Information or Propaganda? Pamphlet News Regarding Cromwell's West Indies Expedition, 1655

In the early modern period, with the advent of print, news readers were exposed to a skilful mixture of information and propaganda. As the public was taking greater interest in politics and parliamentary affairs, 17 th-century politicians recognized the need to exploit news pamphlets in order to educate the masses and secure popular support. The management of news for propaganda purposes characterised, amongst the other things, the period of Cromwell’s Protectorate. Prompted by his expansionistic ambitions in the West Indies, Cromwell wanted to occupy the Spanish colony of Hispaniola in 1655. His design miserably failed and the English troops compensated for the fiasco with the capture of the smaller Spanish island of Jamaica. The government appealed to the power of the press in order to turn defeat into victory. At the same time, the anti-Cromwellian voices, which occasionally slipped through the net of censorship, criticised the ineptitude of the English troops. The opposing perspectives were expressed linguistically through several persuasive strategies which are examined in the podcast