Examine the significance of William Pitt, the younger's Government in reforming the British Parliamentary system.
Examine the significance of William Pitt, the younger's Government in reforming the British Parliamentary system.
Successive Kings of England, George I (1714-1727) and George II (1727-60), both proved highly disinterested in the political aspects of their country. As a result of this disinterest, each in turn had to leave national ruling to the Government. Subsequently, in 1716 the Septennial Act was passed, which extended the life of parliament from 3 to 7 years. This provided for an unprecedented period of parliament stability, and ultimately limited the powers of the king.' (Barnett, 2002 p654). Political power had now shifted from the king to his chosen first minister. Parliament at this time could not be described as democratic. A small, cohesive group of elites, known as the Whigs ran it.
They instigated a period of political stability. A recognisable feature of the Government developed during the reign of King George II. This was the cabinet. This meant... "Ministers would meet in cabinet, without the King" (Barnett, 2002 p565). King George III would from then on only liaise with the advisors of his council. All acts of parliament continued to have to meet with royal approval.
760 - George III came to the throne, he was proud of his country and indeed "regarded himself as an Englishman" (Barnett, 2002 p566). George III spoke the English language, and had a genuine interest in how the country was to run, unlike his Hanoverian predecessors. Parliamentary reform was high on the agenda at this time, but general political awareness was low. The majority of the population were unaware of the discrepancies within the Government systems. The Ministers in the House of Commons, having received a seat from their predecessors, were merely there to learn the ropes of Government. However, they were patiently awaiting their position as minister in the House of Lords. It is in the House of Lords they would have most power. House of Commons members had no social responsibility at this time. The running of Government was very corrupt and members were not concerned about keeping their seats as they inherited their positions. The use of sinecures is at an all time high and a mere 4% of the population had the right to vote. The Monarchy had indirect power and was able to use taxes and funding to achieve beneficial results in Parliament that suited their own interests.
William Pitt was raised in a highly politically aware family. His father William, who was the First Earl of Chatham (1766) |took great interest and William junior was sent to Cambridge for his university education. "The Earl of Chatham was determined that his son would eventually become a member of the House of Commons and at an early age, William was given lessons on how to become an effective orator" (Sparticus, 2005 Pg1). At Cambridge, William Pitt studied political philosophy among other subjects. "At university, Pitt worked hard and showed a reserved, aloof and self-controlled character" (Biography of William Pitt, 2005 p1). Pitt suffered with gout and this combined with an antiquated privilege that allowed noblemen's sons to graduate without examination, meant that Pitt was able to graduate from Cambridge in 1776.
After graduating, Pitt decided to gain entry to the Commons via Cambridge. Among Pitt's reasons for this was that he would be democratically elected and that he could represent the constituents. He was not a democrat but did believe in the principle of democracy. This would seem some what contradictory as Pitt grew up in a paternalistic society, and he believed to a certain extent, that the elite should govern. 1781 upon entering the House of Commons, Pitt delivered his maiden speech, this speech lasted a remarkable three and a half hours. He was described as having "a ...
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After graduating, Pitt decided to gain entry to the Commons via Cambridge. Among Pitt's reasons for this was that he would be democratically elected and that he could represent the constituents. He was not a democrat but did believe in the principle of democracy. This would seem some what contradictory as Pitt grew up in a paternalistic society, and he believed to a certain extent, that the elite should govern. 1781 upon entering the House of Commons, Pitt delivered his maiden speech, this speech lasted a remarkable three and a half hours. He was described as having "a rich voice and was an effective speaker: cool, indecisive and a master of reasoned argument. He was rarely emotive but was a very impressive speaker who used a wide vocabulary" (Biography of William Pitt, 2005. p2). In The House of Commons, Pitt became influenced by Charles Fox a leading politician, and a member of the Whigs. Pitt agreed with his peace campaign with the American colonies. Their main objective was to convince Lord North's, the then Prime Minister, to end the war in America.
When Lord North's Government collapsed in 1782, Charles Fox became Foreign Secretary under the new Government. Lord Shelburne, the new Prime Minister however, was unable to manage the large staffing problems and Fox resigned. As a direct result of a shortage in staff, Lord Shelburne appointed Pitt as the Chancellor of Exchequer. After taking up this post, Fox and Pitt became bitter enemies and Fox joined the opposition. The Whigs who had been able to secure political stability for such a long time, had fallen from power and this left King George III faced with a succession of ministries. Unwilling to accept the coalition that would give Fox office, the King decided to invite Pitt to form a Government.
To avoid embarrassment Pitt declined the offer, knowing he would not have a majority vote in the House of Commons. This gave the King no alternative but to commission Lord North and Charles Fox to reassemble in Parliament as Government. By doing so, Pitt brought forward the question of reform. Government now consisted of reformers and anti-reformers. Reformers looked to Pitt as their parliamentary leader, instead of Fox.
In 1783, King George III once again attempted to dismiss the coalition between North and Fox, and offered the role of forming a Government to Pitt. Pitt accepted the role as Prime Minister in 1784, the Government reassembled and was once again defeated. Pitt refused to resign, however, the king allowed for this, as he was unwilling to surrender to the Fox and North coalition. Eventually the coalition's majority votes crumbled and many of the members began to feel real fear of losing their seats. These members took the opportunity to join Pitt. Pitt's success was down to the influence of the Crown. Patronage and corruption gave him the majority vote. "Although public opinion aided Pitt in the open constituencies, it is never the less misleading to say that he was the choice of the people, he was the dispenser of royal patronage" (Brown, 2005 pg2).
William Pitt was the youngest ever Prime Minister at the age of twenty-four, however the King did not have much faith in him retaining his post for very long, or of Pitt having any major influences, this was not to be the case.
Prime Minister Pitt took his role in the House of Commons. This was completely unheard of at that time, as the role of the Prime Minister was to control the Commons to benefit the Lords and Monarchy. This move had shifted power from the Lords, William Pitt's father was furious at his son's decision.
This would bring about the start of a two-way system in Parliament, the Tory's and Whigs. The reason behind this dramatic change was Pitt's ever-increasing interest in the way that Britain elects its MPs, and he strongly disagreed with the systems of bribery. "He was especially critical of the way in which the Monarchy used the system to influence those in Parliament" (Spartacus, 2005 p1). Pitt believed reform was necessary for the sake of liberty. He introduced a new law that stated members of Parliament must declare their income and pay tax on their earnings. This in effect would do away with the corrupt sinecures and tax reforms. The King was no longer a financial benefit to Ministers of Government, and so financial gain had to come from elsewhere.
This would eventually lead to the creation of the more general vote, where funds could be gained via the rich landowner.
According to Spartacus, in 1782 Pitt requested a select committee to consider parliamentary reform. The intention was to consolidate middle-class power and restrict the influence of the Monarchy.
Due to the American Revolution the country was deeply in debt, as a way of addressing this, Pitt proposed a new tax regime to wipe out debt. In 1786, he introduced a sinking fund with a new principle of raising the price of stock by introducing taxes. This worked well initially as it was a peaceful time, but when war broke out, interest rates had to increase once again.
Contemporary Britain had increasing possessions in India. Pitt understood it was necessary to supervise the highly commercial, East Indian Company via the Government rather than leave it in the hands of the administrators already in place. Fox had previously introduced an East Indian Bill but it had been defeated, so Pitt recreated his own Bill. This would see the introduction of a new Government department whose role is to supervise the directors of the company. The tax on tea was reduced from 119% to 25% in the Indian Act.
The British Government tried to maintain peaceful times in their country, unfortunately, it seemed inevitable, and war was on its way. The French, who were now confident of their own successes, thought that England was also ready for a revolution. When war arrived, Pitt fought to protect the vital commercial and colonial interests, he refused to restore the French monarchy.
One of the most horrifying lessons of the French Revolution for the upper classes was, according to Barnett 2002, the working class people could turn against them. In reality, their wealth and the subsequent power provided no protection against this 'angry mob.' The French Revolution demonstrated to the world that real political power comes from the everyday citizens. War was to be a catalyst for change, but inevitably, it also brought about many miseries. It would bring hardship and repression, but there would be no going back to the securities of the past. The population were no longer going to accept policies the Government might undemocratically choose. This was a period of political reform. The Habeas Corpus Act was suspended in 1794.
The termination of this piece of legislation allowed for the detention of persons without trial, and this remained for approximately 7 years. The ripple effects of the French Revolution were also felt in Ireland. New pressures were to agitate old religious feuds; this would cause the creation of the Rebellion Act 1798.
In 1792, Pitt had decided that the resolution of the Irish religious problem needed to be addressed, he suggested, "Catholic emancipation and state provision for Catholic and Dissenting clergy."(Brown, 2005 p4) The king disagreed preventing him from carrying out his proposals. Pitt found himself redundant, and a new Government was formed. Pitt supported the new ministry and was invited by the new Prime Minister to join the Government in 1803. Pitt refused the offer, as he would return only as Prime Minister.
Pitt returned as Prime Minister in 1803 following another outbreak of war. The second ministry was not as strong as the first. Nelson's victory in October ended the threat to Britain for the rest of the war. The battles of Ulm and Austerlitz in 1805 saw the collapse of the third coalition against Napoleon's France and the year ended in disaster. With Pitt's failing health, he made his last public speech in London in November 1805, and died shortly afterwards.
Pitt's death in 1805 would not mean the death of his ideologies. The 25 years in which he served as a Member of Parliament, would prove to bring about the greatest Parliamentary reform ever witnessed. The Great Reform Act of 1832 brought radical changes for the 'rotten boroughs' that had existed from medieval times. The Monarchy no longer had a financial hold over Parliament, meaning Government now had to be representative of the middle classes. No longer was the House of Commons only representative of the aristocrats who sat in the House of Lords. Over time, Parliament would evolve to create democratic values.
The foundation of Parliamentary privilege of absolute freedom of speech in Parliamentary proceedings was also included in the rights. Pitt's ideas were very radical for the era in which he was a Member of Parliament.
As Barnett suggests, (2002) "...the need to summon Parliament, and the exclusive right to do so, remained for long the sole and absolute prerogative of the Crown, only to be curtailed by the constitutional settlement of 1689". It was titled the Bill of rights. This would define the respected roles of the Monarchy and Parliament. Some roles of the Crown remain today, such as the right of the King to appoint Prime Ministers of his own choosing, and to dissolve the position at his own discretion.
The introduction of two main Parliamentary Political Parties was formed, which in turn brought about the vote. Not only rich landowners received the right to vote, but also the middle classes. "From 1831 to 1833 the overall size of the electorate increased by 78%" (Barnett, 2002 p574).
Catholic Emancipation would be another outcome of Pitt's reform according to Barnett, this did not come into rule until 1828, when the Duke of Wellington was appointed Prime Minister. As a result of Pitt's introduction to Catholic Emancipation, '...Wellington and Peel had the Test and Corporation Acts repealed, thus ending centuries of religious discrimination' (Barnett, 2002 p574). However, discrimination at a somewhat lower level continued to exist, the Act of Settlement (1701) upheld the law that only Protestants could be heir to the throne. "...no Roman Catholic could inherit the Crown, nor could any King or Queen or heir to the throne marry a Catholic" (Barnett, 2002 p560).
Although it is evident that Pitt brought about major revolution, it must be acknowledged politics are never static, and Government is constantly evolving. However, the impact of Pitt's reforms had long and far reaching consequences.
Bibliography
Brown. G (2005) William Pitt the younger (1759-1806). (online). Available at: http://www.hfac.uh.edu/gbrown/philosophers/leibniz/Brittannicapages/PittYounger/Pit
C/H. Biography of William Pitt the younger. (2005)
Encarta. Encyclopaedia. (2005). Pitt The Younger. (online). Available at:
http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761553483_13/United_Kingdom.html#endads
Spartacus (2005) William Pitt . (online). Available at:
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRpitt.htm
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