Radical opinion in an age of reform: Thomas Perronet Thompson and the Westminster Review

Historians have long been interested in the growth of the nineteenth-centur y political press, and many commentators recognize the instrumentality of n ewspapers, pamphlets, prints and publications of all kinds in the developme nt of radical opinion and popular participation in politics. This article i s offered as a contribution to continuing debates about the links between r adicalism and the press. Its purpose is to examine the establishment and ea rly history of the Westminster Review, the leading radical periodical of th e early nineteenth century. Special attention will be paid to the role of T homas Perronet Thompson (1783-1869), who was associated with the review for several years as owner, editor and contributor. This article will demonstr ate the importance of Thompson's involvement with the Westminster Review wi th reference to its politics, reputation, influence, management and status. Personal relationships which had a bearing on the review's early history - particularly those between Thompson, Jeremy Bentham, John Bowring and the Mills - will be examined, and there will also be discussion of editorial pr ocesses, journalistic standards, business rivalry, the nature of the Westmi nster Review's content, and its conflict with the Whig Edinburgh Review.