3,257
edits
Changes
→Long-Term Impact
==Long-Term Impact==
While in principal, the war maintained a balance in European politics among the power, the reality was different. First, the new United Kingdom that had formally united Scotland with England had emerged as a global power, in strong part thanks to the war and its aftermath. Britain gained a number of key territories, particularly in the New World such as Newfoundland and access to trade along areas where the French had once dominated. Additionally, they controlled Gibraltar, taking it from Spain (and which they still have to this day). However, rather than mainly weakening their main enemy, France, the war significantly weakened the Dutch, where they were straddled by large debts. This now allowed Britain to take over many trade opportunities, in Africa and North America, that they once controlled. The rise of Britain as a commercial and territorial empire had essentially accelerated due to the war's consequences.
For the Dutch, the war dragged for a long time and the population of three million could not cope with a large debt. In essence, the Dutch had been very influential in European affairs in the 17th century, but after this war that influence had declined sharply as their maritime empire and trading prowess declined due to the debts and cost of the war to them. In effect, despite being on the side that gained the most from the war's ending, the Dutch saw significant losses in their overall influence and economic prowess.
==Effects on States Today==
