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William Pitt the Younger : A Biography Paperback – January 1, 2005

by William Hague (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 302 ratings
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The Sunday Times bestselling biography of one of the towering figures in British history who became Prime Minister at the age of twenty-four, written by the youngest-ever leader of the Tory Party. The younger William Pitt -- known as the 'schoolboy' -- began his days as Prime Minister in 1783 deeply underestimated and completely beleaguered. Yet he annihilated his opponents in the General Election the following year and dominated the governing of Britain for twenty-two years, nearly nineteen of them as Prime Minister. No British politician since then has exercised such supremacy for so long.

Pitt presided over dramatic changes in the country's finances and trade, brought about the union with Ireland, but was ultimately consumed by the years of debilitating war with France. Domestic crises included unrest in Ireland, deep division in the royal family, the madness of the King and a full-scale naval mutiny. He enjoyed huge success, yet died at the nadir of his fortunes, struggling to maintain a government beset by a thin majority at home and military disaster abroad; he worked, worried and drank himself to death. Finally his story is told with the drama, wit and authority it deserves.
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  1. Print length
    688 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Harper Perennial
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 2005
  5. Dimensions
    5.08 x 1.77 x 7.76 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0007147201
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0007147205
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Perennial (January 1, 2005)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 688 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0007147201
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0007147205
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.08 x 1.77 x 7.76 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 302 ratings

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William Hague

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4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
302 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Ben
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and Thorough
Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2019
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I was very pleased with this entire book. My goal was to round out my understanding of the 18th century a bit more as I've been studying American history and this book delivers. Pitt was more remarkable than we realize. He had flaws to be sure, but he was a statesman of the highest order. His best friend, William Wilberforce, comes up quite a bit as well which was an interesting relationship to track as Pitt was never interested in Jesus Christ or any religion for that matter. With Wilberforces's conversion to Christ came a life-long pursuit of the abolition of the slave-trade and ultimately of slavery itself. The relationship between these men stayed intact until their dying days in spite of their world-view differences. Other benefits to this book is a well-documented history of England's interaction with Napolean and the French Revolution. Overall, an easy and enjoyable read that leaves much more educated as to the development of Great Britain and its implications on world powers of the day.
2 people found this helpful
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RPT
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting & Thorough Treatment of a Dominant British Leader
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2022
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This work by a former leader of the British Conservative Party is an easy but thorough read of one of Britain's dominant political leaders of the late 18th century. William Pitt The Younger, son of his father Pitt the Elder (also Earl of Chatham) is the second longest-serving British prime minister and the youngest (at age 24) to have served in that capacity. Pitt's masterful stewardship of the British government from 1783-1801 and again from 1804 until his death at age 46 in 1806 was initially assisted by King George III at its inception. It came at a time when most parliamentary leaders were aristocrats who sat in the House of Lords. Pitt was a public finance expert and gifted administrator who dominated the House of Commons with his oratory. His tenure came after Britain's loss of its American colonies, but during a period that saw the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars and Britain's rise to naval supremacy. Pitt's achievements are all the more consequential because he was not sustained by a modern political party. His era saw shifting political coalitions in the house of Commons that came together around certain leaders that often had to be persuaded to support his government with offers of office and honors granted by the King. Managing the monarch was thus critical to sustaining his leadership of the government. Recommended both for those interested in political leadership in a parliamentary setting and for those interested (as I am) in the interplay between the British monarch and the prime minister in an era when the monarch (and the House of Lords) were significant actors in British government.
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DAVID MILLER
5.0 out of 5 stars Great biography by William Hague
Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2014
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It's such a well written and researched book. I found it fascinating how the Parliament worked when I thought Whigs and Tories had become the "parties", but in fact this was earlier and had broken down, and members changed sides. Also how much power the King still retained, how smart Pitt was. Lastly as an Australian many events were going on, the regency crisis, French Revolution and how a penal settlement on the other side of the world was a small issue.
Mainly the authorship of William Hague. I am encouraged to get his biography of Wilberforce a contemporary.
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Raphael E. Yalden II
5.0 out of 5 stars Impressive
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2022
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I am 73 years old and have read hundreds of non-fiction books. This is one of the best I have ever read. There was so much history going on during Pitt the Younger's times as First Lord of the Treasury when that office was in effect Prime Minister and Hague captures it brilliantly from George III's mental illness to the wars against Revolutionary France and then Napolean. I learned so much important history from this book and I am sure most other readers will too.
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Thor Albro
4.0 out of 5 stars Good history of amazing statesman, but limited
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2015
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Nice history of one of the most amazing politicians in history.
The book's faults are that this is truly a political history - lots of exhaustive details of motions and who is in line for what cabinet post, etc - and there is a bit of disconnect with wider history gong on in England, Europe and the world. I would have appreciated a bit more depth into the characters who surrounded Pitt in his brief 20 years in the public. For instance, Fox, historically famous and Pitt's bette noir, gets little to no discussion or back-ground. Nevertheless, an intense look into the life of a remarkable statesman, and the book is enlightening to that extent, but not so much for anything outside of that life.
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Nicholas Roberts
5.0 out of 5 stars Life, loves, crisis, and war: everything is covered
Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2014
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An excellent biography on one of Britain's greatest prime ministers. Mr. Hague goes into every detail regarding Mr. Pitt's life both personally and politically. He talks about relations with other members of Parliament and how he handled both foreign crisis like the French Revolution and economic crisis like when Britain was forced to print paper currency for the first time. This book views Pitt as an excellent leader dedicated to his work devoted to finances and a fair peace. Very readable so do not be intimidated by the length!
2 people found this helpful
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John H Schmahl
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful overview
Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2013
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This is a very good overview of the life of one of the most influential leaders in parliamentary history. While it is a bit general at times, I found myself enjoying the discussions of how parliament functioned at the end of the 18th century. I initially read this to get some background into my studies of the 19th century reform movements in Parliament, but I was so captivated by the story, as told by Mr Hague, that I have taken to reading other works on 18th century politicians and political alignments.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this book and I recommend it to anyone interested in the development of British politics.
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Avid Reader
3.0 out of 5 stars Enough is enough
Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2015
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Very repetitive. Though well researched it became boring.
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Roland Laing
5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful writing!
Reviewed in Canada on August 11, 2023
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The writing of history can often result in endless facts, even well-presented facts, that lack insight into the story behind the story where the "life" of the story often rests. Hague has avoided that result here and has given us a comprehensive, yet buoyant, insightful picture of one of the great characters of English history which is "alive" and enjoyable from start to finish.
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Guillermo Ais
5.0 out of 5 stars Ameno y de fácil lectura
Reviewed in Spain on September 26, 2023
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Para quien quiera adentrarse en el interesante mundo de la política inglesa de finales del XVIII.
A pesar de su extensión, se lee con facilidad. Recomendaría completarlo con la lectura de la biografía de Jorge III de Andrew Roberts, excelente libro que pone en perspectiva y quizá hace más justicia a este monarca que otras biografías
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Bart
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent look at the English political scene towards the end of the 18th century
Reviewed in Australia on September 4, 2017
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The subject lends himself to a good biography which this is . If you are a fan of biographies of political figures this will suit you nicely . Hague , having had an extensive career in politics is able to give an insiders take on some of what Pitt was able to achieve . My view of George III has changed after reading this book .
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Adrian J. Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars An immensely informative biography of a towering figure in British History
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 28, 2015
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A lengthy and involving book, but when one considers the length and tumultuous nature of Pitt's long and dominating political career, a short and concise biography is inconceivable.
William Hague does not, as far as this reader can discern, approach this biography in any kind of partisan way. William Pitt's ideals and policies preceded modern politics, and as such, stands as a Prime Minister that can be assessed objectively, rather than ideologically. As such, this book most definitely is a historical study, not a political study.
One should put preconceptions aside when approaching this book. As William Pitt the Younger has 2 immediate distinctions, Britain's youngest ever Prime Minister and the only Prime Minister to have been the son of a Prime Minister, one would immediately assume that the great fortune of entering office at such an early age is undoubtedly related to the second. Well, it would take a strong commitment to principles to deny that they are related, but one must not overlook the reality that Pitt the Younger was an incredibly hard worker. Indeed his rather premature death at the age of 46 could have been attributed to overwork, though other factors were at play.
The book is as it's namesake implies, a biography of William Pitt the Younger, but it inevitably contains insights into the reality of the political landscape of the day, both within Great Britain and throughout Europe. So therefore, one will gain additional insight into the events of the day, such as the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars, the movement against the slave trade, and the aftermath of the American Revolution.
As a first book, Hague has set himself a difficult act to follow. He has provided a biography that has very clearly been researched with great tenacity and is both immensely readable and informative.
This book is highly recommended for any enthusiasts of British history, as one will gain insight into a truly dominating figure of the time and a truly consequential politician.
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amy
5.0 out of 5 stars Une biographie remarquable
Reviewed in France on May 15, 2009
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Un livre très long, il faut un certain niveau d'anglais. Mais c'est une biographie fort intéressante, qui m'a donné du goût pour l'histoire. C'est également une biographie politique, qui permet de voir quelques unes des difficultés du pouvoir -- comment financer une guerre qui n'en finit pas sans affamer le peuple ?
C'est l'histoire d'un jeune homme brillant qui a réussi, et qui porte un idéal. Remarquable.
Pour nous autres français, c'est aussi intéressant de voir la période révolutionnaire, puis napoléonnienne, vue par ceux de l'autre côté de la Manche.
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