The nineteenth century was frequently perceived as an era of transition between the relatively stable world of pre-revolutionary Europe and an uncertain age where the outlines of what authority would look like in the future was difficult to discern. This was a question that preoccupied political commentators and also dominated the agenda of the emerging discipline of sociology.

For public commentators associated with the rising middle class in the nineteenth century, the notion of public opinion was central to a narrative through which both the problem of authority and its potential solutions could be conceptualised. In the aftermath of the upheavals of the previous century, traditional arguments about the sanctity of hierarchy and authority lost much of their capacity to motivate society. In any case, the aspirations of the urban middle classes were inconsistent with a hierarchy based on birth. Many of them sought to consolidate their status through claiming moral and intellectual leadership over public opinion. However, the project of influencing opinion constantly raised questions about its relationship to authority.