THE SOUTH SEA BUBBLE

The beginning of the 18th century was a challenging time for Britain. Not only was war constantly threatening the nation, but an even greater threat loomed: debt. In 1701, the War of the Spanish Succession began due to a dispute over the Spanish throne. The British sided with Austria and the Habsburgs while the French backed the Bourbon dynasty.

A new British government was formed during the War after growing impatience over stalled peace negotiations. The new government appointed members of Parliament to tackle the national debt that had accumulated over decades of war. Their plan to deal with it was to found a new public corporation that would take on the debt, known as the South Sea Company. The Company was founded to utilize British debt, promising investors shares that would provide dividends through trade in the South Sea rather than having the government pay its debt back directly. However, things were never bound to go that easily. With the questionable origin of the Company and its finances, problems with trade in the South Seas, the divide in British politics between the Whigs and the Tories, the brewing threat of a Jacobite revolution, and the recent death of the reigning monarch, the next few years are make-or-break for the Company and Britain itself.

The fate of Britain's economy, and its very future, hangs in the balance. Will you be able to steer the Company through the chaos and solve the debt crisis once and for all?