The Chocolate Room Propaganda- Hampton Court Palace

                               
Hampton Court Palace is one of the most extravagant places I have ever been to.  The long driveway leading up to the enormous, distinctly red palace, contrasted with green grass, emphasizes the wealth and beauty of the Hampton Court Palace.  Little details like the golden vines on the fence and walls portrayed how rich Kings and Queens in the past were.  Hampton Court Palace made it obvious how different the monarchy was then and is now.  Just comparing the outside of the Hampton Court Palace to Buckingham Palace, it is easy to see this.  Buckingham palace is much more modest and everything is beige, almost resembling a modern-day mansion.  Whereas Hampton Court Palace is undeniably a place fit for powerful Kings and Queens.  I believe this is because Hampton Court Palace was a propaganda weapon for the British ruling class.

When King Henry acquired the palace from Cardinal Wosely, he saw all the potential that the palace has.  He knew it would be the perfect place to host the most powerful people in the world, conduct business, and remind people of his power.  The official Hampton Court Palace website says, "The King used it to demonstrate magnificence and power in every possible way, through lavish banquets, extravagant court life and fabulously expensive art".  Aristocrats from other countries will trust a King who clearly has a lot of money and power over their land, rather than someone who does not.  Also, King Henry VIII and the following Kings could have used the palace as almost a warning to aristocrats.  To show that they have so much money they can build a palace as big as a town, alludes to one having a lot of military power and resources.  No sane country would want to mess with Britain solely because of how wealthy they clearly must be.  One specific thing that caught my eye was this room called the Chocolate room.  Not just because I love chocolate, but who has a room specifically designed for tea, cakes, and chocolate? Someone of the utmost power and wealth.

Propaganda is simply defined by Cambridge dictionary as "information, ideas, opinions, or images, often only giving one part of an argument, that are broadcast, published, or in some other way spread with the intention of influencing people's opinions".  One might ask how just showing off wealth and power can be considered propaganda.  Well it is precisely those things that allows Kings and Queens to rule.  If there is a country, where the majority of its citizens are working class, then the chances of them questioning what Kings and Queens are doing politically is slim to none.  By showing off their wealth, Kings and Queens indirectly make it so their people are afraid to question them.  If one person has so much money and power that they can build a palace, then they must know what they are doing.  Since it is believed that Kings and Queens are appointed by God, it is only reinforced with a palace.  God must have rewarded them with all this money, so we must trust them.       

In the mid 1800s, the palace gardens became open to the public.  There were still aristocrats living in the palace, but no current Kings or Queens of the British Monarchy.  However, the government felt that the beauty of the gardens should be shared with the public.  Like today, the maze, the gardens and the cafe are all used to lure people in to see the magnificence that all the royals of the past created.  However, even after Kings and Queens lived here, the government still used it as propaganda.  One example being that, "Patriotic displays of mass bedding celebrated the coronation of George V in 1911...".  Putting displays of mass bedding celebrating the UK and the coronation of a King is one of the more sly uses of propaganda.  Having hundreds of visitors view something that celebrates the monarchy reinforces patriotism.

One could even argue that today, it is still being used as a propaganda tool to favor the monarchy.  The monarchy, even though having no real political power anymore, has become a uniting force for British people.  Queen Elizabeth II has become a patriotic symbol for people living in the UK.  She is the head of state and therefore keeps peace with other nations and is never seen doing something improper.  People idolize the monarchy because of this.  Keeping close ties to the history is vital for the monarchy.  People are proud to say the Queen is representative of the UK and in turn become proud to be a UK citizen.  They are less likely to question the government if they are happy with the way their country looks.  The palaces are not as strong of a propaganda tool for the monarchy as they once were, seeing as the monarchy no longer as any political power, but they still display the rich history and continue the idolization of the monarchy.