Canada or Guadeloupe?: French and British Perceptions of Empire, 1760–1763

Abstract

Abstract: The debate that arose in France and Britain over which concession to favour, Canada or Guadeloupe, in the peace negotiations towards the end of the Seven Years' War was a significant historical moment, one in which imperial perceptions can be compared. The different directions taken by the two empires following the war – France's turn towards its maritime and tropical interests, Britain's move from commercial and maritime regulation to the assertion of territorial control over its colonies – suggest that the two nations thought differently about empire. A close examination, however, of discussions in both over the fate of Canada prior to the Treaty of Paris indicates a common intellectual foundation to very different imperial policies. This foundation complicates the dichotomy of a modern, dynamic British empire and a narrowly mercantilist French one. Writers in both empires advanced arguments that, to various degrees, prioritized wealth and security. They reveal a common understanding of the necessary components to increase the power and prosperity of a state and an attempt to come to terms with the growing geopolitical importance of America to standing in Europe. Differences between the empires were, in many respects, ones of degree, not kind.