Kentish politics and public opinion, 1768-1832
This thesis seeks to examine the increasing importance of national issues and popular consciousness in the politics of the county of Kent during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The Excise and Jew Bill crises indicate that public opinion and extra-parliamentary protest were by no means dormant under the early Hanove.rians, but without effective leadership either at Westminster or in the provinces, without a coherent ideological basis, and without the encouragement of a well-oiled propaganda machine, reaction to national events tended to be unco-ordinated and short-lived. Not until after 1768, when men like Wilkes, Wyvill and John Reeves began to organise popular agitation, when Burke, Paine and Gartwright gave shape to conservative and radical ideas, and when better transport and the development of the press facilitated the easy diffusion of news and comment, did a new complexion come across the face of English affairs. Clearly defined issues also appeared on the politidal stage and quickly cultivated a high level of public debate. Between 1768 and 1783 the Middlesex election dispute and the American War focused the attention of Kent's urban freemen and landed classes on calls for parliamentary
Humphries, Peter Leslie
Public opinion ; History ; Politics and government ; England ; Kent ; Great Britain ; 18th century ; 19th century ; Kent (England)
Kentish politics and public opinion, 1768-1832. This thesis seeks to examine the increasing importance of national issues and popular consciousness in the politics of the county of Kent during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The Excise and Jew Bill crises indicate that public opinion and extra-parliamentary protest were by no means dormant under the early Hanove.rians, but without effective leadership either at Westminster or in the provinces, without a coherent ideological basis, and without the encouragement of a well-oiled propaganda machine, reaction to national events tended to be unco-ordinated and short-lived. Not until after 1768, when men like Wilkes, Wyvill and John Reeves began to organise popular agitation, when Burke, Paine and Gartwright gave shape to conservative and radical ideas, and when better transport and the development of the press facilitated the easy diffusion of news and comment, did a new complexion come across the face of English affairs. Clearly defined issues also appeared on the politidal stage and quickly cultivated a high level of public debate. Between 1768 and 1783 the Middlesex election dispute and the American War focused the attention of Kent's urban freemen and landed classes on calls for parliamentary
kentish politics public_opinion seek_examine increase importance national issue popular consciousness politics county kent jew bill indicate public_opinion extra parliamentary protest mean early without effective leadership either westminster provinces without coherent ideological basis without encouragement well propaganda machine reaction national event tend ordinated short_lived men like john begin organise popular agitation burke give shape conservative radical idea good transport development press facilitate easy diffusion news comment new come across face english affair clearly_define issue also_appear stage quickly cultivate high_level public_debate election dispute american war focus_attention kent urban freeman land class call parliamentary