authorities, 4 in an effort to prevent future dissent from the armed forces and ensure their loyalty to the government. The anti-Jacobin measures passed by the British government in the late 18 th century christened as ÂPittÊs terrorÊ were heavily criticized by PittÊs rivals, most notably by Charles Fox as being repressive and infringing on British Liberties. E.P. Thomson argued that this period of so called ÂrepressionÊ was when the working class began to first find a voice to protest against the ruling elite. But ultimately they were effective at driving British radicalism underground, and as a result preventing it from being a mass movement. They were significant in holding back the flow of radical ideas that would otherwise have made Britain vulnerable to revolution, thereby ensuring the survival of the existing order. The changing role of the King during the reign of George III undoubtedly played a key role in the monarchyÊs survival in Britain. George III was for his first 25 years on the throne a controversial figure, frequently meddling in the affairs of state. However during his later years he allowed the Prime Minister and Cabinet to run the country without his interference and accepted the will of parliament. By taking on a more politically neutral role in the latter half of his regain the King could now be reinvented as a symbol of the nation, being increasingly caricatured as a St George or John Bull type figure. Furthermore George III unlike his predecessors spent time visiting Scotland, Wales and Northern England, which meant that he engaged more with the British people. As the King was based in St James palace and later Buckingham Palace he was among ordinary Londoners, in contrast Louis XVI at Versailles was totally isolated from the lives of his ordinary subjects.
The Jubilee on the 25 th October 1809 was the first royal event of its kind being celebrated at over 650 locations in Britain. The mass expansion of the press in the early 19 th century allowed these royal celebrations to be reported to ordinary people; from around 1800 onwards the tune ÂGod Save the KingÊ was widely recognized as the national anthem. The expansion of education to 1.4 million children by 1830 resulted in children being taught the national anthem and the integral part the monarchy played in national identity. 6 The King, despite his German origins constantly stated that he wanted to be a trueborn Englishman. 7 George III during the latter half of his reign could be regarded as the first modern British monarch, taking on the responsibility of being a national icon rather than governing the country; a transformation that was crucial in helping enhance allegiance to the British monarchy and ensuring that there was very little popular demand for a republic. In contrast the French monarch was an absolute monarch who was both supreme judge and the executive; there were no limits on the sovereignÊs power. As an absolute monarchy, the French sovereign was entirely responsible for the running of the state. 8 The bankruptcy that France suffered in 1780s resulted in the blame for the financial crisis being placed on the King, Louis XVI. The failure of the French monarch to adapt to an aspiring middle class who wanted a share in government was a key cause of the revolution in 1789. This reinvention of the role of the British monarchy was a key reason for its survival, as the King no longer governed he could no longer be blamed for financial and military disasters. But more importantly as the monarch was now above politics he could now be seen to represent everyone as a guardian of the nation. It was the monarchyÊs ability to adapt to changing times that ultimately ensured its survival. Despite Britain in Georgian times being far from a democracy, with only 5% of the population enfranchised is was different to
7 George III-a personal history/Christopher Hibbert 8 A History of modern France Volume 1/Alfred Cobban 9 The Long 18 th Century/Frank OÊGorman
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