Pitt was renowned for his brilliancy at public speaking and devotion to his job, and quickly gained popularity and won the general election of 1784 with a majority. The royal backing of the king helped him to secure this success, although he would have had support from those whom respected his political abilities as well. Pitt’s supreme ability as a politician contributed greatly to his success and longstanding term of office, his dedication led to well informed, impressive speeches- something not due to the king’s influence. He also had the example of his father to follow and thus preordained knowledge about aspects of the prime ministerial role. Despite these advantages Pitt was only twenty four when he became Prime Minister, and hence was significantly inexperienced. This led to a comment by the leader of the opposition and Pitt’s sworn enemy, Charles J. Fox, descriptive of his leadership, ‘a mince pie ministry led by a schoolboy.’ Pitt had the intelligence to realise that by implicating policies that would be pleasing to the king he had a greater chance of retaining power for longer, showing that the support of the king was highly important to the length of his ministry, but also and perhaps equally important was the fact that Pitt knew this and acted accordingly.
The policies introduced by Pitt during his ministry played a key role in his longstanding leadership of Britain, both gaining him support throughout the country, and also, through the successes, actively improving the system of government. Pitt’s legislation is commonly known as the national revival, and particularly focussed on the reform of financial administration and trade. Under Pitt, tax collection was made considerably more efficient and the principle was generally seen as acceptable; the national debt was reduced by £10 million, and a concerted effort was made to abolish smuggling all of which further increased national revenue. In commercial terms Pitt took measures to encourage British trade and the effectiveness of the other newly reformed areas of the country encouraged growing industry to flourish. Indeed, compared to the rest of Europe, British trade was impressively successful, and was envied by countries such as France, who were in economic turmoil. Pitt introduced legislation to protect British trade from foreign competition; one example of this is the Navigation Acts which stated that any goods travelling from Britain to the USA had to be transported on British ships. The national revival is an essential factor to Pitt remaining in power, and is not directly linked with the king’s influence, although it must be remembered that the policies would not have been implemented initially without the monarch’s approval.
The political void which existed in Britain at this time is one important factor which helped Pitt to retain his position for such a long time. In particular, the weaknesses of the Whigs, the main source of opposition to his government, posed no real threat as during much of this period the party became divided and split into different factions. The lack of opposition meant that Pitt was able to establish himself and his policies without the constant fear of being removed from office.
It may appear that Pitt had numerous aspects of politics in his favour, from his initiation into power, his family background and the backing of the king, this however was not the case for his entire ministry and there were periods when he had to use all his political ability to retain his position. One significant example of a difficult time for Pitt was the Regency Crisis of 1788-89, when George III was taken ill with porphyria. It was during this period that Pitt was left without the king to actively pledge his support for any policies or government strategy, and there was the definite threat of having to install the Prince of Wales as Regent due to the illness. Fortunately for Pitt, George III returned to health before any bill could be passed which effectively saved his position. The regency crisis is clear evidence about the importance of George III supporting the ministry of William Pitt, as whilst he was absent Pitt had to struggle to maintain his job. However, the fact that he succeeded in fending off his opposition and retained sufficient support within the House of Commons without the help of the king demonstrates that his political abilities were also crucial to his lengthy ministry.
The French Revolution, was a potentially dangerous time for the king and thus also for the prime minister. Pitt was careful to introduce legislation which dealt with any radical groups harshly, thus keeping the favour of the king. For example the Seditious Writings Act of 1795 was designed to prevent the meetings of the Corresponding Societies taking place, and, although this act was largely ineffective it would be clear to the king that Pitt still had great support for him. Similarly, the suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act, which had been in place since 1679, in 1794 emphasised the loyalty he felt to a monarch to whom he was conscious of owing his job. This restrictive legislation was seen by some as too harsh and in places unnecessary; it was however effective in suppressing the threat of revolution in England and thus maintained the monarchy which was central to Pitt’s role.
Pitt was extremely dedicated to his role of prime minister, and although he was obliged to adhere to the wishes of George III, he was also exceptionally committed to the British population. In support of this admirable quality William Wilberforce, a high profile campaigner against the slave trade once said of Pitt, ‘for love of his country I have never known his equal.’ Eventually Pitt proved his duty to the nation held greater precedence than any obligation he felt to the king, and he submitted his resignation when he was unable to fulfil his promise of catholic emancipation to his people. This is important as it shows that once the two came across a matter upon which they could not agree Pitt could no longer keep the position of prime minister: the support of the king was paramount to his rule.
Although William Pitt was a highly competent ruler of Britain for eighteen years, a length of time which has been rarely exceeded in British history, the support of the king was the pivotal factor in the length of this ministry, although it cannot be denied that he was an efficient and adept leader. However, the policies introduced, despite being largely successful, had the backing of George III, and it is noticeable that the most testing and dangerous time for Pitt was during the king’s absence, demonstrating how significant his support was. The fact that Pitt resigned over a disagreement with the king shows that his backing was of extreme significance, and was ultimately the most important reason for his retention of power, but also showed that Pitt, someone who valued his job above all else, was prepared to sacrifice this most important aspect of his life in the name of integrity and reputation. The final words attributed to Pitt confirm the absolute devotion and responsibility he felt towards his country above all else: ‘oh my country, how I love my country!’
