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==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. In fact, the rise of the British India East Company, for instance, greatly hastened after this time, particularly as the Dutch East India Company's fortunes began to wane soon after the war (Figure 2).
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.
For Spain, the war brought a large territorial loss in Europe, although its overseas empire remained intact. Never again did Spain arise to be as influential as it was in the 16th and 17th centuries in European affairs. The main effect was the new ruling house, the Bourbons, brought new ideas in government and administration that had developed in France, allowing Spain to more rapidly modernize in the 18th century. This briefly restored Spanish power, although it never gained the dominance it held prior to the war in European affairs. Spain also became more centralized, where King Philip united the crowns of Aragon and Castile.
[[File:Fort-william-the-headquarters-of-the-british-east-india-company-in-kolkata-india.jpg|thumbnail|Figure 2. The headquarters of the British East India Company in Fort William. The compnay benefited from gaining British dominance in places such as India soon after the war.]]
==Effects on States Today==
