Why did the French Revolution have an impact on Britain?

Answer 1

The aftermath of the French Revolution, i.e. the Ascendancy of Napoleon, had a fundamental effect on the development of the modern British Navy, modern British conceptions of Euro-skepticism, the establishment of the British Empire, and the cessation of British-Spanish conflicts.

As for the Revolution itself, it had little effect in Britain since much of what the French were fighting for had already been achieved in the United Kingdom nearly two centuries earlier. These things included: increased representation, removal from crushing taxation, and the end of a Caste System (the estates).

The reason that the Ascendancy of Napoleon had such a profound impact on Britain was that the Napoleonic Wars pitted the Quadruple Alliance (Britain, Russia, Prussia, and Austria) against the French as early as 1800. By 1807, all of the members other than Britain sued for peace. Since the British Navy was stronger than the French Navy, France was unable to launch and amphibious invasion of the United Kingdom. The (Naval) Battle of Trafalgar is burned into many Britons minds as the seminal moment of British heroism (the martyrdom of Admiral Horatio Nelson) and the victory over the combined Franco-Spanish fleet. From 1807 until 1814, Britain was the only national opponent to French power which dominated the entire continent. This helped to foster modern British Euro-skepticism since it created a sense among Britons that they were fundamentally different from Europeans of the continent. However, some guerrilla opponents to French power, such as the rural Spaniards helped to draw French military attention away from British invasions of the continent. Alliances with these rebel groups were strengthened after the war, ending centuries of hatred between regimes like Britain and Spain. After the war ended, the British had the largest Navy and one of the largest land forces in the world as well as triumphant economy. This prepared Britain to become the most powerful empire-builder.