The Conduct of the Allies

work by Swift

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July 23, 2026

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The Conduct of the Allies is a political pamphlet written by Jonathan Swift in 1711. It was a powerful argument against continuing the War of the Spanish Succession. Swift used clear and persuasive language to criticize the war's prolongation and the actions of the allies. This work was part of a larger trend of political literature published in England following the expiry of the Licensing Act, which had previously censored the press. Swift, along with other writers like Daniel Defoe, employed various techniques, including satire and invented personas, to influence public opinion and political discourse.1

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Jonathan Swift
Career as satirist, political journalist, and churchman
This, The Conduct of the Allies, appeared on November 27, 1711, some weeks before the motion in favour of a peace was finally carried in Parliament. Swift was rewarded for his services in April 1713 with his appointment as dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin.
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This, The Conduct of the Allies, appeared on November 27, 1711, some weeks before the motion in favour of a peace was finally carried in Parliament. Swift was rewarded for his services in April 1713 with his appointment as dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin.
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English literature
Publication of political literature
…again overseen by Harley, was The Conduct of the Allies (1711), a devastatingly lucid argument against any further prolongation of the War of the Spanish Succession. Writers such as Defoe and Swift did not confine themselves to straightforward discursive techniques in their pamphleteering but experimented deftly with mock forms and…
Read More
…again overseen by Harley, was The Conduct of the Allies (1711), a devastatingly lucid argument against any further prolongation of the War of the Spanish Succession. Writers such as Defoe and Swift did not confine themselves to straightforward discursive techniques in their pamphleteering but experimented deftly with mock forms and…
Read More