Where do Tory and Whigs come from?
Initially, the Tories supported the Stuarts and the Whigs supported the William of Orange. They were factions rather than political parties. This changed during and in the years after the English Civil war. The civil war was a wider conflict than just England especially after it ended. Scotland and Ireland were involved in conflicts. A sequence of events changed the political situation, the war, the restoration of Charles II and the removal of James II to be replaced by William III, the Glorious Revolution.
Scotland and Ireland did not accept Cromwell's Commonwealth. England was also divided roughly along town and country. Towns generally were in favour of Cromwell and country areas the Monarchy.
In Ireland bands of rebels called Torries harrassed Cromwell's soldiers. The Torries were largely made up of people who'd been forced off their smallholding by protestant migrants from England and Scotland. Some of the Scots Presbyterian migrants were called Whigamores. The Torries were Jacobites in that they supported Catholic King James. The Tories and Whigs originated in Scotland and Ireland. (who were the whigamores and torries)
When James II was King he became a Catholic. This caused problems as he was the head of the protestant Church of England. Britain was run by the Nobility and powerful landowners. There was a parliament but it wasn't democratic. The political system was corrupt. None of the powerful factions wanted another civil war. The ruling nobility distrusted James so they contrived to get rid of him and they invited William of Orange to take over the job of King. In 1688 William came to England and James escaped to France. The escape was contrived.
King James now a Catholic and claiming divine right to rule as he liked was an intolerable situation. It was too close to the situation that triggered the civil war. In addition, trade and industry was taking off. Science was beginning to change attitudes, the period known as the enlightenment was in flow with science and logic taking centre stage.
A debate opened up over the divine right of Kings. The Whigs were opposed to the notion of divine right and organised the change of monarch. The Torries now called Tories supported the notion of divine right.
Although an all out civil war was avoided there was political conflict. The supporters of William called Whigamores and were derided by the supporters of James known as Jacobins. The Whigamores attacked their opponents as supporting a bad monarch who could do great harm. The Torries in Ireland were Jacobites and supported the divine right of Kings who answered only to God. The divine right of kings and a king who exercised this to excess was part of the cause of the civil war.
William landed and faced no opposition, James fled. A peaceful transfer of power was organised and William married James' daughter and became King.
Now comes the irony. Although the Whigs arranged for William to be King, he favoured the Tories because of their belief in divine right, support might be a better word than belief. He liked the way they had stood up for James, so he gave the Tories the top jobs.
The Tories now accepted the peaceful abdication and change over. William thought he could rule better with the Tories than the Whigs.
The first levelling down.
The Tories allowed the King control over taxation and foreign policy. The Whigs wanted parliament to control this in the interest of the wider country and especially trade and industry. Trade and industry were developing rapidly and the industrial revolution was only 70 years away. The Tories held back industrial and economic growth by keeping taxation and foreign affairs in the control of the King who managed this in his own interest rather than in the interest of the growing economy.
I need to live the lifestyle of a king equal to all the other kings of Europe.
To this end, I need the taxation from the country and also from foreign exchange and foreign affairs.
I said king William the 3rd to the Tories
The king chose the Tories because they believed in the Divine right of kings so any said he needs all this money he had the Divine right answering only to God for the ministers to give him the money
William would have had advisors who came over from Holland and they would have advised them to play the Divine right of kings card and say he needs to look everything king for all the European dignity isn't ambassadors and that for him to look like a king and opulent king would be great for trade and industry that was developing at the time
It was in the national interest at the king got all the taxes and the income from foreign affairs it also made the wigs who are trying to get the taxes and income diverted to trade and industry and for the wider economy it made them look like spoilsports and fools but like the Labour party is made to look today
Had King William done the logical thing and favoured the Whigs over the Tories the enlightenment would have moved at a faster pace and the industrial revolution might have come earlier giving Britain a significant advantage over rival countries.
Shortly after their formation, the king aided by the fledgling political party the Tories levelled down Britain to keep a King in the opulent style he wanted.
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