ABSTRACT
Inanessayfirstpublishedover20yearsago,JackP.Greeneposedsome characteristicallyacute'questionsresolvedandunresolved'aboutBritain'sroleinthecomingoftheRevolution.Why,heasked,didBritain launchrestrictivepoliciesdirectedatthecolonies,whydidsuccessive governmentspersistinsuchpolicies,andwhycouldthedominant strandsinBritishopinionfindnowaytoescapefromanultimate descentintoviolence,waranddefeat?1Thesequestionswere,ofcourse, oldoneswhenGreeneaskedthemandhistorianshavecontinuedto addressthemsincethen.TheevolutionofBritishpolicyandparliamentaryresponsestotherevolutionarycrisishave,forinstance,been authoritativelyelucidatedinP.D.G.Thomas'strilogy.2YetH.T. Dickinson,editorofavaluablecollectionofessayspublishedin1998, pointsoutthat,'themotivesanddeeperjustificationsfortheimperial policiesthatwerepursuedbysuccessiveBritishgovernments'havestill notbeenexploredtoanythinglikethesamedepthashasbeenachieved inthevastcorpusofwritingontheAmericansideoftheRevolution.3 HiscollectionandtheappearanceofEligaH.Gould'sThePersistence ofEmpire:BritishPoliticalCultureintheAgeoftheAmericanRevolution4areevidencethatexplorationiscontinuingwithvigour.This chapterisalimitedforayintothestillimperfectlyknownterrainofthe preoccupationsofBritain'srulersthatunderlaytheirimperialpolicies.
