introduccion

spirit when he exposes a series of very concrete projects destined to improve the living conditions in England. He advises, for example, about how to improve the laws regarding the cases of bankruptcy. He also suggests plans to introduce pensions and insurances, as well as to create an academy of military studies and to achieve that the education reached the women. His education corresponds to the attitude of the new middle class, in a large part of puritan religion and of a political Whig tendency that after to the access to the power of this party in 1714 it will transform the country.
The political destination of Defoe was, however, very complicated. Soon after the publication of a document, The Shortest Way with Dissenters in 1702, Defoe is imprisoned in May of 1703. As consequence he is forced to abandon his business and he is ruined by second time. The first ruin happened him in 1692, partly to have abandoned his business to participate in the rebellion of Monmouth and partly as consequence that the French, due to the war between France and England, captured many of the ships in which he had interests. In November of 1703 Defoe leaves the jail and again has to re-do his life. He is forty three years old. Who has taken out him of the jail is Robert Harley, one of the secretaries of State of the Tory cabinet that is in the power, and Defoe becomes an agent of the Tory government, possibly to pay off his debt. His task is going to be the fact of travelling by the whole country and informing Harley about the political attitudes of each place. This work is good Defoe to know very deeply England and the English industry, and prepares him to write with great authority on these topics.
In February of 1704, Defoe publishes the first number of his newspaper The Review whose political independence proclaims and tries to maintain, in spite of continuing receiving money from the Tory party that governs, in payment his activities like secret agent, and in spite of continuing in narrow relationship with Harley, with whom discusses questions of general politics.
These things, favourable to Defoe, only hard up to 1714, date in which Harley and the Tory government fall, the Queen Ana dies and the Whig Party is made with the power. The situation now seems very awkward for Defoe; however, his enormous flexibility already allows him in 1715 to reach an agreement with the new party in the power and, as he had made before with the Tory Party, puts his quill before the Whig Party.

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