments prompted a military reform of France so when another conflict broke out, France refused to make the same mistakes again. It was this military reform that formed the basis of the formidable French military that controlled vast parts of Europe during the Napoleonic war. However, the end of the war prompted some degree of unrest that would lead to the French Revolution. The war was costly to France and new taxes had to be instituted. France’s shaky financial situations was a significant cause of the French Revolution and that monetary unease began as a result of the Seven Years War

Great Britain

The nation most directly impacted by the Seven Years War was interestingly enough the nations who did not do any fighting in Europe. Great Britain only funded Prussia and did not provide troops. Great Britain fought around the world battling France. Great Britain took control of France’s territory in North America. Britain was the undisputed dominant power in North America. As mentioned earlier, France lost influence in the European pecking order since they lost to Great Britain on two continents. At this time there were only three countries with significant colonial empires which are empires composed of colonies. Spain, Great Britain, and France. While France and Great Britain were heavyweights in Europe, Spain was not. As a result, Spain was not a realistic candidate for the most powerful nation on earth. France and Great Britain were the two nations who sought to be that dominant power. The Seven Years War resolved this endless struggle in favor of the British. Great Britain controlled half of North America, had considerable influence in India, and was the most powerful nation in Europe and the wealthiest due to its mercantilist economic policy. The Seven Years War ensured that until WWII Great Britain would be the most powerful nation on Earth and that the British would influence and change the world more than any other nation in human history. Great Britain was able to do this thanks to France’s weakened status after the Seven Years War. The Seven Years War paved the way for British economic political and cultural dominance that defined human history in the 19th century However, the Seven Years War was not necessarily a positive event for Great Britain. The government went into huge amounts of debt trying to fund their armies on several continents. Britain did control of Canada and Eastern North America, but these new territories did not contain valuable resources or a vast population. As a result of the war, the British government tottered towards bankruptcy. To try and pump funds into the government, the British imposed new and higher taxes on their subjects in the thirteen colonies. These taxes enraged the colonists as they felt they had no say on whether these taxes should be implemented. Taxes that became infamous in the thirteen colonies such as the Stamp Act, the Tea Act and the Townsend Act all came as a result of British efforts to pay off their debts from the Seven Years War. These taxes provided the spark that would lead to the shot heard around the world: the American Revolution. The Seven Years War led to the American revolution.

Conclusion

The Seven Years war was a conflict that involved the powers of Europe and started over three things: Unresolved problems from the war of Austrian Succession, the diplomatic revolution of 1756, and Prussia’s sudden conquest of Saxony. The war involved European power, but fighting took place on every continent except for Australia and Antarctica. The war was truly the first world war. The Seven Years War had enormous consequences on history. The Seven Years War led to the American Revolution, the French Revolution, and British global dominance. The Seven Years War was one of the most influential conflicts in human history and its consequences led to the world we live in today.