In Defence of the Ministry: Factionalism and Pro-Ministerial Propaganda under Robert Harley, 1710-1715

Abstract

This thesis seeks to develop our understanding of the pro-ministerial propaganda system designed by Robert Harley, its written productions, and the interaction between politics and literature during the period. By analysing a wide-ranging corpus (composed of pamphlets, press extracts, secret histories, poems, fables and ballads) this study will examine the context, evolution and outcome of pro-ministerial propaganda in an age defined by factionalism. Considering the works of authors such as Daniel Defoe, Jonathan Swift, Matthew Prior, Delarivier Manley and John Arbuthnot (and others), but also the links that bound these writers to the Harley ministry, I aim to recontextualise and retrace Harley’s mandate through the major crises and events it came to be defined by, and their unfolding in the public sphere. This work will also explore the politics of patronage – the dynamics binding writers to political patrons – as well as the questions of political affiliations and identifications, and their showcasing and transposition in the cultural sphere. Through the study of the propagandistic discourse animating Harley’s mandate, I will also paint the portrait of a restless nation, tearing itself apart on political and religious issues, be they foreign or domestic. Chapter 1 discusses pro-ministerial propaganda in the context of the 1710 General Elections, and engages with Harleyite ideology and the new ministry’s handling of electoral propaganda, outlining cross-partisanship as a key element. Chapter 2 focuses on the partisan recuperations of the Guiscard affair, and its impact on ministerial and propagandistic cohesion. In Chapter 3, considerations of the economic context lead to a reassessment of the creation of the South Sea Company – and the discourse surrounding this creation – in light of domestic and international politics. Chapter 4 attempts to show the evolution of the pro-ministerial discourse surrounding the peace prospects with France, in the context of the War of the Spanish Succession, and points toward the emergence of a Harleyite redefinition of patriotism and liberty. Chapter 5 revolves around the collapse of the Harley administration, interrogating the complex strategies deployed by its main apologists when confronted by the loss of their patron and champion. The conclusion discusses the complexities of assessing a Harleyite legacy and sketches further areas of research.

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