When dedicated statesman differ on the best course for their country, the stage is set for political high drama. Such was the case in late 18th-century England when Charles Fox and William Pitt fought for control of Parliament and their nation's destiny.

Both men were young when they entered Parliament; but their policies and personalities were poles apart. Fox, high living, quick witted and elegant, deliberately abandoned his chances for swift advancement when he spoke out against the King's treatment of the American colonies. Pitt, the devoted son of an illustrious Prime Minister, lived only for his work, and was willing to use any means to follow in his father's footsteps and build England's economic and diplomatic strength. When the 24-year-old Pitt became Prime Minister of England in 1784, Fox was the only man who could match his stature and brilliance, and the decades of struggle between a great liberal and a great conservative began.

Pitt left Great Britain a legacy of world power. Fox left one of moral greatness. But perhaps even more important was the proof they gave their country that disagreement and dissent were not treason, but the very heartbeat of a vigorous democracy.

From the dust jacket