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Despite only being Prime minister for just two years, William Pitt 'the Elder' came to dominate mid-eighteenth century British politics. Pitt's career was defined by his refusal to toe the line, especially over matters of war and commerce, on which he had strong views. His first campaign, during Newcastle's premiership, was his advocacy of war with Spain. He favoured a maritime war as tactically more astute, as well as the conquest of the French colonies. He did not think that Britain should have diverted resources defending the monarch's personal attachment to his ancestral lands of Hanover. This criticism caused embitterment and hostility from the King who tried to freeze him out of power.
The Seven Years War saw renewed criticism of the direction of war. It saw Pitt promoted to become a Secretary of State to direct the war. In this positin, He used only British troops, he enlarged the Navy and he made friendly overtures towards Prussia. During Newcastle's premiership, Pitt made some of his greatest achievements in the area of foreign policy. For example, he appreciated the relationship between war and trading success and chose his military campaigns to increase national trade. Conquering India, Canada, the West Indies and West Africa were all immensely beneficial to Britain's merchants and led indirectly to the creation or at least significant expansion of the British Empire. These activities made him very popular with the people - he became known as the 'Great Commoner'. He was the first minister whose main strength lay in the support of the nation at large as distinct from its representatives in the Commons, and who recognised the importance of public opinion. In 1766, he was given the chance to form his own administration as Prime Minister, but he struggled to maintain sufficient support in the Commons. He was elevated to the Lords as Earl of Chatham, but this act removed him from his base of support and actually undermined his ability to run his ministry effectively. His mental and physical health also appear to have deteriorated and probably had a detrimental ability to govern effectively. Various taxes were levied on American settlers by his administration in part to raise money to pay for the successful prosecution of the Seven Years War. It seems clear that these were implemented without his knowledge being the personal project of Charles Townshend. Yet Pitt offered no veto or direction. Indeed he would resign in 1768 citing ill-health. |
 
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