Transcript The Whig Oligarchy 1714-1760

The Whig Oligarchy
1714-1760
Common Sense
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No upheaval
Religion not worth fighting for
Revolution Settlement just fine
Central Government not interventionist
Not an age of reform
Mixed Government
• Monarchical, aristocratic, and
democratic
George I and George II
Monarchical
• Not figureheads
• Hanoverians
Battle of Dettingen
Queen Caroline
The Cabinet Now
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Government Ministers
Collective responsibility
Same political party
Chief Ministers
18th Century Cabinet
• Privy Council ineffective
• Functional Existence
• King stops attending (1717)
Prime Minister
• Robert Walpole
• First PM?
Party System
• Whigs in power
• Septennial Act (1716)
• Kings Preferred Whits
Points to Consider
• Loyal Opposition
• No big issues
Parliament
• House of Lords (peers)
• House of Commons (junior but more
important)
• Boroughs
Virtues
• Local liberty
• Major economic groups represented
• Gives (connected) talent an early
chance
• Debate could persuade
Public Opinion
• Local Government
– counties
– parishes
– Justices of the Peace
• Rioting