Conceived in Liberty Volume 2 - Ludwig von Mises Institute

he emerged on the political scene in the late 1730s, Pitt was the decisive
force in destroying the Whig equilibrium that had been established by
Robert Walpole in the early decades of the century. The liberal Whig principles
of peace, low taxes, and minimal government-—supported by merchants
and masses as against statist Tory prerogative—were shattered almost singlehandedly
by Pitt. Pitt was able to win over for the Tory objectives of
imperial aggression and the royal prerogative, both the masses and the leading
merchants and financiers. The former were carried away by chauvinist
demagogy and war hysteria induced by Pitt's charismatic oratory; the latter
were joyous at the advantages to be reaped by imperial plunder and the
privileges of monopoly. In this way, Pitt was able to shatter the great Whig
coalition of merchant and populace, to involve England in two long, costly,
impoverishing wars, and thus to pave the way for an active Tory monarch
like George III to impose his rule both at home and abroad. The half-crazed
man on the white horse, welding effective demagogy to special interests,
William Pitt was the spearhead of the British counterrevolution.
George Ill's predecessors had not been particularly concerned with exerting
the royal prerogative. William III and the first two Georges were largely
concerned with Continental politics, and the last two with their Hanoverian
home. The Georges, indeed, generally spent at least half of each year in
their beloved Hanover. But George III was determined to play a direct and
decisive role in government. He was inspired to break the Whigs and to
exercise his dominance by his teacher Lord Bute. Bute, in turn, was influenced
in this goal by the Tory political philosopher Lord Bol¡ngbroke and
his idea of the "'patriot king" smashing all political parties independent of his
will, and ruling the nation without check or limit.
With Pitt out of the cabinet, his brother-in-law George Grenville, who
remained in the cabinet, became leader of the House of Commons. Grenville's
brother-in-law, the Earl of Egremont, became secretary of state for
the Southern Department. The great political struggle now centered on the
projected war against Spain, with Bute preparing for it and Newcastle
opposed and calling for a quick general peace. In plotting a war against
Spain, Bute was more than fully backed by Grenville and Egremont, while
Newcastle was supported by the Whigs and by Bedford.
To force Spain into war, Egremont, buttressed by Bute and Grenville,
sent a series of arrogant and insulting ultimatums to Spain in the fall of
1761. Spain was ordered to agree to the forfeit of its violated rights, to the
lack of any satisfaction of its grievances, and to renounce any use of force
in protecting her rights—else England would go to war with Spain in retaliation
for its silent "aggression." Newcastle, Bedford, and the Whigs tried
desperately to launch negotiations and avert war, but England simply fell
upon Spain in January 1762, despite opposition to the last by Newcastle,
Hardwicke, and Bedford.
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