Pitt's naturally ability stemmed from his family but was also due to his development of his own natural talents. Pitt seemed to have inherited his hard-headedness and financial acumen from his mother's side of his family. As a child Pitt quickly became proficient in Spanish and Greek. At an early age, due to the request of his father, William was given lessons on how to become an effective orator. Later in 1781 when making his first speech in the House of Commons Lord North, the prime minister, described it as the "best speech" that he had ever heard whereas Burke said “He was not a chip of the old block; he is the old block himself”. Although he made speeches rarely they were usually to great effect.
Pitt entered Parliament via a 'rotten borough' in 1781, Britain was in the middle of the American Revolutionary War, which didn't end until 1783. He served as Chancellor of the Exchequer under Lord Shelburne's short-lived government of 1782 - 83. In 1783, George III was forced by necessity to accept the creation of a government headed by Lord North and Charles James Fox. Fox was the most powerful member of the faction known as the Rockingham Whigs, a group of men who were slaves to the Whig myth that politics was a battle between a pure House of Commons and a corrupt Monarchy - hence they were George's biggest critics. When Fox introduced the East India Bill which proposed nationalisation, to which the king was strongly opposed, the king ensured its defeat in the Lords and then dismissed the government. Even though this decision was deemed controversial and unconstitutional the king argued his actions were justifiable. The government also came under strain when from the opposition Pitt introduced a proposal for electoral reform to tackle bribery and rotten boroughs. The proposal did not pass but caused tensions within the coalition which contained both proponents and opponents of political reform.
It was Pitt's good sense to stay clear of this and label himself a “independent Whig” that meant he gained the king's support in the form of the royal perogative. He was asked by the king to form a government although it was a minority, as time moved on from 1783-84, Pitt became increasingly confident as he won the votes of many independent Mps and majorities against him began to fall. Pitt was able to govern with a majority for two reasons, first he had complete support of the king, and secondly he had support outside the parliament as a reformer and individual who put the country before the narrow political advantages of a party. In 1784 general election Pitt won the majority of votes:
Pitties – 315
Foxities/Northites - 213
Independents - 30
The king chose Pitt because of his natural talent and that in his brief parliamentary career he had made a strong impact, Pitt's family name was of great importance to the king to as it had a political reputation of trust and although the king and Pitt the elder had not always seen eye to eye he was not a whig.
It could be argued that the king is the main reason for Pitt becoming prime minister at the young age of 24, because of his age comments were made such as;"a sight to make all nations stand and stare: a kingdom trusted to a schoolboy's care. On the face of it it does seem, as he was, he dismissed the Fox/North coalition and when it was clear that Shelburne had to go, the king almost hand-picked him, but the reason behind the king's appointment of Pitt serve as more important reasons, Pitt's family connection, his own ability, the political instability of the time and the Fox/North coalition discion to go against the king, who at the that time, could actively decided on who was to be Prime minister.
