During the Seven Years War the British economy had expanded rapidly to meet the
demands of equipping the army and navy as well as subsidizing Britain's European
allies. After the war, the economy was left without sufficient markets to absorb
the extra production. This situation led to a persistent drive to open new
markets, especially in the American colonies. When the British decided to
maintain an army in America after 1764, these troops became a major market for
the colonists who provided them with beef, pork, flour, and rum. Colonists also
sold manufactured goods to French settlers in Illinois and fur traders west of
the Mississippi.
Organization