The Minister and his Peace

The British press in the eighteenth century significantly influenced politics, often making or breaking careers. The career of Lord Shelburne, the first Irish-born British Prime Minister, exemplifies this, yet he has remained something of an enigma. His brief administration (July 1782 to March 1783) was nonetheless notable for recognizing the independence of the United States. This investigation into the contemporary pamphlet press illustrates why he was so distrusted as well as the long-term influences shaping the 1783 Peace of Paris, and challenges the view that Shelburne was an idealist out of step with his times. On the contrary, it concludes many of his ideas were mainstream and pragmatic. Both the general and academic reader interested in eighteenth-century biography, British history, Atlantic colonial history, media studies, and peace studies will find this book valuable.