When you go broke

[CBR]

For almost 250 years. The royal navy was paid for from trade alone.
A navy that was twice as big as it's next two rivals.

I don't really think one can just isolate costs for the navy only. Britain needed its army as well as subsidies for allies on the Continent.

And going by the numbers from the period 1702-1783 (covering the 4 major wars) Britain went from a debt of 16 million Pounds to 245 million Pounds.

Total revenue from customs (and thats from a graph so a bit rough) were about say 150 million.

Total military spending just in the 4 wars was 312 million. Then one can add around 290 million from peacetime military spending (well not completely peacetime of course) so a total of about 600 million.

Overall 75-85% of state revenues were used to pay for military expenses or debt and for debt alone it peaked at 65% of revenues at the end of the American Revolutionary War.

The overall tax rate also nearly doubled during this period. So the state was squeezing more and more money out of the people and yet the debts still went up and that was in an era where the interest rates dropped around 50% ! So uhm no I don't really think fighting over fishery rights at Newfoundland or some disease ridden West Indies island really meant huge national profits for the 18th century powers.

Britain could consider itself lucky that France never could push more than about half the tax rate out of its own population, plus bad financial policies that ended in financial and political ruin.

If colonies were that important then one would also expect losing the American colonies, with all the nice monopolies, to have meant a heavy blow for Britain. But somehow that did not happen.

Hm this has been off topic enough I think. I could of course mention something about British tariffs on French wine and the rise of the British beer industry or the differences in French and British tax gathering or in agricultural output...or maybe not.


CBR

[Polemists]

I guess this goes back to the idea of being able to set taxes on different population groups (nobles/Commoners) and areas (colonies or provinces) rather then invidiual cities in ETW.

I'm hoping your finances work alot more like a empire this time around.

Then again this will be the first total war game that militia are a fanastic defender unit, solely because they have ranged weapons now

So hopefully I won't go broke.

This is the era when loaning and banks become big though, as mentioned in spains right up. I'm hoping ships will be large investments of time and wealth and not just instant build, which CA stated they are not this time around but we will see.

[gollum]

Originally posted by CBR
I don't really think one can just isolate costs for the navy only. Britain needed its army as well as subsidies for allies on the Continent.

And going by the numbers from the period 1702-1783 (covering the 4 major wars) Britain went from a debt of 16 million Pounds to 245 million Pounds.

Total revenue from customs (and thats from a graph so a bit rough) were about say 150 million.

Total military spending just in the 4 wars was 312 million. Then one can add around 290 million from peacetime military spending (well not completely peacetime of course) so a total of about 600 million.

Overall 75-85% of state revenues were used to pay for military expenses or debt and for debt alone it peaked at 65% of revenues at the end of the American Revolutionary War.

The overall tax rate also nearly doubled during this period. So the state was squeezing more and more money out of the people and yet the debts still went up and that was in an era where the interest rates dropped around 50% ! So uhm no I don't really think fighting over fishery rights at Newfoundland or some disease ridden West Indies island really meant huge national profits for the 18th century powers.

Britain could consider itself lucky that France never could push more than about half the tax rate out of its own population, plus bad financial policies that ended in financial and political ruin.

If colonies were that important then one would also expect losing the American colonies, with all the nice monopolies, to have meant a heavy blow for Britain. But somehow that did not happen.

Hm this has been off topic enough I think. I could of course mention something about British tariffs on French wine and the rise of the British beer industry or the differences in French and British tax gathering or in agricultural output...or maybe not.


CBR

Interesting post - are you a historian Mr CBR?

!it burnsus!

[CBR]

I guess this goes back to the idea of being able to set taxes on different population groups (nobles/Commoners) and areas (colonies or provinces) rather then invidiual cities in ETW.

Yes there are some potentially interesting game play elements in that.

Interesting post - are you a historian Mr CBR?

Sadly one year at the university does not produce such an esteemed title, heh.

I just read books and articles and sometimes even manage to draw my own, quite possible flawed, conclusions from it all.


CBR

[gollum]

Originally posted by CBR
Sadly one year at the university does not produce such an esteemed title, heh.

The one who is good at shooting does not hit the center of the target



!it burnsus!