reason why BritainÊs traditional society remained intact by 1815.
proportionally in taxation than the upper classes. In contrast BritainÊs taxation system placed the financial burden of taxation on the rich. Successive British governments throughout the 18 th century ensured that goods such as coal, soap and beer, which were destined for low-income households, were either lightly taxed or not taxed at all. 3 Methods of taxation such as the window tax, which was in the 18th century unique to Britain, were an effective way of raising revenue from the aristocracy. The tax, which cost 4 shillings for houses with 10-20 windows and 8 shillings for those over 20, fell overwhelmingly on the landed gentry. introduced new taxation measures that would proportionally fall much more heavily on the upper echelons of society. Pitt raised indirect taxes on items such as menÊs hats, womenÊs ribbons, hair powder and carriages which affected the upper classes the most. In 1798 Pitt introduced BritainÊs fist ever income tax which was described by the morning chronicle as Âa daring innovation in British FinanceÊ it remained in place until 1816. It raised £4.5 million a year and was progressive with those on incomes between £60-£200 paying 2 pence to a pound (0.83%) and those with incomes over £200 paying 2 shillings to a pound (10%), those earning under £60 a year did not pay the tax. 4 BritainÊs taxation system was not only more effective at raising revenue than that of France but it was also much fairer. Not only did this save Britain from bankruptcy but it also helped to prevent discontent and revolution from circulating among the lower echelons of society. It gave the impression to the middle and lower classes that the government was not governing, as in the case of France solely for the rich, a key In order to fund the wars with revolutionary France, William PittÊs government 1 The Origins of the French revolution/William Doyle 2 The French Revolution/Christopher Hibbert 3 War and British Society 1688-1815/H.V.Bowen 4 William Pitt the Younger/Eric Evans 5 Politics in the age of Fox, Pitt and Liverpool/John Derry 6 Britons: forging the nation 1707-1837/Linda Colley
Throughout the 1790s the British government introduced a number of anti- Jacobin legislation to quell the revolutionary threat in Britain. The Duke of Portland, Home Secretary 1794-1801 was a staunch anti-radical and introduced legislation throughout his time in office to combat the threat of radicalism in Britain. By passing the Alien Act 1789 which tightened the control of admission of foreigners into Britain, William PittÊs government hoped to reduce the flow of French revolutionaries entering Britain thereby preventing the exposure of revolutionary ideas to the mass of the populace. Following this, PittÊs government then turned their attention to fighting radicals already within Britain. Thomas PaineÊs ÂRights of ManÊ 1791-92 had been the most passionate defence of the French revolution in Britain, in which Paine attacked both the aristocracy and unearned privilege; the government feared that pamphlets such as these would spread radicalism among the industrial working class unless they took firm action. First and foremost the government suspended the Habeas Corpus Amendment Act between May 1794-July 1975 and again between 1798-1801 which permitted authorities to arrest on suspicion of criminal offence and imprison without trial, 4 thereby allowing the government to more effectively retain public order. The following year PittÊs government passed the Seditious Meeting and Treasonable Practices Acts, which attempted to prevent the coordination of radical opposition groups. This legislation known as the Âgagging actsÊ prohibited the calling of political meetings without a magistrateÊs approval and was passed in response to harvest failures and economic depression when the government feared discontent among the lower orders would be at its highest. 5 Further to these measures Pitt in response to naval mutinies at Spithead in 1797 increased penalties for attempts to undermine allegiance to the
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