Country Party (Britain) facts for kids

The Country Party was a group of politicians and thinkers in England and later Great Britain. They were against the Court Party, which was made up of the king's ministers and their supporters. Think of it as the "outsiders" challenging the "insiders" who held power.

The very first Country Party group opposed having a king with total power. They wanted to limit the king's influence. In the late 1670s, this group started being called "Whigs." This name was first used to make fun of them, but the group soon adopted it.

Later, after the Glorious Revolution, the Whigs became very powerful. So, a new "Country Party" formed to oppose them. This new group existed mainly from the 1680s to the 1740s. It included both Tories and some Whigs who were unhappy with their own party.

What the Country Party Believed

The Country Party was more of a movement than a formal political party. It didn't have a strict structure or clear leaders. Its members claimed to be fighting for the good of the whole nation. They saw themselves as standing up against the selfish actions of politicians in power. These politicians were often called the "Court Party."

Fighting Corruption

Country Party members believed the Court Party was making Britain corrupt. They thought the Court Party used "patronage" to buy support. Patronage means giving out jobs or favors in exchange for loyalty. The Country Party also felt that power was shifting too much from Parliament to the Prime Minister. They worried this would threaten English and Scottish freedoms.

Key Demands for Change

To limit the power of the government, the Country Party wanted several changes:

• They opposed having a permanent army. They feared a large army could be used against the people.
• They called for Parliament to hold elections every year. At the time, elections happened only every seven years.
• They wanted power to stay with wealthy landowners, known as the landed gentry. They did not want power to go to royal officials, city merchants, or bankers.
• They were against anything they saw as corruption.

Influential Thinkers

Many important writers and thinkers supported the Country Party. These included famous names like Jonathan Swift, Samuel Johnson, and Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun. Their ideas helped shape the party's beliefs.

Bolingbroke and Opposition

Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke was a very important figure for the Country Party. He strongly believed in the need for a constant group to oppose the government in Parliament. He called this group a "country party." He saw it as the opposite of the "court party."

A New Kind of Opposition

Before Bolingbroke, opposition groups formed only sometimes. But Bolingbroke was the first to say that there should always be a group challenging the government. He felt that the government's desire for power threatened people's freedom.

How to Challenge Power

Bolingbroke believed that freedom could only be protected by an opposition party. This party would use "constitutional methods" to fight against too much government power. He urged the opposition to "take the power of government" from those who used it poorly. He said this work needed a united party. Such a party would be willing to do the hard work of always checking the government. He thought a group that always opposed the government was better than one that only did so sometimes. This constant opposition would make sure it was seen as a normal part of politics. It also had to be ready to take control of the government itself.

Influence in America

The ideas of the Country Party were very popular among some American colonists. These colonists started to fear that the English government was becoming corrupt. They saw this corruption as a big threat to their own freedoms.

Shaping American Ideas

The Country Party's ideas helped create the Patriot cause in the Thirteen Colonies. American Patriots used these ideas to oppose what they saw as British royal tyranny. This also helped them develop a strong political philosophy called republicanism. Republicanism is a system where citizens elect representatives, rather than being ruled by a king.

Country Party ideas greatly influenced the Antifederalists. These were people who opposed the U.S. Constitution at first. Later, the ideas of Jeffersonianism also took from the Country Party. They shared the same dislike for powerful elites, central government, and distant rulers.

See also