Propaganda and Peace: Robert Harley’s Press Strategies About the Peace of Utrecht

Abstract

Concluding its participation in the War of the Spanish Succession was not easy for the British government. Hampered by internal problems, it also had to face the strong campaign against peace carried out by the Whig opposition and the displeasure of its war allies. Among the measures taken by the Harley Cabinet to achieve peace, the use of the press and political propaganda was of vital importance. Through the study of the press and printed propaganda, the political documentation and the correspondence of those involved this article examines the government’s strategy and methods and its ability to adapt to the counterattacks mounted by the press linked to the opposition. It also analyses the internal contradictions of this propaganda campaign resulting from the opposition between the two key figures of the Tory government, Harley and Henry St. John, as well as its influence on the triumph of the peace option in the British Parliament.

Keywords

• Robert Harley
• Henry St John
• political propaganda
• War of the Spanish Succession
• British politics