The War for the Public Mind: Political Censorship in Nineteenth-Century Europe

by Robert Justin Goldstein

From 1815 to 1914, European governments and their political oppositions were engaged in a constant war for the minds of the general population, especially the working classes. The German socialist newspaper, Hamburger Echo , declared on September 27, 1910, In waging our war, we do not throw bombs. Instead we throw our newspapers amongst the masses of the working people. Printing ink is our explosive. The most comprehensive study ever published about European censorship practices during the 1815-1914 period, this book discusses the censorship of books, newspapers, caricatures, theater, and film through an analytical introductory survey and six chapters by leading specialists who summarize 19th-century censorship practices in the six major countries of continental Germany, Italy, France, Austria, Russia, and Spain.

As a result of the massive transformation of European life in the post-Napoleonic period and the simultaneously rapid growth in industrialization, urbanization, literacy, transportation, and communication, the average European emerged quite suddenly as a potential player who could no longer be ignored by the ruling elite.

Genres: History

288 pages, Hardcover

First published March 30, 2000

About the author

Robert Justin Goldstein is professor emeritus of political science at Oakland University and currently a research associate at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

He is the author of numerous books and articles focusing on the history of civil liberties in Western democracies, including controversies related to censorship and desecration of the flag.