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What were the effects of the French Revolution on British Politics? As a stubborn opponent of French ideas, and a persistent foe of French arms during the Revolutionary period, Britain was bound to be influenced, both directly and indirectly by the momentous events in France. The French Revolution stimulated new developments in Britain, as well as perpetuating old trends, sometimes even providing an obstacle to reform. The complexity of the French Revolution makes an assessment …

…was thus more often indirect in nature, creating in Britain a reactionary ethos that was to prevail for more than twenty years. Ultimately, this determination in Britain to continue the war until victory after successive abortive attempts at peace was perhaps the most significant aspect of the Revolution, for not only did it encourage the conservative loyalism that had taken root in British politics, it also shaped the economic, imperial and military future of Britain.