G. M. D. HOWAT. Stuart and Cromwellian Foreign Policy. New York. St. Martin's Press. 1974. 191 p.
The problem of England's foreign policy in the 17th century is one of the least studied in both foreign and Soviet historiography1 . The book by the English historian D. Howat2, a lecturer at G. Calham College, is one of the first attempts in bourgeois historiography to cover this issue in detail. The monograph is part of the five-volume Modern British Foreign Policy series, which covers the period from 1485 to the present. Based on the analysis of documents, memoirs and literature, the author examines the events from the accession to the throne in 1603 of the first of the Stuart dynasty, James I, to the end of the reign in 1688 of its last representative, James II. Howat pays special attention to Oliver Cromwell's foreign policy during the English bourgeois Revolution.
Before starting to study the relationship of England with other states during the reign of the Stuarts and under Cromwell, the author conducts a comparative analysis of the foreign policy of the English kings of the XVII century, trying to identify both its general and special features. He points out, for example, that "although the kings of England were rulers of the whole of Great Britain, their policy was essentially strictly English" (p. VI), since they ignored the interests of Ireland and Scotland. And only Oliver Cromwell sought to pursue a broader foreign policy. Another common feature, according to Howat, was that English foreign policy was "most closely connected with events in Europe" (p.VII).
Comparing the foreign policy of the Stuarts with that of the continental monarchs, Howat notes that of the 85 years of this period, England was at war for only 20 years, while other countries - 78. From this he concludes that England did not pursue aggressive goals, but adhered to a "defensive policy". The groundlessness of this thesis becomes obvious if we recall at least the history of Anglo-Dutch relat ...
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