George III: King and Politicians 1760-1770

by Peter D.G. Thomas

The eighteenth-century was long deemed 'the classical age of the constitution' in Britain, with cabinet government based on a two-party system of Whigs and Tories in Parliament, and a monarchy whose powers had been emasculated by the Glorious Revolution of 1688-89. This study furthers the work of Sir Lewis Namier who argued in 1929 that no such party system existed, George III was not a cypher and that Parliament was an administration comprising of factions and opposition. George III was a high-profile and well-known character in British history whose policies have often been blamed for the loss of Britain's American colonies, around whom rages a perennial dispute over his aims: was he seeking to restore royal power, or merely excercising his constitutional rights?. The first chronological survey of the first ten years of George III's reign through power politics and policy-making.

272 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2002

About the author

Peter David Garner Thomas was a Welsh historian specialising in 18th-century British and American politics. Thomas was educated at the University College of North Wales and University College London. After working as a lecturer from Glasgow University in 1965, Thomas joined the faculty at Aberystwyth University, where he worked until his retirement as emeritus professor in 1997.