William Pitt the Elder, Earl of Chatham, is the leading figure in the political scene after the fall of Walpole. He never became Prime Minister, but was the most influential politician of his time. Walpole’s fall was not the fall of the Whigs, in fact Newcastle tried to continue Walpole’s policy. Foreign affairs were given to Lord Carteret who involved Britain in war abroad. Taxes increased, but no positive results came out. In the end Carteret was dismissed after the sound defeat of the English army at Fontenoy. The French supported the House of Stuart and now (1745) they caught the chance while the British army was fighting in Europe in the war for the Austrian succession. Charles Edward Stuart (grandson of the deposed king James II) landed in Scotland and managed to win Scottish support. It is the second Jacobite rising (the first in 1715). The British army was recalled at home and the Jacobites were finally defeated at Cullonden. Bonnie Prince Charlie fled to France again.

One man gained from 1745, Pitt. The King was forced to give way and in 1746 William Pitt became Minister. Pitt had spent long years studying French commerce and industry and had reached the conviction that France was the greatest danger England had to face, and the only rival worth considering in the race for overseas trade. He used information supplied by buccaneers and business men of the city and realized that Quebec was the key to Canada.

• The conquest would secure the entire trade in fur and fish

• the French would be prevented from supplying their West Indian islands with lumber (=legname), which would drive up the price of the French sugar, to the advantage of our sugar merchants

• France would lose a market for their manufacturers

• France would no longer be able to build ships in America or acquire masts and timber. Their naval armament would be limited

• the expulsion of the French would give security to British North American colonies

Anyway Pitt had to postpone his projects until 1757 (during the seven years war) when he managed to obtain what was in effect the direction of the war (he became the leader of the party in the House of Commons). He chose commanders and planned operations and turned a disastrous situation into sublime success.

Pitt’s strategy was the British sea power. His aim was not to destroy the French Empire, but to destroy the French trade. Pitt thought that economy was the most important, so money and trade were of capital importance. He conquered the support of the City of London. Trade was wealth and power. The only rival was France.

General Wolfe, chosen by Pitt himself, conquered Quebec in 1758, Montreal followed in 1760. Fish, furs and naval stores were all British.

Elsewhere was equal success: Guadeloupe, Dakar (gum and slave trade), India, Manila (China trade in tea). Also the French fleet was defeated at Lagos and Quiberon Bay.

In 1760 George II died and his grandson George III who acceded to the throne was no friend of Pitt’s. In 1763 the peace was signed and Pitt was driven out of government.

At the end of the war Great Britain emerged as the most powerful Power capable of influencing the policy of the rest of the world.