Final answer:
William Pitt the Elder relaxed colonial policies during the Seven Years' War by offering subsidies to incentivize their participation, enabling the mobilization of a large force and blockading French ports to weaken France's military and alliances.
Step-by-step explanation:
When considering the context in which Pitt relaxed his policies, this appears to be a reference to William Pitt the Elder during the Seven Years' War, particularly in relation to his strategies involving the colonies in North America. Pitt relaxed policies by offering the colonies subsidies for their wartime participation, which incentivized them to contribute more actively to the war effort against France. In exchange, he was able to mobilize an enormous force of 45,000 troops, constituted by British regulars and colonial militiamen. Part of his strategy also involved using the British navy to blockade ports and cut off French trade and reinforcements, a tactic that directly weakened the French military forces and indirectly affected the French alliances with Native American tribes by disrupting the trade of goods.