Hello and welcome to a history of the United States. Episode 120. Fall of Pitt. In our last episode, we covered

events in the American South up to the end of 1761, as the British fought the Cherokee.

But now I want to turn back to where we left off a few episodes ago in London.

King George II had died.

His grandson, George III, was now king.

While Pitt thought of himself as indispensable,

he did not know just how much the young king disliked him.

Pitt was charismatic and brilliant, sure, but George viewed him as dangerous.

George liked order and structure.

He believed in absolute truths and regular habits.

He searched for order in a world of chaos.

Now, compare this to Pitt. Pitt had once been part of the Lester House faction and

criticised George II's obsession with Hanover. Then he formed his alliance with Newcastle and disregarded his former

principles as they were no longer useful. He sought to protect Hanover and sent British money

and troops to serve in the Continental War. He shook off the Lester House faction and ignored the advice of Butte.

George was watching and took Pitt to be untrustworthy.

The young king set out to be a father to his country and to stand above party politics, unlike his grandfather, who had been under the thumb of the Whig

Grandees. His first priority was to bring an end to the war. Pitt convinced George that the war

was necessary and couldn't just be abandoned, but George was determined to end it at the first possible

moment, and if Pitt could be thrown out of power at the same time, then all the better. There was

a immediate power struggle as Butte wanted the position of Chancellor of the Exchequer, which was

currently held by Newcastle.

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