CCEA A-Level History 4010
England 1509–58AS Unit 1
England 1603–49AS Unit 1
Britain in the Age of Reform 1830–80AS Unit 1
Italy and Germany 1815–71AS Unit 1
Germany 1919–45AS Unit 1
Spain and Europe 1556–98AS Unit 2
The Ascendancy of France in Europe 1660–1714AS Unit 2
Ireland 1823–67AS Unit 2
France 1815–70AS Unit 2
Russia 1914–41AS Unit 2
Italy's Quest for Great Power Status 1871–1943AS Unit 2
Crown and Parliament in England 1625–1714A2 Unit 1
Ireland Under the Union 1800–1900A2 Unit 1
The Causes and Consequences of Great Power Conflict 1848–1945A2 Unit 1
The American Presidency 1901–2000A2 Unit 1
Clash of Ideologies in Europe 1900–2000A2 Unit 1
England 1558–1603A2 Unit 2
Ireland 1685–1714A2 Unit 2
Ireland 1778–1803A2 Unit 2
Partition of Ireland 1900–25A2 Unit 2
The Ascendancy of France in Europe 1660–1714
Why the Grand Alliance won and France failed
- 3 things to know
- AS Unit 2
Overview
Allied finance and the Bank of England, Marlborough and Eugene as commanders, and the exhaustion of France by war, famine and debt.
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
How did allied naval power contribute to victory?
How did finance decide the outcome of the war?
Questions from this subtopic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
How did allied naval power contribute to victory?
Model answer
The allied fleets took Gibraltar in 1704 and Minorca in 1708, protected trade and moved armies and money at will, while French squadrons stayed in port.
- 2
How did finance decide the outcome of the war?
Model answer
Britain and the Dutch could borrow enormous sums cheaply against secure taxes, whereas France sold offices, debased the coinage and even melted royal plate to pay its troops.
- 3
Why did the Portuguese and Savoyard alliances matter?
Model answer
Portugal gave the allies a base for the war in Spain and Savoy's change of sides in 1703 exposed the French position in Italy.
- 4
Give three reasons for France's poor performance in the war.
Model answer
France fought on four fronts at once, its treasury was exhausted before the war began, and command was too often given to princes and courtiers rather than to the best soldiers.
- 5
How did divided command damage the French?
Model answer
At Oudenarde Vendôme and the Duke of Burgundy disagreed over every decision, and similar quarrels elsewhere paralysed French armies at critical moments.
- 6
What natural catastrophe struck France in 1709?
Model answer
The great winter of 1709 froze rivers and killed the seed corn, producing famine and bread riots in the middle of a war France could not afford.
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