Revolution Supporter or Imperialist: On Counter-Revolutionarism of William Pitt the Elder

Abstract

The paper traces the evolution of William Pitt’s (the Elder) attitude towards American revolutionaries and tries to answer the question whether he was a true supporter of American revolutionary movement or one of the most dangerous counter-revolutionaries. Relying on historiographical sources the author examines politician’s views on “American issue”, considers his approaches to Empire development, analyzes the factors influencing his actions. Scientific originality of the study lies in the fact that Pitt’s approach is analyzed in terms of its counter-revolutionary essence. The findings allow concluding that Pitt was the most dangerous counter-revolutionary: seeking to defend imperial interests, he understood Americans’ needs and at the early stage of American Revolution he could suggest a compromise, thus annihilating its main purpose - to acquire independence.

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Funding

The publication is prepared with the financial support of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR), project № 19-09-00383.

Author information

About this article

Publication history

• Received: October 21, 2021.
• Published: November 20, 2021.

Keywords

• Уильям Питт-старший
• Американская революция
• североамериканские колонии
• контрреволюция
• William Pitt the Elder
• American Revolution
• North American colonies
• counter-revolution

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