At the beginning of the 18th century, the Hanover dynasty succeeded that of the Stuarts.
Q Who came to the throne when William III died in 1702?
A Queen Anne (1665-1714) succeeded her brother-in-law, William III, and her sister Mary. During her reign, Scotland became officially united with England with the Act of Union of 1707. Many Scots emigrated to England and the expanding colonies.
Q Who was the first prime minister?
A The Whigs and the Tories were the first political parties in Britain, and the first prime minister was the Whig Sir Robert Walpole (1676-1745), who was in power for over twenty years (1721-42).
Q How did Walpole improve the finances of the nation?
A He managed to keep England out of foreign conflicts so that trade could flourish and taxes could be kept down. Trade was stimulated by the removal of customs duties on exports and on imports of raw materials, but in 1723 tea, coffee and chocolate became subject to taxation.
This kept smuggling under control and at the same time increased government income.
Q What was Walpole accused of?
A From 1726 Walpole and his government were accused of corruption and bribery during elections. He had, however, survived a change of monarch when George I of Hanover (1660-1727) died and was succeeded by his son, George II (1683-1760). The new king relied more and more on Walpole and gave him a house in Westminster, 10 Downing Street, which is still the official residence of the prime minister today.
Q What happened when William Pitt became prime minister?
A In 1735 the Whig William Pitt entered Parliament as an opponent of Walpole, and became prime minister in 1766. He started a mercantilist policy to make England a strong and economically competitive country.
This led to the establishment of a new set of values based on power, wealth and prestige.
The new middle-class man of Pitt's age would be refiected in Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe.
In this period, England expanded its possessions in India, North America and the Caribbean.