Pitt the Younger and his Opponents Flashcards
When did George I rule?
1714-1727
When did George II rule?
1727-1760
What were the dates of the 7 year wars ?
1756-1763
How old was George III when he came to the throne ?
22
When was Lord North PM ?
1770-1782
What were the dates of the American War of Independence?
1776-1783
What did George III say when he summoned Cabinet in Summer of 1779?
If others will not be active, I must drive
What happened after George III summoned cabinet in 1779 ?
American war became George’s war - issue around which opponents could gather
Who were the two main branches of opposition to North?
Rockinghamites and Chatamites
What was the succession PMs after North’s gov fell in March 1782 ?
- Rockingham
- Shelburne
- Fox-North coalition
- Pitt
When was Shelburne PM for?
July 1782 - February 1783
What were the dates of the Fox-North coalition ?
April-December 1783
What did Shelburne say about America ?
He ‘would never acknowledge in the independence of America’
Was Shelburne a Rockinghamite or Chatamite?
Chatamite
Why did Rockingham stop being PM?
He died on 1 July 1782
Who nominally headed the Fox-North coalition?
The Duke of Portland
What happened between Shelburne and the Fox-North Coalition?
There was a 2 month period of no gov
What did George III do to damage the Fox-North coalition?
Removed all patronage
What was the decisive failure of the Fox-North coalition?
The India bill
What did the India bill want to do?
Remove all military and political control from the East India Company and put it in the hands of parliament
What did Pitt say about the East India Bill?
‘Most unconstitutional measure ever attempted’
What did the King say about the East India Bill?
Whoever voted for the bill ‘would be considered by him as an enemy’
When did the Lords throw out the East India Bill?
17th December 1783 by 19 votes
When did Pitt become PM?
18th December 1783 (day after East India Bill was rejected)
What did Mrs Crew say about Pitts government?
A ‘Depend upon it, it will be a mince pie administration’
What was Fox’s majority down to by 8 March 1784?
1
When did George III dissolve parliament?
25 March 1784
How many net gains did Pitt have in the 1784 election?
70
By how much did Government expenditure exceed income in 1783?
£10.8m
How much of treasury money did George III spend in the 1784 election supporting pro-Pitt candidates?
£30,000
Example of ennoblement helping Pitt
- Gave younger son of the Duke of Northumberland a peerage
2. MPs who sat in the House of Commons under the Duke’s patronage switches allegiance from Fox to Pitt
When was the regency crisis?
1788-89
Why did Pitt resign in 1801?
King would not permit him to introduce Roman Catholic Emancipation as part of the package associated with the union of Ireland and Great Britain
When did Pitt introduce the Commutation Act?
1784
What did the Commutation act do?
Reduced tax on tea from 119% to 25%
When did Pitt introduce the Hovering Act?
1784
What did the Hovering Act do?
Increased the authority of customs officers to search ships, making smuggling more risky
How much did Pitt increase revenue per annum by by 1792 due to a reduction in smuggling?
£1m
In the 1770s how much of gov expenditure was used paying interest charges on the national debt?
25%
When did Pitt introduce the sinking fund?
1786
How much did the Sinking Fund reduce debt by?
£10m by the end of 1793
What did Evans call Pitt’s reforms to tax system?
‘Little more than a shuffling of the Hanoverian Pact’
What was the value of debt in 1783?
£243m
What was North widely caricatured as ?
The ‘father of corruption’
Why did Boyd Hilton say Fox was not a good candidate to advertise reform?
Reform implied moral reformation and fox’s personality was ‘unsuited to a crusade for virtue’
By how much did the value of British exports increase between mid-1780s and mid-1790s?
90%
Why did American Independence not damage British trade?
American need for manufactured textile goods mitigated the adverse commercial effects of independence
Example of when Pitt was defeated in Parliament to little consequence
In 1785 lost bill which proposed the redistribution of seats in some rotten boroughs to the counties and to London by 74 votes
When was the League of Armed Neutrality formed?
1780
Who was in the League of Armed Neutrality?
Russia, Denmark and Sweden
Why was the League of Armed Neutrality formed?
Against Britain due to ship searches
When did the Ottoman Empire, Naples, Netherlands, Austria and Prussia unite?
1782
When was the Triple Alliance formes?
1788
Who was in the Triple Alliance?
Britain, Holland and Prussia
What happened at Nootka Sound?
Spain occupied Nootka Sound in July 1789 but when British navy mobilised Spain withdrew
Showed that France not prepared to support Spain
When did Britain make a trade treaty with the United Provinces?
1785
When was the Eden treaty signed ?
1786
What was the Eden Treaty?
Liberal trade agreement between Britain and France
How much did the yield to government on spirits increase by by 1790 due to decrease in duty?
63%
How did Pitt reform tax?
Taxes luxury goods such as windows, wig powder and carriages
When did Pitt pass the shop tax?
1785
What did the shop tax lead to?
Riots in London
When was the shop tax withdrawn?
1789
How many sinecures did the public accounts commissioners urge Pitt to abolish?
180
How many sinecure positions had Pitt allowed to fall vacant by
a) 1792
b) his death in 1806
a) 28
b) most had been wiped out
By how much did Pitt increase the navy by 1790?
43 new ships built and 85 repaired
Why we’re British ties with the United Provinces so important?
- Trade routes along the Scheldt River
2. Positioning opposite coast to Britain
Who was the king of UP?
William V
What happened when the ‘Patriot’ party threatened William V?
Britain threatened troops BUT it was Prussia that actually invaded to restore Williams authority
What did Hague say that Pitt did?
‘Helped restore faith in the British state after a period in which it had been discredited among its own people’
