The Seven Years’ War—Unintended Consequences The common theme of conflict in European history, especially in the 18th century is ambition. When countries decide to expand territory, and undermine other powers in the process, the possibility for conflict only intensifies. The Seven Years’ War which lasted from 1756 to 1753 is a hallmark example of this feat. Due to the war, numerous power shifts occurred. However, this is to be expected. The greatest impact of the Seven Years’ War does not lie in these, though notable, power shifts. Struggling to recover from the tolls the war brought, Great Britain saw heavier financial burdens on the colonies as a means to alleviate the pressure. The greatest impact of the Seven Years’ War was the
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Similarly to how Frederick II’s invasion spurred the formation of alliances, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria triggered a vast network of defense alliances. Countries had no idea that other countries had made secret alliances with other countries that would take effect if one got attacked. Therefore, when one country attacked another, numerous other countries were pulled into the conflict. The Seven Years’ War is also reminiscent of WWI for another reason. Similar to how Great Britain was subject to unintended consequences because of its ambitions, Germany was subject to unintended consequences because of its ambition. In the Treaty of Versailles (1919), Germany was forced to take blame for the war because it was the country that dragged it on longer than it should have. In the treaty, Germany had to substantially reduced the size of its military, give up 13 percent of its territory, losing a tenth of its population in the process, and pay $33 billion dollars in reparations. Perhaps Germany wouldn’t have entered and dragged on the war if it could foresee its utter
Similarly to how Frederick II’s invasion spurred the formation of alliances, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria triggered a vast network of defense alliances. Countries had no idea that other countries had made secret alliances with other countries that would take effect if one got attacked. Therefore, when one country attacked another, numerous other countries were pulled into the conflict. The Seven Years’ War is also reminiscent of WWI for another reason. Similar to how Great Britain was subject to unintended consequences because of its ambitions, Germany was subject to unintended consequences because of its ambition. In the Treaty of Versailles (1919), Germany was forced to take blame for the war because it was the country that dragged it on longer than it should have. In the treaty, Germany had to substantially reduced the size of its military, give up 13 percent of its territory, losing a tenth of its population in the process, and pay $33 billion dollars in reparations. Perhaps Germany wouldn’t have entered and dragged on the war if it could foresee its utter