Robert Walpole dominated early eighteenth century politics to such an extent that he is generally regarded as the first Prime Minister of Great Britain.
Born in 1676 as one of nineteen children, Walpole entered politics at the height of the rivalry between Whigs and Tories. The Tories gained a landslide victory in 1710 and Walpole served in many high-profile posts such as Secretary for War and Chancellor of the Exchequer.
After a brief stay in the Tower of London, he was crucial in ending the schism of the Whig party and reconciling the king with his son.
The reign of Queen Anne turned into that of George, the first of the Hanoverians, and then George II. Walpole gained the friendship of Caroline of Brunswick, wife of George II, which Morley’s excellent work documents at length.
The question of the age was whether British government should be monarchical or parliamentary. Walpole, indeed, was the first minister who made the House of Commons the centre of authority of British government, transferring it from the royal court and doing much to build the foundations of today’s cabinet system of government.
Walpole’s decisions were pivotal to the affairs of the age, dealing with the fallout of the South Sea Bubble and the feuds with Ireland and men of repute such as Bolingbroke.
He also passed several elements of trade legislation and encouraged commerce in the British colonies. However, he also met opposition from improving the excise system and for engaging in the Spanish War.
For this and other reasons, Walpole did have his critics. Samuel Johnson called him ‘a minister given by the king to the people’.
Walpole, however, was steadfast with those who denounced him, one of the many positive qualities Morley ascribes to him, and he refutes as many of the detractions history lays with him as he concurs with.
Of all the men of the age, Walpole was ‘the least unscrupulous, the most straightforward, bold, and open, and the least addicted to scheming and cabal’, a fitting tribute to a great statesman.
John Morley (1838-1923) was a statesman, writer and newspaper editor. He held a variety of cabinet positions in his political career including Secretary of State for India. He wrote biographies of Voltaire, Burke and Walpole, as well as a three-volume work on William Gladstone.
Albion Press is an imprint of Endeavour Press, the UK's leading independent digital publisher. For more information on our titles please sign up to our newsletter at www.endeavourpress.com. Each week you will receive updates on free and discounted ebooks. Follow us on Twitter: @EndeavourPress and on Facebook via http://on.fb.me/1HweQV7. We are always interested in hearing from our readers. Endeavour Press believes that the future is now.
Born in 1676 as one of nineteen children, Walpole entered politics at the height of the rivalry between Whigs and Tories. The Tories gained a landslide victory in 1710 and Walpole served in many high-profile posts such as Secretary for War and Chancellor of the Exchequer.
After a brief stay in the Tower of London, he was crucial in ending the schism of the Whig party and reconciling the king with his son.
The reign of Queen Anne turned into that of George, the first of the Hanoverians, and then George II. Walpole gained the friendship of Caroline of Brunswick, wife of George II, which Morley’s excellent work documents at length.
The question of the age was whether British government should be monarchical or parliamentary. Walpole, indeed, was the first minister who made the House of Commons the centre of authority of British government, transferring it from the royal court and doing much to build the foundations of today’s cabinet system of government.
Walpole’s decisions were pivotal to the affairs of the age, dealing with the fallout of the South Sea Bubble and the feuds with Ireland and men of repute such as Bolingbroke.
He also passed several elements of trade legislation and encouraged commerce in the British colonies. However, he also met opposition from improving the excise system and for engaging in the Spanish War.
For this and other reasons, Walpole did have his critics. Samuel Johnson called him ‘a minister given by the king to the people’.
Walpole, however, was steadfast with those who denounced him, one of the many positive qualities Morley ascribes to him, and he refutes as many of the detractions history lays with him as he concurs with.
Of all the men of the age, Walpole was ‘the least unscrupulous, the most straightforward, bold, and open, and the least addicted to scheming and cabal’, a fitting tribute to a great statesman.
John Morley (1838-1923) was a statesman, writer and newspaper editor. He held a variety of cabinet positions in his political career including Secretary of State for India. He wrote biographies of Voltaire, Burke and Walpole, as well as a three-volume work on William Gladstone.
Albion Press is an imprint of Endeavour Press, the UK's leading independent digital publisher. For more information on our titles please sign up to our newsletter at www.endeavourpress.com. Each week you will receive updates on free and discounted ebooks. Follow us on Twitter: @EndeavourPress and on Facebook via http://on.fb.me/1HweQV7. We are always interested in hearing from our readers. Endeavour Press believes that the future is now.
