Politics, Finance, and the People

In December 1779, charges of political corruption and the cost of the American War unleashed a political and popular movement in Britain called ‘economic reform.’ It began as a political struggle between the Crown and the Opposition parties, which was supported by a powerful surge of public opinion. The initial objective of the Opposition was to reduce the ‘influence of the Crown’ – the honors, patronage, contracts, and other benefits used by the King and his ministers to strengthen their political support in Parliament and elections. In mid-course, economical reform shifted to an emphasis on better management of the finances – improved collection of the revenue, recovering balances held by offices of tax collection and expenditure, reform of accounts and audit, abolition of sinecures and fees, and establishment of a systematic process of debt reduction. The investigations and reforms of the 1780’s were the crucial first step in the long-term reform of administrative structure.