Editing Henry Pelham (section)

===Achievements===
His very defects were among the chief elements of Pelham's success, for one with a strong personality, moderate amount self-respect, or haughty conceptions of statesmanship could not have restrained the discordant elements of the cabinet for any length of time the way he did. Moreover, he possessed tact and a thorough acquaintance with the forms of the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]]. Whatever quarrels or insubordination might have existed within the cabinet, they never broke out into open revolt. His foreign policy followed Walpole's model of emphasizing peace and ending wars.  His financial policy was a major success once peace had been signed in 1748 to end the [[War of the Austrian Succession]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Basil |last=Williams |title=Whig Supremacy: 1714–1760 |year=1962 |pages=259–270}}</ref> He demobilized the armed forces, and reduced government spending from £12 million to £7 million. He refinanced the national debt dropping the interest from 4% to 3%. In 1752 he reduced the land tax from four shillings to two shillings in the pound; that is, from 20% to 10%.<ref name="Brumwell and Speck 288">{{cite book |first1=Stephen |last1=Brumwell |first2=W. A. |last2=Speck |title=Cassell's Companion to Eighteenth Century Britain |year=2002 |page=288}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Dorothy |last=Marshall |title=Eighteenth Century England |year=1974 |pages=221–227}}</ref> Historians Stephen Brumwell and W. A. Speck describe him as being an effective politician:

{{quote|His subdued manner concealed a shrewd and calculating politician. He was reserved and cautious, but behind the reserve was steel. All agreed on his integrity, which was remarkable in a venal age; unlike Walpole, he died relatively poor.<ref name="Brumwell and Speck 288"/>}}