The Making of a World Power: War and the Military Revolution in 17th Century England

In 1605, England was a second-rate European power, but by 1705, the situation had changed dramatically. To explain this turnaround, Wheeler (European history, US Military Academy) refutes existing scholarship that place Britain's military and financial revolutions after the Glorious Revolution of 1688. He locates them earlier, and explains how they were related to domestic and foreign mid-17th century conflicts involving Dutch and French military threats and obstacles to the growth of English political and economic power. Includes b&w illustrations of key figures. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)