The government censorship in the 18th century

Abstract

In the eighteenth century government censorship was an administrative mechanism for achieving three main objectives: to control the production and diffusion of intellectual output, to keep public order, and to promote culture and good taste. In this field, the policy of the Bourbons was in perfect continuity with that of the Habsburgs. It was characterised by the aim of enforcing the authority of the Consejo de Castilla upon the territories of Aragon and Catalonia, and of intervening in matters that had previously been the province of the Church. It is notable that many clergymen collaborated with the State. The ministers enacted a series of laws aiming to centralise censorship in a single magistracy called the Juez de Imprentas, but this magistrate accumulated so much power that it led to resentment and to a progressive reduction of his area of competence. Thus, censorship became less effective. After the French Revolution all censorship guidelines became tougher, as an attempt was made to raise a legal barrier against news and writings from beyond the Pyrenees.