How does the novel Billy Budd relate to the time period in which it was written?

Billy Budd may be easier to
understand when taking a look at what was happening in Europe at the time this story
takes place.

The year  is 1797. The French are in the
throes of the French Revolutionary War, and in 1797, England is attempting to thwart the
French's plan to "join a large Spanish fleet."

As was the
custom of the English, especially during times of war, when sailors were needed, the
Press gangs would actually impress (kidnap/take by force) men into service for the Royal
Navy. (This was a legally sanctioned action that had been in existence for many years in
England.) Those impressed included mostly Englishmen, of the seafaring sort, who were
between eighteen and forty-five years of age. They were basically prisoners of the Royal
Navy.

This situation affects the men on the ship called
Rights-of-Man. Billy Budd is one of the sailors on the ship who has
been impressed into service. It is logical to assume that he and others are treated
poorly. They were generally taken into service on the spot, without time to even
communicate with family members.

The frustration and
resentment of being pressed sailors would not have endeared the senior crew members of
ship to the sailors who were not their by their own
choice.

And because of what was going on with the French at
the time, rebellion was in the air. People who had been repressed for so long were now
uniting and fighting back at their oppressors. They were planning ways to overthrow the
upper classes who wielded the power and controlled the money in France, and bring a
revolution for change to the forefront of social reform. This battle moved out across
Europe as the French made war on other countries.

These
sentiments would have been clearly understood by those impressed on the same ship with
Billy Budd.

The senior officers perceive the threat of a
mutiny on board; when accused, Billy Budd stabs his accuser. He is ultimately hanged for
doing so. However, the same frustration the French feel is what all oppressed people
experience: rage, fear, and frustration.

This historical
events/practices allow the reader to be more empathetic to Billy Budd's actions: while
murdering is wrong, impressment denies the rights of those taken. I am sure this was not
the only incident of the times, where people were motivated for the same
reasons.