Robert Harley and the Press: Propaganda and Public Opinion in the Age of Swift and Defoe

In 1695, with the expiry of the licensing act, state censorship of the press ceased. The end of the licensing system coincided almost exactly with the passing of the triennial act, and from the outset there was a discernable connection between electoral activity and the rise of a virulent political press. This study seeks to explain why press regulations were not reimposed to curb the invective of the party writers; and concludes that the principal reason was the development of government p...