All political actors of the 1790s are assumed to fall into 'radical' or 'conservative' camps according to the strength of their reactions to the French Revolution. The response of the Younger Pitt to that revolution remains unclear and has been contested by historians for the past two centuries. Based on an in-depth analysis of Pitt's actions as Prime Minister, this exciting new study claims that he was intellectually and emotionally untouched by the French Revolution and by the ideological considerations of the revolutionary era. This is essentially a biographical study of a man whose political legacy has been fought over by his heirs and followers. Jennifer Mori's careful and innovative analysis provides the chronological background and detail that enables the reader to assess Pitt's actions at home and abroad and to determine that legacy both as a man and as a political leader.
The Pittite legacy, 1806-1995; reform objectives defined, 1779-1789; revolutionary France in British foreign policy, 1784-1790; a studied neutrality, 1789-1791; the road to war in 1792; war without conviction, January 1793-July 1794; from probation to persecution, January 1793-July 1794; the winds of misfortune, July 1794-December 1795; radicalism suppressed, July 1794-December 1795; illusion and delusion in British politics and policy.
