Why did Jonathan Swift support peace with France in The Conduct of the Allies?

In his influential pamphlet The Conduct of the Allies (1711), Jonathan Swift supported the Tory government's drive for peace with France primarily to end the costly and increasingly unpopular War of the Spanish Succession.12

Swift’s arguments reflected widespread dissatisfaction with the previous Whig administration's management of the conflict. Key reasons for his support of peace included:

• Economic Burden: The war required heavy taxation, which had become a significant grievance among the public.1
• Strategic Concerns: There was growing criticism that the war was being mismanaged and that the First Barrier Treaty with the Dutch sacrificed British trade interests and diplomatic independence.1
• Shifting Geopolitics: The death of Emperor Joseph I in 1711 fundamentally changed the war's objectives. It became clear that continuing the conflict to place the Spanish empire under the control of the new Holy Roman Emperor, Charles VI, would create an unacceptable imbalance of power.1

By writing this pamphlet, Swift served as the chief political journalist for the Tory ministry, helping to sway parliamentary and public opinion toward ending hostilities.32