William Pitt The Younger - Hardcover

Hague, William

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1400040523 ISBN 13: 9781400040520

Publisher: Alfred a Knopf Inc, 2005

Synopsis

An incisive portrait of the man who became Britain's youngest prime minister details the turbulent events of his era--the loss of the American colonies, the onset of the French Revolution, and the madness of King George III--as well as his remarkable accomplishments, including the financial system reform, a restoration of confidence in the wake of the loss of the colonies, and his push for abolition. 25,000 first printing.

About this title

Review:

'[Hague] has written a serious, detailed and thoughtful study of one of Britain's greatest prime ministers' -- The Guardian

From the Back Cover:

William Pitt The Younger was one of the most extraordinary figures in British history, who became Prime Minister in 1783 at the remarkable age of twenty-four. In this lively and authoritative biography, William Hague explains the dramatic events and exceptional abilities which allowed extreme youth to be combined with great power.

Pitt was derided as a ‘schoolboy’ when he took office. Yet within months he had outwitted his opponents, and he went on to dominate the political scene for twenty-two years (nineteen of them as Prime Minister). No British politician since has exercised such supremacy for so long.

Generally thought to be cold and aloof, Pitt was described by friends as the wittiest man they ever knew. William Hague succeeds in explaining Pitt’s actions and motives during a series of great national crises, including the trauma of the Napoleonic wars. He describes how a man dedicated to peace became Britain’s longest-serving war leader, how Pitt the liberal reformer became Pitt the author of repression, and how – though undisputed master of the nation’s finances – he died with vast personal debts.

With its rich cast of characters, and set against a backdrop of industrial revolution and global conflict, this is history at its most riveting.

About this edition

• Publisher: Alfred a Knopf Inc
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1400040523
• ISBN 13: 9781400040520
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 556