Shaped by eighteenth-century assumptions, Liverpool nonetheless laid the foundations for the nineteenth-century Britain that emerged from the Reform era.

Britain’s Greatest Prime Minister: Lord Liverpool unpicks two centuries of Whig history to redeem Lord Liverpool (1770-1828) from ‘arch-mediocrity’ and establish him as the greatest political leader the country has ever seen. In the past, biographers of Lord Liverpool have not sufficiently acknowledged the importance of his foremost skill: economic policy (including fiscal, monetary and banking system questions). Here, Hutchinson’s decades of experience in the finance sector provide a more specialised perspective on Liverpool’s economic legacy than most historians are able to offer. From his adept handling of unparalleled economic and social difficulties, to his strategic defeat of Napoleon and unprecedented approach to the subsequent peace process, Liverpool is shown to have set Britain’s course for prosperity and effective government for the following century. In addition to granting him his rightful place among British Prime Ministers on both domestic and foreign policy grounds, Hutchinson advances how a proper regard for Liverpool’s career might have changed the structure and policies of today’s government for the better.

The early nineteenth century was marked by public disorder, governmental repression and correction. It was a period of revolution, reaction and reform. This pamphlet focuses on three key issues: * the factors which combined to produce the turmoil and uprisings of 1812-21 and the severity with which they were put down * the validity of the distinction between 'repressive' and 'liberal' phases of the administration * the ability of Lord Liverpool as Prime Minister.