British Statecraft and the Baltic Sea Region

A Documentary History
Erscheinungsjahr 2026
ISBN: 978-1-83765-090-3
Verlag: Boydell Press

Buch, Englisch, 446 Seiten, Print PDF, Format (B × H): 161 mm x 240 mm, Gewicht: 831 g

Offering editorial commentary and interpretation while presenting wide-ranging sources from the early modern period to the present day, the book chronicles how British statecraft has functioned in the Baltic as a geopolitical space.

British Statecraft and the Baltic: A Documentary History chronicles how British statecraft has functioned in the Baltic as a geopolitical space and shows how Britain's relationship with the region has shaped the evolution of British political economy. Bringing together a carefully selected variety of variety of sources, it begins in the early modern period, with the rise in diplomatic and commercial engagement with the Baltic Sea region and continues to the present day, engaging with the consequences of Brexit and increased Russian hostility. Britain's relationship with the Baltic has always been defined by its proximity firstly to the European geopolitical struggle centred on Germany, and secondly to a 'Eurasian hinterland' that has long provided Europe with crucial natural resources, from the grain, potash and naval stores that passed through the Danish straights, to oil and natural gas, and that gives Russia huge influence over the region. In light of these proximities, British statecraft in the Baltic has been fundamentally shaped by the challenges of preventing imperialism in Europe. From the role of neutrality in economic coercion to the question of whether, and how, Britain should commit to defending the sovereignty of European states, the Baltic is where Britain has always wrestled most acutely with the meaning of sovereignty.

Outside the European Union, Britain's relationship not only with 'Europe' as a single, increasingly integrated geopolitical area, but with different European geopolitical spaces and states has become even more important. The Baltic remains one of the key areas of geopolitical interest for Britain today, with British troops deployed to Estonia and Poland, and longstanding commercial and political relationships with states across the region established. The authors take a clear view: that Britain must continue to commit to its commitments under Article 5 to preserve liberty and democracy at home. However, by engaging with the historical documents that chart British statecraft over 300 years, British Statecraft and the Baltic allows specialist and non-specialist readers alike to form their own understanding of British statecraft.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Bromley, Hugo

Simms, Brendan

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Weltgeschichte
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Internationale Beziehungen
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Europäische Geschichte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

List of Maps
Acknowledgements
List of Abbreviations
Introduction
1 Commerce, Diplomacy and Emerging States, c. 1600-1770
2 Neutrality and Sovereignty in an Age of Revolutions, 1770-1815
3 The Rise of Nationalism and Imperialism, 1816-1918
4 Britain and the Fight for Sovereignty in the Baltic Sea Region, 1917-1944
5 Britain and the Cold War Baltic: Integration and Sovereignty
I. The Baltic in the Creation of Euro-Atlantic Multilateralism, 1944-1960
II. The Baltic and the Future of European Political Economy, 1960-1995
Epilogue: The present and future of British statecraft in the Baltic
Primary Biography
Select Secondary Biography

Über Autor(innen)

Bromley, Hugo
HUGO BROMLEY holds a PhD in History from the University of Cambridge. He is currently a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Centre for Geopolitics, Cambridge.

Simms, Brendan
BRENDAN SIMMS is a Professor of the history of international relations in the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge.