Franqois Crouzet has devoted much of his life to the study of European industrialisation, and in Britain ascendant he draws together a series of essays, written in the course of his career and now thoroughly revised, examining the rise of Britain to the position of dominance in the world economy of the nineteenth century, and the concomitant decline of France. This theme is explored from several angles, and the crucial question of 'why was Britain first?' discussed extensively. Special attention is paid to the problems of capital formation, foreign trade and the consequences of empire, but the political and military vicissitudes of the 'second One Hundred Years War' (1689-1815) and their economic implications are not neglected. In the concluding chapters of Britain ascendant Professor Crouzet examines some more contemporary aspects of Anglo-French economic relations. Throughout the book conventional wisdom is attacked and new views proposed of central issues like the linkages between the Napoleonic Wars and the Industrial Revolution.
The approach is systematically comparative, and draws on Professor Crouzet's unparalleled knowledge of the economic structure and organisation of both Britain and France at the onset of industrialisation.