1. The emergence of a great power, 1688-1714
2. War for empire, 1714-63
3. The American war of independence, 1763-83
4. The French revolutionary and Napoleonic wars
5. The era of the 'Pax Britannica', c1815-80
6. The rise and fall of 'Blue water' policy
7. Deterrence and dependence, 1917-42
8. The end of empire, 1942-82.