ABSTRACT
To read the newspapers of the year 1877 is to become aware not only of the eager and detailed interest with which the great Turco-Russian military clash in Europe and Asia was followed but also of the way in which it tended to dwarf British domestic issues. The proof that there was going to be a greater struggle for the ear of the “millions” than there had been in 1876 came on December 30th in Trafalgar Square. There a meeting to condemn Britain’s being drawn into the war found itself facing another protesting against Russian aggression, and the result was violence and confusion. As the Session drew nearer “advanced Liberals” did not have the pre-Sessional oratorical field to themselves. Numbers of Conservative members were now no longer afraid to voice praise of the Beaconsfield Government and its readiness to defend British interests by force if necessary.
