ABSTRACT
In Russia, autocracy was refounded by Peter the Great and - although occasionally tempered by revolt or palace revolution - remained the unchallenged system of government. If the physiocrats and Adam Smith had not conquered government opinion in their respective countries, at least the free-trade theories they advocated - powerfully assisted by the logic of international capitalism - had had some effect. That international trade could promote cooperation conflict appeared to be demonstrated by the Anglo-French commercial agreement of 1786, commonly termed 'the Eden Treaty' after the chief British negotiator William Eden. With the Eastern Question settled for the time being and with Austria and Prussia about to turn their backs on half a century of conflict, it is almost time to address the immediate origins of the revolutionary wars. The War of Jenkins's Ear of 1739, launched by the British purely for commercial gain, was the first war fought between two European powers solely for colonial reasons.
