Horrible Peace

Evan Wilson is associate professor at the U.S. Naval War College and author of A Social History of British Naval Officers, 1775–1815.

“The Horrible Peace makes novel arguments, and its focus on demobilization offers a truly original take on the Napoleonic era. This is a vital book and represents a crucial contribution to our understanding of warfare, politics, and society in early nineteenth-century Britain.”—James Davey, author of In Nelson’s Wake: The Navy and the Napoleonic Wars“By welding together the post-war political battles—establishment politicians against radicals, bosses against industrial workers—and further weaving into that the fate of thousands of demobilized soldiers and sailors, Wilson produces an exciting and unpredictable narrative, well explained.”—Roger Knight, author of Convoys: The British Struggle Against Napoleonic Europe and America“The Horrible Peace is a seminal work. Broad ranging but sharply focused, it is the first history of British demobilization at the end of the Napoleonic Wars and its consequences. It fills a major gap in the existing literature and raises broader questions about the nature of early nineteenth-century Britain.”—Martin Wilcox, lecturer in history at the University of Hull