The Seven Years’ War in West Africa

Africa played a pivotal role in the global struggle of European empires during the Seven Years' War, despite its often-overlooked significance. The conflict between French and British forces on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Saint-Louis Island and Gorée Island (1758–1759) was not merely a minor sideshow but a critical battleground for controlling trade in gum arabic and disrupting France's transatlantic slave trade. This study reveals how European powers sought to transform African lands into cash crop production hubs, reshaping colonial economies with lasting consequences. By analyzing the immediate and long-term impacts on French and British empires alongside African and Eurafrican communities, it underscores Africa's centrality in the broader geopolitical dynamics of the war.

Røge, P. (2024). The Seven Years’ War in West Africa. The Oxford Handbook of the Seven Years’ War, 487–500. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197622605.013.19