Concetti Chiave
- Anne's reign saw the end of the war with France and the acquisition of territories through the Peace of Utrecht.
- The Act of Union of 1707 unified Scotland with England under a single parliament in Westminster.
- George I, who spoke no English, ascended the throne in 1714, marking the beginning of Hanoverian rule.
- Sir Robert Walpole became the first prime minister, keeping England out of conflicts and promoting trade.
- Under William Pitt's leadership, England pursued mercantilism, expanding its influence in India and the Americas.
After the death of William, Anne ascended the throne. During her reign the war against France ended thanks to John Churchill. Also, thanks to the Peace of Utrecht, England got Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Labrador and Minorca.
We must remember that Scotland became officially united with England with the Act of Union of 1707 (which stated that there was to be only one parliament, the English one, which had to sit at Westminster).
In 1714 queen Anne died without heirs, so George I of Hanover became king of England (Sophia of Hanover had died already so, according to the Act of Settlement, George had the right to the throne).
George's court was extremely odd, his wife was really ugly but his lover was by far much more ugly than his wife: it is said she looked like a horse.
Despite this fact, there was an enormous problem: George spoke no English because he was German, so ha couldn't understand his subjects (sudditi) and, of course, the members of the parliament. He had no real comprehension of his people and had to let the government in the hands of the ministers.
He chose the Whigs (ex parliamentarians, supporters of the exclusion bill, so against the king).
Now, the Whigs formed a cabinet composed of the majority party (the Whigs of course), and each ministers was personally responsible to the king. After the formation of the cabinet, they needed a leader and found it in sir Robert Walpole, the first prime minister.
Walpole managed to keep England out of conflicts so that trade could flourish and taxes could be kept down.
From 1726 Walpole and his government were accused of corruption and bribery (abuse of legal power) during the elections. However he got more power under the kingdom of George II, who relied more and more on him and gave him a house in Westminster, which is still the official house of the prime minister.
In 1735 the Whig William Pitt entered parliament as an opponent of Walpole and became prime minister in 1766. he started a mercantilism policy to make England a strong and economically competitive country. This led to a new set of values based on power, wealth and prestige. The new middle-class man of Pitt's age would be reflected in Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe.
In this period, England expanded its possessions in India, north America and the Caribbeans.
Domande da interrogazione
- Quali furono i principali risultati del regno della regina Anna?
- Chi divenne re d'Inghilterra dopo la morte della regina Anna e quali furono le sue difficoltà principali?
- Quale ruolo ebbe Sir Robert Walpole nel governo inglese?
- Quali furono le politiche di William Pitt e come influenzarono l'Inghilterra?
Durante il regno della regina Anna, la guerra contro la Francia terminò grazie a John Churchill e, con la Pace di Utrecht, l'Inghilterra ottenne Nova Scotia, Terranova, Labrador e Minorca. Inoltre, l'Atto di Unione del 1707 unì ufficialmente la Scozia all'Inghilterra.
Dopo la morte della regina Anna, Giorgio I di Hannover divenne re d'Inghilterra. Le sue principali difficoltà furono la mancanza di comprensione della lingua inglese e dei suoi sudditi, il che lo costrinse a lasciare il governo nelle mani dei ministri.
Sir Robert Walpole fu il primo primo ministro d'Inghilterra e riuscì a mantenere il paese fuori dai conflitti, permettendo al commercio di prosperare e mantenendo basse le tasse. Nonostante le accuse di corruzione, ottenne più potere sotto il regno di Giorgio II.
William Pitt, entrato in parlamento come oppositore di Walpole, divenne primo ministro nel 1766 e avviò una politica mercantilista per rendere l'Inghilterra un paese forte ed economicamente competitivo. Questo portò a nuovi valori basati su potere, ricchezza e prestigio, riflessi nel personaggio di Robinson Crusoe di Daniel Defoe.
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