Key People- William Pitt (1759-1806)

William Pitt the Younger is best known for being Britain's youngest Prime minister, elected in 1783, aged 24. He is given large amounts of credit for helping Britain through economically trying times. In 1784 he diminished the nation's debt, helped enforce the India Act (which gave the government more power over the East India Company), and embarked on tackling smuggling. Over the course of his 19 year ministry he also:

• Worked to restore public finances, after the American War of Independence put a strain on them, by implementing the Sinking Fund in 1786
• Imposed new taxes and established Britain's first income tax
• Through the Act of Union, unionised Ireland and Britain after a rebellion in 1798

However, due to the unpopularity of his attempts to terminate the restrictions on Roman Catholics, Pitt resigned as Prime Minister in 1801. It was not until 1804 that he returned to his position as PM, after King George III requested it. This was in response to the ongoing struggle faced by England due the Napoleonic wars. Pitt united Britain and France using the Third Coalition. Britain was then victorious against Napoleon at the Battle of Trafalgar, but, soon after this, the coalition collapsed which strained Pitt's health and mere months later he died.