Mind-Munitions

Chapter 19
War and Public Opinion in
the Nineteenth Century
With Napoleon finally defeated and safely out of harm’s way in
exile, Europe breathed a huge sigh of relief that peace had at last
returned after a generation of war. It is sobering to think that a 25year-old
in 1815 would not be able to remember a time when
Europe had not been at war. This experience, together with the
ideas unleashed by Napoleon and the French Revolution, did not
suddenly disappear with the defeat of France. Quite the reverse
happened, in fact, as Europe began to reconcile itself to the forces
of change the wars had accelerated, not the least significant of
which was the continued development of public opinion and
propaganda. The extent to which the ordinary people of Europe for
a generation had been affected by, and involved in, the Napoleonic
wars narrowed the gap between ruler and ruled still further than
ever before. The nineteenth century saw attempts to widen that
gap again, notably in Victorian Britain. But the forces of change
could not be stemmed and, as a result of technological innovations,
the century saw a steady rise in the role of public opinion and in the
use of propaganda by governing élites to influence it. In the words
of Professor Qualter:
Even those whose attitude towards public opinion in politics did not
change found that of necessity they had to learn the mechanics of peaceful
persuasion by propaganda. With an extended franchise and an
increasing population it was becoming too expensive to do anything
else. Where at one time voters could be bought, they now had to be
persuaded. Politicians had, therefore, to become interested in propaganda.
This was greatly aided by major advances in the speed with which
newspapers could be produced, by the invention of photography,