Alright I don't really have any questions to ask, I am just here for some discussion. What I am about to mention I am sure a lot of you have thought about before... but why not stimulate some nice conversation about it? Britain, especially from 1697 to 1815 was in a quite particular state (War of the Grand Alliance to the end of the Napoleonic Wars.) Britain during this time was not yet a superpower, but it had the strongest navy. Britain showcased how good a good navy really is. While the other traditional major powers during this period (France, Spain, and Austria) had populations several times bigger than Britain, it was honestly did not matter.
Now this is where my thought came in. Britain was an egg during the period 1697 to 1815. It had a shell to protect its inner weakness. Imagine this - the shell breaks. If Britain were to have lost its naval supremacy it would never have been able to put itself back together. Britain would be easy to take. And perhaps even more importantly Britain acted as buffer between the European powers and the rest of the world. Territorial acquisitions would be fast from the other countries. The British empire would collapse in a heart beat. It is just odd to think about how outwardly strong but internally weak Britain was. They played their cards very well, and even called a couple bluffs. History would have been quite different if they lost even one hand.
Now this is where my thought came in. Britain was an egg during the period 1697 to 1815. It had a shell to protect its inner weakness. Imagine this - the shell breaks. If Britain were to have lost its naval supremacy it would never have been able to put itself back together. Britain would be easy to take. And perhaps even more importantly Britain acted as buffer between the European powers and the rest of the world. Territorial acquisitions would be fast from the other countries. The British empire would collapse in a heart beat. It is just odd to think about how outwardly strong but internally weak Britain was. They played their cards very well, and even called a couple bluffs. History would have been quite different if they lost even one hand.