M H
Rageh Omar’s The Ottomans
History in Culture p.19
The history of Great Heists
History in the Headlines p.8
Manchester Historian
1963 A Year in Photos
From ‘I have a dream’ to the shooting of JFK p.14
Paris’ Patisserie Past The iconic status of Parisian pastries explored p. 10 Issue 10 November ‘13
What’s Inside HISTORY IN THE HEADLINES
Free Speech in a World of Censorship
Why is the Schooling of Girls Still an Issue? The Celebration of Royal Babies
Rise and Fall of the British Coal Industry Behind the Dictator
Nuclear as an energy source The History of Great Heists
From Detectives to Plebgate HISTORY IN FEATURES Paris’ Patisserie Past
The Jewish Baking Tradition Tea’s A Company
Breaking Bread in the Ancient World Baking the Industrial Revolution A YEAR IN PHOTOS: 1963 HISTORY IN MANCHESTER
Historical Highlight: Manchester Museum
The People’s Business at the People’s History Museum HISTORY IN CULTURE
Helen Fielding at the MLF
Film Review: The New Black Heston’s Feasts Reviewed
Check out our YouTube channel for extra content from the Historian around Manchester.
Editors
Charlotte Johnson Alice Rigby
Head of Layout Head of Copy-Editing Head of Marketing Head of Online Web Editor
Caroline Hailstone Kieran Smith Michael Cass Cai Reach Jennifer Ho
Layout Team
Keir Forde Imogen Gordon Clark
Copy-Editing Team
Alexander Larkinson Hebe Thorne Helen Chapman Vidhur Prashar Jacob Taylor
Marketing Team
Amelia Fletcher-Jones Caroline Bishop Gemma Newton Rebecca Hennel-Smith Sarah King
Online Team
Sarah Long
TV Review: Rageh Omaar’s The Ottomans HISTORY YOU SHOULD KNOW BUT DON’T Mussolini’s Rise to Power
Undiscovered Heroes of History: Johannes Junius The American Civil War and Gettysburg
Were Medieval Historians Really Writers of Fiction? HISTORY DEPARTMENT
Interview with Alumnus Tony Korris Masters at Manchester HISTORY SOCIETY
Advice from the Peer Mentors History Society Update
Department Updates and Seminars
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Issue 10: November 2013
A Note from the Editors In the month since issue 9 was published the trees have lost their leaves, the nights have drawn in and the days keep getting colder. At this time of year many of us turn to all kinds of sources for comfort and in this issue we’ve focused on one of our favourites – baking. We’ve crossed time and space to study baking from the very beginning of civilisation. If you’re a fan of yeast products, Breaking Bread in the Ancient World will show you how bread has circumvented the ravages of time to look almost identical now as to how it did two millennia ago. Continuing the theme of tradition, the afternoon tea is a whimsical treat that is as enjoyable for us now as it was for its creator three centuries ago – find out where it all started in this issue. As for truly international foods, do you really know where your ‘New York’ bagel comes from? Or why Paris is the capital of confectionary? Our histories of both may well surprise you. Finally, we’ve looked to home to see what happened to baking during the Industrial Revolution, when Manchester was the epicentre of commerce in the UK. After the rises in energy prices were announced recently, many of us are anticipating a particularly cold winter. History Behind the Headlines should go some way to explaining why fuel is so expensive in the UK today and why some alternative options prove contentious at best. Remaining on the controversial, we’ve looked at the women who stood beside, or in some cases even in front of, some of the major dictators of the last century, following the death of Tito’s widow Jovanka Broz. To subvert this, we’ve celebrated free speech and royal babies alongside the dicey history of policing and some audacious heists. The features we introduced you to in issue 9 are back. Our year in photos is 1963, in deference to the Kennedy assassination anniversary. In the next issue we will review some of the plethora of programmes covering this so do get in touch if you have any strong feelings about those you’ve seen. If you still have some historical gaps remaining, our History You Should Know covers the rise of Mussolini and the Gettysburg Address so some more of these should be filled. Dr Jenny Spinks recommended this issue’s Undiscovered Hero – if you’re interested in very early human rights you should read this. Finally, we’ve been very fortunate this issue to be able to bring you some fantastic insights into the department. In the final few pages you will find an interview with an alumnus that offers a fascinating view of how the city itself appeared to students in the 1960s. A recent MA History student at Manchester has also offered his views on studying here, though these ones may be slightly more applicable to those of you who have considered carrying on your studies after graduation! As ever, thank you to all those involved in this issue, which will hopefully provide you with some warming entertainment on the cold, dark bus home. It may even inspire you to do some baking! In the meantime, if you’d like to get involved in the Historian or have any opinions for us, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Enjoy, Alice and Charlotte
@TheMcrHistorian
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History in the Headlines
Free Speech in a World of Censorship Emma Slater Despite an age of increasing information proliferation across mass print publications, video media and the internet, censorship is still an enormous issue across the world. Recent news stories highlighting the risks facing journalists who publish contentious articles and data from whistle blowers like Edward Snowdon have highlighted that despite the image of democratic countries such as the US and the UK, freedom of speech and true fulfilment of the First Amendment of the US Constitution are far from reality. In fact, limiting censorship and encouraging free speech is a very recent phenomenon dating back only to the late 18th centurywhen Sweden, Denmark and the US started to legally protect expression.
of records and works in the colonised country. Censorship was also a key tool in the destruction of culture, fundamental in expansion across the New World and the Eastern Empires of the European powers. The British Empire utilised a different method by censoring their postal service. Leading up to the American Revolution, the British manipulated the mail and newspapers that were sent between the different colonies to limit their ability to organize opposition to British rule. As censorship was clearly a central method to control the empire it is unsurprising that freedom of speech is such a large part of the US constitution, yet the US still used censorship in the controlling of their colony in the Philippines. Censorship of civil mail by the Allied and Axis countries also existed until the end of World War II. In direct contrast, today the News of the World editors are being tried for a very similar breach of privacy by hacking the phones of a variety of people after a huge public outcry.
In ancient societies across the world, from the Romans and Greeks to the Asian empires of China, censorship was seen as a perfectly legitimate tool of controlling the morals and behaviour of citizens. The term originates from Rome in the fifth century BC from the ‘Office of Censor’ which was created to ensure good governance. So for generations censorship was viewed as an entirely positive way for the governing entities to control and As when the printing press was created, the introduction of the protect their population. internet has created a huge increase in the speed and breadth of the proliferation of information. Censorship has changed to meet The invention of the printing press made both mass publications these developments. Public opinions are becoming increasingly and mass censorship possible and therefore after the ninth and more important and actions of censoring mail across Europe now tenth centuries in China and the mid-fifteenth century in Europe, would be as widely contested as the current NSA phone hacking censorship was much more prevalent. While in China a constant scandal is. However, across much of Asia and the Middle East censorship and control of ideas is seen during the dynasties, newspapers and the internet are still strictly limited and huge the key feature of this early censorship in Europe was the role proportions of the media are controlled by only a few men. While of the Catholic Church. The introduction of printing had spread Western countries across the world proclaim their democracy and the Protestant ideas of Martin Luther and other ‘heretics’ and liberty, perhaps the fact that the US can hack private information the Catholic Church reacted swiftly and forcefully. In 1543 the unless publicised by whistle-blowers means that censorship is still Church decreed that no book should be printed of sold without surprisingly prevalent today. Are we in a world where censorship permission of the church and Pope Paul IV ordered his first Index continues to decline or are authorities becoming increasingly of Prohibited Books in 1559 banning key ‘heretical’ texts. The last subversive in their attempts to control public opinions and the list was published as late as 1948. spread of information? This level of censorship was quickly followed by the monarchs of Europe with Charles IX of France also decreeing that nothing should be printed without his approval. However the Papal Church and the Christian faith was the key factor in the extent of the censorship and stifling of ideas and publications across Europe. Still currently, many of the countries that maintain strict censorship of the press such as in the Middle East, Pakistan or Indonesia are countries where the legal system is intrinsically linked to the national religion. Even in the West, the Catholic countries of Ireland and Malta maintain laws against blasphemy in the press. The more recent history of censorship demonstrates its increased use by governments in empire domination as religion began to lose its influence in certain areas of Europe. One of the key features of the destructive colonial powers from the 16th century up to the Nazis, Stalinists and Maoists of the twentieth century was the annihilation
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Issue 10: November 2013
Why is the Schooling of Girls Still an Issue? Vivienne Delliou-Daly The assassination attempt that left Malala Yousafzai in a critical condition prompted an international press storm. Since then, Malala has become a well-known name worldwide. At only sixteen years of age, Malala has published her memoirs, addressed the United Nations, been the Queen’s guest at Buckingham Palace and earlier this year, Malala was in contention for a Nobel Peace Prize. According to Deutsche Welle, Malala is now the most famous teenager in the world; given her international prominence, this claim hardly seems farfetched.
is just 25% and only one in five girls are enrolled in school.
There has been legitimate criticism of the mechanism that has made girls’ education in Pakistan an international issue whilst simultaneously silencing the voices of other people from the same area, such as the victims of drone attacks. Nevertheless, in the face of these bleak statistics, Malala’s story is rendered doubly important and highlights what is essentially a historical problem. Throughout the ages, girls’ education has been secondary to boys’ all over the world. In China, education was denied to women What is genuinely shocking, however, is just how exactly Malala in conjunction with the practice of foot-binding on the basis that a became a household name as a campaigner for education for woman’s virtue lay in her purity and lack of knowledge; an idea that girls. In the West, we tend to think of women’s dominated from the times of Imperial China until rights and equal access to education as hard the 19th century. An almost identical policy was earned universal principles. Schooling for girls brought to Africa by Christian missionaries, who isn’t the kind of principle that merits debate, let focused on educating boys whilst providing only alone murder and violence. And yet Malala’s the basic education for girls so that they could case throws light on just how fragile these fulfill their role within the home and promote principles are in a global context. Western, supposedly ‘Christian’, gender roles. The Global Campaign for Education estimates that nearly 61 million children across the globe are deprived of access to a basic education, nearly 60% of them girls. At roughly 55%, Malala’s native country of Pakistan has one of the lowest literacy rates in the world and one of the grossest disparities in literacy rates between men and women (35% for women, 62% for men). The problem is exacerbated in the countryside, where the female literacy rate
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However, a few societies have managed to buck this trend. In 1878, the University of Calcutta became one of the first universities in the world to admit female graduates, before any British universities had done the same; the University of London followed suit later that same year. Although this is something that, as university students, we all take for granted, it is also a clear example of how far we’ve come and perhaps grounds for hope for the future.
The Celebration of Royal Babies Lydia Hasan God Save the King... These will be the words proclaimed to Baby George in three generations time. The birth of the Queen’s third great grandchild is the most significant royal birth in decades. An estimated £250 million has been generated so far from the purchase of memorabilia related to his birth. Royal babies have always been greatly celebrated in England, dating as far back as the fifteenth century when baby Henry VIII had two official cradle rockers hired (£3 a year). There have been many traditions in the birth of royal babies that have remained unchanged for over two centuries. When Queen Victoria gave birth to her eldest daughter in 1841, an elaborate satin Christening robe was produced. This same robe has been used during every Royal christening, up until the birth of Lady Louise Windsor in 2004. The Queen then ordered a replica to be produced in 2008, as it had become too fragile. Another long-standing tradition is the 41 gun salute that goes off as a sign of respect to welcome the Royal baby into the world. As well as this and despite the fact that we now @TheMcrHistorian
live an age of mass media where news can be ‘tweeted’ in a matter of seconds, the birth of a Royal baby is still announced by being written on an easel on the gate of Buckingham Palace. So why is George’s birth so significant? Royal babies have always been christened by the Archbishop of Canterbury in Buckingham Palace, but George is the first to be christened in a different location. He is also one of the first to break the trend of early Christenings; his father and grandmother were both Christened at six and five weeks old respectively, whereas he was over three months old. His parents have also chosen godparents that are a mixture of old friends of theirs and of Lady Diana, as opposed to royal godparents; they have said that they want him to lead as ‘normal’ an upbringing as possible.
Prince George at his Christening, BBC Images.
While the birth of Prince George has witnessed many changes to the traditions of Royal babies, the third heir to the throne will still grow up with all the pomp, tradition and celebrations that have been part of the English Royal family for over a millennium.
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History in the Headlines
The Rise and Fall of the British Coal Industry James Eatwell and Michael Cass
Britain was the first industrial nation, undergoing a revolution that was reliant on indigenous supplies of energy to fuel manufacturing. For around 200 years this supply was dominated by one resource: coal. Yet today the British coal industry is a mere shadow of what it was.
coal’s relative monopoly over UK energy production slowly disappear. Additionally, the 1960s saw the emergence of British coal mining began as early as Roman times, when it North Sea gas as a was extracted from ‘exposed’ surface coalfields. However, as competitor. demand increased during the eighteenth century, ‘concealed’ coal was increasingly exploited, often from deep underground. Coal The 1960s consequently arguably shaped Manchester’s industrial explosion more than any represented a period of other city in the UK, and in 1761 the Duke of Bridgewater opened great change for the his eponymous Canal, to move coal from his Worsley mines to the British coal industry. city centre. Coal drove Manchester’s growth as the world’s first The domestic demand industrial city, powering its famous cotton mills. for coal had reduced to such an extent that As well as firing the Industrial Revolution, coal exports also a large number of coal became major business. At its peak in the early twentieth century, mines were closed Britain exported as much coal as the whole world had at the start down, and existing of the current millennium, and the coal industry was the country’s ones underwent Wikimedia Commons largest employer with over 1 million miners. However growing sweeping technological international competition, use of oil, and economic depression hit updates in order to increase the efficiency of the supply chain. the industry hard, and during the inter-war era British coal was in The closures resulted in over 400,000 miners being forced out a parlous state. of the industry, leaving a tumult of social divisions and conflicts in its wake. Coal was also to play a central role in British political development. Although miners’ wages were unstable and conditions harsh, However, despite the threats posed to the industry in the 1960s, they were typically some of the best paid workers and tended to coal was still supplying roughly half of Britain’s fuel consumption vote Liberal in the late nineteenth century rather than embracing in the 1970s (46.6%) and much of British transport and power socialism. However, by 1914 their unions, representing the largest networks were still disproportionately dependent on coal. The group of the organised working class, were at the centre of the 1972 Miners’ Strike is illustrative of the enduring relevance of coal emergence of a more class-based politics. This helped the rise of as a fuel. It was the first time the miners had voted to strike since the new Labour Party. 1926, resulting in the declaration of a State of Emergency on 11 February and the instituting of the infamous three day week in After 1918, militancy among the miners was increased by order to save electricity. This resulted in government concessions; employers’ attempts to cut wages and the government’s failure wages were raised, and the coal industry’s importance had been to reform a fragmented and inefficient industry. This culminated acknowledged in kind. in 1926 in the General Strike, when the Trades Union Congress (TUC) agreed to back the miners. However in the face of a The 1970s and 80s saw a sea change in the international coal determined and well-organised government, the TUC quickly market. Oil companies diversified into coal when oil prices spiked backed down. Many miners remained on strike for months before during the 1970s, and offered surpluses to European markets. being forced back to work by poverty. Coal’s position at the heart The competitiveness of international coal prices forced British of British industry was well and truly broken, and it slumped into industries to move away from domestic coal, leading to more mine irretrievable decline. closures. In 1979, Margaret Thatcher took aim at the coal industry for representing a monopoly interest counter to market forces. Following the election of the first majority Labour government Thatcher’s confrontations with the Unions and, in particular, in 1945, and the passing of the Coal Industry Nationalisation Arthur Scargill, resulted in a year of striking action between March Act in 1946, the coal industry was taken into state ownership 1984 and March 1985 when the miners’ Union representatives on 1 January 1947. At this stage, the UK economy was almost conceded defeat. That same year, Britain closed 25 unprofitable singularly reliant on coal energy to fulfill its energy needs. mines. Yet in the years that followed, the use of coal in servicing Britain waned significantly. The Clean Air acts of 1956 and 1968 forced industries and homes to seek out alternative energy sources, whilst the prospect of oil imports from the Middle East and the establishment the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority saw
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From this point, there was to be no recovery for the coal industry, with large swathes of mines decommissioned during the 1980s and 1990s. This resulted in the loss of thousands of jobs and the devastation of entire mining communities. King Coal had been dethroned. www.manchesterhistorian.com
Issue 10: November 2013
Behind the Dictator Ben Beach Grand palaces, extravagant attire, and laudable charity work: the Ceaușescu proclaimed as the ‘Mother of the Nation’. However, invariable characteristics of the leader’s spouse can be crucial to Elena’s egotism and desire for honours exceeded that of even her preserving supremacy. husband. As Deputy Prime Minister she was instrumental in the restriction of human rights. Moreover, extreme invasion of privacy Following the bombing of the Syrian Nation Security HQ in July by the ‘Securitate’ ensured the preservation of a domineering 2012, which resulted in the deaths of central military and security system. figures of Bashar al-Assad’s government, press speculation began to ensue regarding the whereabouts of al-Assad’s wife Ultimately the Romanian people revolted in December 1989, and Asma. Considered one of the most notorious incidents in the over one thousand people died in the rebellion against Ceausescu. civil war; it was believed that the Damascus blast had resulted in Elena, along with her remorseless husband, was executed by Syria’s first lady fleeing the country. An immediate termination of firing squad on Christmas Day 1989. The Ceaușescus were all public engagements caused a wave of concern and a sense of the last people to ever be condemned to death in Romania: the abandonment from the victims of violence that Asma had pledged abolition of Capital Punishment in January 1990 was illustrative of to ‘comfort’. a nation free from its malevolent ‘Mother’. Styled as a vital part of the Syrian public relations drive, Asma was credited with taking a progressive stance on women’s rights and education. Analysts noted the Syrian government sought to formulate a ‘reformer’s aura’ for Asma – focusing on her participation in anti-poverty and social programs. Perpetuation of Asma’s image as a national heroine soon became a mechanism for emotional and ideological manipulation by the al-Assad regime. The Damascus Opera House was the setting in March 2013 for the reappearance of the first lady; an event entitled ‘Mother’s Rally’ refuted suggestions that Asma had abandoned her people in the midst of a brutal civil war. In the six months which have followed, Asma’s public activities have again been scarce – infrequent photograph opportunities, propagated as offers of help to the country’s refugees, the only evidence of her presence. The human face of the Syrian regime continues to pervade via the first lady’s Instagram account. History has shown the courtship of a cult of personality to be central to the wives of tyrannical men. Embrace of media, home and abroad, serves to preserve the repressive nature of these regimes. In 1996, Imelda Marcos, widow of the tenth Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, was the focus of an interview by American comedian Ruby Wax. Marcos’ engagement with the Western media prolonged her fixation with self-indulgence and glamour. After her husband’s ouster in 1986 the extravagance of their rule was fully disclosed – with Imelda gaining notoriety for her ownership of 2,700 pairs of shoes.
A tool of the state is perhaps the most appropriate definition of the dictator’s wife: the ability to transmit an empathetic appearance is utilised fully. Manipulation and exploitation of emotions is her employment. Artificial devotion to a whole country played out in front of cameras and packed auditoriums. Fundamentally, her loyalty lies with the ultimate ruler: her husband. Eva Braun’s marriage to Adolf Hitler lasted just forty minutes, and was contained to the Führerbunker where both would take their own lives. On 30th April 1945, with the Axis’ military situation on the verge of capitulation, Hitler and Braun committed suicide. Devotion and loyalty or fear and control; Hitler’s resignation to defeat and death was a burden shared by Eva Braun. Safeguarding of hegemony is a brutal task. Many regimes run a natural course. Control can diminish, oppression can be broken, autocrats can be disposed of – however, history is immortal. On 20th October 2013, Jovanka Broz, Tito’s widow, died from a heart attack at the age of 88 in a Belgrade hospital after decades of isolation. In a rare interview, in 2009, Broz recounted her disgust at the assassination of her husband’s legacy. The former first lady’s pledge to sacrifice all for her companion continued – like many others in her position – until her final breath.
Such luxury was contained within the walls of the extensively remodelled Malacañang Palace. Disparity of wealth, violent crime and civil unrest were synonymous with the Marcos regime. Moreover, with various roles in the Philippine House of Representatives, Imelda was prepared to politically stand sideby-side with her husband in the proliferation of oppression and control – she shunned any emotional responsibility to the Filipino population. A totalitarian partnership is bound by a joint tenacity to resist any challenge. Nicolae Ceaușescu’s regime in Romania, from 1965 to Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun. Public domain 1989 one of the most brutal of the eastern bloc, saw Elena @TheMcrHistorian
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History in the Headlines
Nuclear as an Energy Source Tom OIiver If you have not caught the recent news, the UK government has given the go ahead for Hinkley Point C, the first nuclear power station to be built since 1995. Considering the plethora of stations built in the ‘70s and ‘80s, why did a power source with such massive potential get dropped like a poisoned apple?
For a start, there were severe safety concerns. The destruction of Hiroshima and Nagaski was testament to the awesome power of a nuclear explosion, and understandably many members of the public did not approve of having that much potential destruction nearby. There were also concerns among the scientific community about what to do with the nuclear waste that was an inevitable byproduct of the process. On top of this, there were concerns of potential nuclear terrorism and accidents in the process. These fears were realised in 1979 with the Three Mile Island accident. Thankfully there were no injuries, but already demonstrations occurred all over the world. Then Chernobyl happened.
When it was first discussed as a power source, nuclear power seemed like every superpower’s dream. It had the potential to produce unbelievable amounts of energy and if handled correctly, was very safe. It also had the pleasant side effect of minimising the amount of plutonium and uranium being weaponised in the wake of the cold war, and removed the military monopoly on The Chernobyl disaster is still causing havoc today with thousands nuclear research. of children being born with radiation poisoning, and it is feared The first working nuclear reactor emerged in 1951 in Arco, Idaho that the Fukushima disaster in 2011 will have similar long term and produced 100 KW of power - not a huge amount but it was effects. So why is it coming back? Dangerous though it is, Nuclear early days. By 1954 the first power plant was opened in the USSR, power does not emit greenhouse gases and makes for a decent temporary solution to the issue of followed by the first commercial providing electricity. Now the focus reactor in 1956 in England, which is more on developing fusion power produced 50 MW initially and 200 stations, which has amuch greater MW at full capacity. By 1973 Nuclear power output and is much safer than power produced 250-300 gigawatts of the old style fission reactions used in electricity worldwide, a phenomenal Nuclear power stations currently. amount of power. So what caused the slowdown in building these power stations? Picture Newsletter
The History of Great Heists James Brannan Although society has developed significantly throughout history, crime still unfortunately remains a prominent feature of our civilization. The recent ‘smash and grab’ raid on Selfridges flagship store in London, in July of this year, in which six armed and masked men carried out an attack on the famous store, reflects a culture that has been seen throughout history.
1-2 of the same year the troop robbed at gunpoint the Nelson, a Scottish barque, of £30,000 worth of gold as she lay at anchor in Hobsons Bay, Melbourne.
One of history’s more extraordinary heists however, was seen with the ‘Great Train Robbery’ of 1963, when a group led by a Mr Brian Reynolds successfully made off with over £2.6 million Such an occurrence was seen on the day of May 9th 1671, when (equivalent to £46 million today) when they set upon a Royal Mail Thomas ‘Colonel’ Blood, an Anglo-Irish officer and renowned train heading between Glasgow and London in the early hours jewel thief, attempted an audacious feat to steal the crown jewels of August 8, 1963. Also referred to as the ‘Cheddington Mail Van Raid’, the group, which included the infamous of Charles II from the Tower of London. After Ronnie Biggs who evaded arrest for nearly laying the foundations of acquaintance with forty years, deeply shocked the country and the newly appointed ‘master of the jewel today remains one of the most prominent house’, a 77 year old Talbot Edwards, Blood heists of not only our time, but of history itself. brought three accomplices to help with the heist; after binding and gagging Edwards, It is clear to see therefore, that although time the foursome snatched the priceless jewels passes and societies become more ordered and made for their escape, but were captured and civilized, the desire to satisfy one of the before they left the tower grounds. oldest of sins, greed, still remains a significant component of the human psyche, and as In this case, the thieves were unexpectedly history has shown, such acts of selfishness pardoned, two centuries later however in become more daring and extravagant over 1852 several former male convicts from Van time. If this is truly the case, one can only Diemen’s Land (modern Tasmania) were imagine what level such heists will progress being sentenced to lengthy sentences for to in the future, and the extent to which they orchestrating one of the major crimes of the will affect the social order of the time. Victorian gold rush. Over the nights of April Photo Courtesy of Sir Christopher Carr
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Issue 10: November 2013
From Private Detectives to Plebgate Caroline Bishop
Popularized and criticized, popularized and criticized: the media has always been at the center of the Metropolitan’s Police image. As the growth of London was matched by an increase in crime, media hysteria ensued, as publishers identified a sordid interest from the British public for crime stories. Victorian society was also obsessed with self-progress, thus punishment (particularly penal punishment) was viewed as vital for controlling society.
hysteria calmed down after many aborted arrests, and the public were sympathetic: the case was seen as too complex for the force.
The World Wars saw a popularization of the police force, as their knowledge of weaponry and martial skill were needed on the home front, and in controlling black market activity. However such popularity was not to last long beyond the Second World War. Riots in the 1970’s and 1980’s caused anger at the police, while In 1829, Home Secretary Sir Robert Peel passed the Metropolitan accusations of racial discrimination in an 1981 report by Lord Police Act after three previous Parliamentary Committee Scarman and unfair treatment of rioters also contributed to the investigations. Focusing on London, the 1,000 appointed decline in public support for the police. members of the force were divided amongst different regions of the society. The role of the force was to prevent rather than detect More recently, the force has been criticised for their treatment crime (a separate detective group was formed later in 1842). It of protestors in the 2011 Anti-Cuts Riots. Social sites and mass was important for Peel’s vision that the force identified with the texting undermined efforts by the police to keep control and led mass public: thus they were appointed predominantly from the to the prolonged riots. Apart from Peel’s aims of a relatable police lower social classes and were not highly paid. force, the media had controlled the portrayal of the force. Now they are the villains but could easily soon be the public’s saviors One of the original members of the Detective branch, Jonathan again, protecting society from the dangers popularised (rather Whicher, assisted in one of the most famous murder cases ironically) by newspapers and televisions. of the Victorian era: Road Hill in 1860. The setting had all the components of a compelling murder mystery. A locked-up house, a child victim and, in Whicher’s mind, a solid clue: the bloody nightgown belonging to his lead suspect, the step-sister to the victim, Constance Kent.
“The setting had all the components of a compelling murder mystery. A lockedup house, a child victim and, in Whicher’s mind, a solid clue” Yet this importance clue was never found and Whicher’s reputation suffered as a result. The case remained unsolved and the force was greatly criticized for not explaining a seemingly straight forward case quickly enough by local magistrates, who suspected the nursemaid anyway. However, Whicher’s reputation was redeemed five years later, after Kent admitted to the murder and was sentenced for thirty years penal imprisonment. The case, though, is an example of police authority being undermined by a higher social class, as well as damaging attitudes towards the lower classes. The most notorious unsolved murder mystery: Jack the Ripper cannot go without a mention. Spanning three years, the Ripper has been linked to 11 murders. The lengthy inquiries and the Ripper’s teasing notes meant that the press greatly speculated over the identity of the murderer. Eventually, though, press @TheMCRHistorian
“the image of the police force has long been dictated instead by the media”
Nowhere has this been seen more than in the ‘Plebgate’ scandal earlier this year. Three police officers were accused of giving false accounts of an encounter with MP Andrew Mitchell’s in which the politician was accused of calling the police ‘plebs’. Senior members of the police force have apologized for the officers’ communication with the press and have recently claimed to be encouraging the officers to do the same. This incident upset much of the public: the officers have manipulated the public’s anger on politicians yet were deceitful in doing so. Although the entire force cannot be treated in the same manner, it is intriguing that one sector’s image can differ so much. Instead of a rational and linear line of progression of image like that seen with the role of teachers and nurses, the image of the police force has long been dictated instead by the media.
Photo Courtesy of E2BN Victorian Crime and Punishment
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History in Features
Paris’ Patisserie Past Sophie Brownlee We all know the beloved croissant; the fat curl of flaky pastry, often stuffed with almond paste, raisins or thick, oozing chocolate. But from where did this pastry come to take a place in every British coffee shop, supermarket and hotel breakfast? And is it because of the croissant that Paris is the centre of the pastry world?
the croissant was a Parisian breakfast staple, even mentioned by Charles Dickens in 1872 as the bread of the workman and the soldier. Seventeenth and eighteenth century chefs introduced new recipes such as brioches, Napoleons, cream puffs and éclairs. And in the ninteenth century, Paris became home to the first open-air café of baked goods, illustrating Paris’ pioneering developments not just in recipes and pastries, but also in the accessibility and delivery of the product.
While the basic origins of pastry can be traced back to ancient Mediterranean civilisations, it is in France that the rich choux and puff pastry were developed. Marie de Medici is believed to have played some part in transferring puff pastry from Tuscany to Paris, probably around the fifteenth century, but it is the Viennese kipfel, a type of sweet bread, on which the croissant is believed to be At the end of the eighteenth century there were 100 pastry-cooks based. in Paris but by 1986 this had risen to 40,000 pastry-cooks across all of France. The ninteenth century saw steady industrialization The kipfel was brought to Paris in the late 1830s by August Zang in France. The Exposition Universelle world fair in Paris in 1889 who founded a Viennese bakery there. References to croissants resulted in a huge growth in hotel building and tourism, which as an established French bread crop up as early as 1850 and, gave foundations to the café culture of Paris so well-known today. while the croissant was not brought to Paris by Marie-Antoinette as is commonly believed, she did have a German cook and These years also gave rise to numerous shopping arcades that probably ate the kipfel, or even the croissant, herself. provided clean, dry places for the ever-growing bourgeoisie to shop. The patisserie sector was not to be left behind and saw its After the fall of the French monarchy, Parisians quickly own growth within the petty bourgeoisie with small, independent regained their appetite for high cuisine and men such as Jean- entrepreneurs. Baptiste Dalloyau and Louis Ernest Ladurée recognised the new bourgeoisie were largely occupied with emulating the old Into the twentieth century, businesses that are well-known today, aristocracy’s way of life, and established patisseries that could such as PAUL, opened and expanded before bursting into the cater to this. twenty-first century with shops all over the world. Many patisseries in Paris remain independent and unique, savouring the wealth of In particular, Antonin Careme (1784-1833) is generally credited history behind them. with elevating French pastry to a high art. The revolution also abolished guilds, meaning that any chef could sell any product, so It is interesting to note the role of bread and pastry in France’s giving rise to a new class of bakers and pastry-cooks. By 1869, political history: Parisian bread riots were the foundations of the French Revolution in 1789 and the Paris Commune in 1871. Conversely in MayJune 1968, while workers were on strike all over France, the bakery workers – led by a Communist Party threatened by the May movement – were among the few who carried on working throughout. Today, the term ‘patisserie’ remains a legally controlled title in France and Belgium that may only be used by bakeries that employ a licensed maître pâtissier (master pastry chef). However, 30-40% of croissants in French bakeries are now frozen, in response to the American fast-food culture, yet the croissant continues to be the most recognised French food item in the world. La Patisserie Gloppe au Champs-Elysees, by Jean Beraud, 1889. Wikimedia Commons.
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Issue 10: November 2013
The Jewish Baking Tradition James Green A bagel creation that would have my parents turning over in their graves is the oat-bran bagel with blueberries and strawberries. It’s an ill conceived bagel form if there ever was one.’ Ed Levine, New York Eats.The term ‘Americanisation’ is thrown around in historical writings like a Jewish groom during Hava Nagila. However, the mass Jewish immigration of the late ninteenth century from Eastern Europe to America set in motion a true story of Americanisation.The victim? The humble bagel. The immigration of Jews into America began with the promise of economic freedom and the escape from rising Anti-Semitism in the East. The pogroms in Russia of the early 1880s following the assassination of Alexander II are a typical example of the antiSemitic atmosphere that was rife in much of Eastern Europe at the time. The pogroms acted as a catalyst for this exodus of Jewish migrants and by 1924, two million Jews had arrived from Eastern Europe and one million of those had settled in New York. The bagel made a timid start in America and existed as a purely ethnic phenomenon for decades. As late as 1957, the New York Times felt obliged to inform its readers that ‘a bagel is a kind of hard roll with a hole in the centre.’
The first bagel bakeries were confined to New York’s lower east side in basements of cheap tenement buildings in Jewish ghettos which allowed for the easy installation of brick ovens. But with the 1907 establishment of the Bagel Bakers Union and the emergence of individual bagel shops onto street level in the early 1960s, Jewish bagel men had ascended into the New York middle class. However, the success of Jewish bakeries was short lived and in 1963 Daniel Thompson, an American entrepreneur, invented a machine capable of making 2,400 bagel in an hour. The result was nothing short of catastrophic for bagel bakers. In keeping with the rest of America’s fast food industry came the watermark of American gastronomy: supersizing. The traditional two and a half ounce bagel now had the same amount of dough as needed for one third of a loaf of bread. Bagels were sold in McDonalds and Dunkin’ Donuts across the country. Once a little known ethnic food, within the span of two generations the bagel had become as American as apple pie and far more ubiquitous. So now, just over 50 year later you can look out over New York’s lower east side, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see a high water mark. The place, where the wave finally broke and rolled back, of the traditional Jewish bagel.
Tea’s A Company Kathryn White In the 1840s Anna Russell, Duchess of Bedford had an idea that would revolutionise British culture and invented a national institution all because she was hungry. It was customary for the elite of the time to eat just two meals a day but the Duchess felt that she could not go the twelve or so hours between breakfast and supper without having a mid-afternoon ‘sinking feeling’.
“Afternoon tea emerged as part of the national identity and was crucial to British wartime morale.” Her solution – now seemingly obviously – was to have a lighter meal in between, typically before her afternoon promenade. This was the birth of afternoon tea and she was soon inviting her friends to indulge with her in a pot of tea accompanied by sandwiches and small cakes at around 4pm. Society women from across Britain’s major towns were changing into hats and long ‘tea’ gowns to congregate for a snack and a chat by 1880. It is then unsurprising that businesses seized upon this ‘At Home’ tradition, commercialising it with the opening of public tea rooms and broadening its reach to both the middle and upper classes. The first of these was established by the Lyons Tea Company @TheMcrHistorian
in Piccadilly in 1894 but it wasn’t long before they had over 250 branches across the country. They were fashionable establishments in which men and women could meet without chaperones and the trend was soon taken up by luxury shops and hotels including Fortnum and Mason’s, the Ritz and the Savoy. Tea drinking and an afternoon snack developed into a cultural ritual that Britons could not do without. With the rise of patriotism in the twentieth century inter-war period, afternoon tea emerged as part of the national identity and was crucial to British wartime morale, as epitomised by Jack Buchanan’s 1935 song: ‘help ‘em pour when the clock strikes four, everything stops for tea! Wikimedia Commons.
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History in Features
Breaking Bread in the Ancient World Alice Rigby When the Great British Bake Off stormed on to screens three years ago, TV and food critics alike hailed it as the return of the popularity of baking. However, there is one baked good that we never stopped eating; bread. Bread has been a staple of our diets for as long as popular memory can recall. Indeed, when we look at the ancient world it is clear that bread’s exalted place on our tables has been established for millennia. We are all familiar with the role of bread in the bible. From the feeding of the five thousand to the last supper bread appears in many of the pivotal moments in the book, particularly in the New Testament. In all of these scenes, bread represents unity and fraternity – two of the cornerstones of the Christian tradition. The abundance of bread in the bible, alongside its symbolism, shows theillustrious position that both bakers and baking held in ancient societies.
“Bread is one of the only traditions that has surpassed both nationality and time”
who pioneered leavening for their wheat bread. However, much of this experimentation was curtailed when Solon, an Athenian lawmaker, deemed that wheat bread should be reserved for feast days in the 6th century BC. Instead, Barley became the staple cereal of the Greek world, with the rest of the meal simply being called opson, or condiment. Wheat bread was considered vastly superior to all other forms – a point of view that remains with us to this day. Nevertheless, while we consider rounded, white, risen loaves the dominant form of bread throughout history, in the middle-east other recognisable bakes were also establishing themselves. While pita is a term loaned by the Greeks, the breads produced by the Arabic world in this period would be very recognisable to us. Referred to as khubz, ‘ordinary bread’ was a very slightly leavened, flat, white bread, usually baked in a tannur oven. While we consider the loaves discussed earlier ‘normal’, the universality of pita style breads in themiddle-east today shows how important this baking tradition is for that part of the world. On the other side of the Atlantic, another of our favourite savoury bakes was rapidly developing. Centuries before the Spanish arrived with wheat in tow, the Aztecs were consuming maize en masse. While this was often straight from the cob, they later developed newtechniques for using the corn, including grinding it. They used this cornmeal to form a dough called masa and baked this to form a flat, wide maize bread. It is this bread that is still a staple in Mexico today and that inspired the wheat tortilla that is so popular today.
For the Romans, bakers were some of the first workers to unionise todefend their artisan tradition. Their guild, Collegium Pistorum, was formed in 168BC and by the end of the next century there was a profusion of specialist pastry chefs in Rome. Bakers were held in such high esteem that one of the seats in the senate had to be held by a representative of the guild. Experimentation was rife, with all kinds of grains and techniques used. Wealth played The bakes developed by civilisations across the ancient world have hardly changed over the last two millennia and we still a key role in which breads families ate. consume them in much the same way that our predecessors did As ever with the Greeks, competition between the different city- during the ancient period. Bread is one of the only traditions that states was rife when it came to baking. Athens claimed the first has surpassed both nationality and time. bakeries and the laurel for baking. It was also the Athenians
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Issue 10: November 2013
Baking the Industrial Revolution Jennifer Nuttal When people mention pies and pasties, typical modern brands such as Greggs, Ginsters and Pukka Pies spring to mind. However, unless you live in Wigan and are being constantly informed that you are ‘home to the world’s greatest pie’, it’s not often we put much thought into where these foods originated, or how they came to be so popular in certain areas.
Their origins, surprisingly, began in largely middle class families. Typically one large pie would be made and the filling would be devoured by the household, after which the leftover crusts would be thrown to the servants. It only became popular in working class households around the same time as pasties did as a direct result of industrialisation. The term ‘pie’ derives from the ancient filling of magpies inside a pastry casing. By the eighteenth century The original meat and potato pasty became increasingly popular however, pies became much smaller and contained beef, pork, in mostly northern, mining towns from the eighteenth century rabbit or chicken and vegetables, usually with combined with a onwards, as a result of industrialisation and, primarily, copper or gravy-like substance and encased in pastry. tin mining. The first of its kind, the Cornish pasty, contained no meat and dates back to approximately the thirteenth century in In the late 1800s, the great Irish potato famine had affected the Cornwall. It was given to poor working families who could only general public’s diet and new recipes were sought after to provide afford cheap food ingredients such as swede and potatoes. workers with sustenance without the British staple, potatoes. It is believed that this is when the meat pie came to fruition. A The infamous Cornish pasty as we know it today only really took combination of typically beef, pork or whichever meat was shape within the last two centuries. It became a widespread form available, pepper and gelatine would form the filling of a meat of sustenance within industrialised towns, and something of a pie and, as with the meat and potato pies, it would be encased in staple in the diet of mining communities due to how convenient pastry. This got the workers in Britain through the potato famine they were to carry and eat. Without the need for plates or cutlery, and continued to be a popular pie in many towns, especially in the pasties provided workers with an ready supply of meat, vegetables eighteenth century, during First and Second World Wars, and the and carbohydrates to suffice the long working hours down in the extensive period of rationing which followed. Steak pies or pork mines. The miners could hold the crimped edge of the pasty and pies are now regularly enjoyed in British pubs, with a side of chips. simply throw that part away once the rest was eaten. This was vital as mining for copper and tin brought about a high influx of arsenic Nowadays, pasties, pies and other popular pastries are far more poisoning from unclean hands. Similarly, due to the pasty’s dense widespread as a result of globalisation, marketing and the rapid shape, it could stay warm for several hours down in the mines, shifts in twenty-first century lifestyles whereby everybody is in a making it a super-quick and easy convenience food for miners. hurry to attend appointments, limited to hour-long dinner breaks, in the stands at football matches and other sporting events or, Farm-hands were also predominantly pasty-eaters, as their as mentioned previously, at motorway service stations looking for busy manual work schedules saw the need for convenience something quick to eat on-the-go. Large American chains such foods, similarly, nowadays ‘Ginsters Pies’ are available in most as McDonald’s and Subway now dominate the food-to-go market; petrol stations and however, especially in motorway service their towns of origin, stops for working lorry people in Britain still drivers on long shifts. can’t resist the odd The pasty was the meat pie or pasty every original convenience now and again. In food for workers in Manchester especially, Britain. Meat and potato you’ll begin to notice pies became a large that there’s rarely a part of British culture, main street to walk predominantly in down without spotting northern working class a Greggs pasty shop. towns and cities, such Only next time you go in as Manchester, Salford, for something quick to St Helens, Warrington, eat you’ll know exactly Bolton, and of course where it all began, Wigan, during the late down in the mines in eighteenth to early Cornwall and Devon nineteenth century, as and the industrialised the industrialisation cities in Britain. process began to rapidly expand. Wikimedia Commons
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28th August: Martin Luther King after his “I have a dream� speech in Washington DC (AFP/Getty Images)
1963 A Year in Photos
22nd November: Lyndon Johnson taking the oath of office on Air Force One (Cecil Stoughton/AFP/Getty Images)
16th June: Television Transmission of Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space, from her spacecraft (AP Photo/ Tass)
11th June: The Buddhist monk, Thich Quang Duc, burns himself in Saigon to protest against the persecution of Buddhists by the South Vietnamese government (AP Photo, courtesy of Malcolm Browne)
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5th August: A South Vietnamese Marine wounded in a Viet Cong attack is comforted by a comrade (AP Photo/Horst Faas)
4th May: Civil Rights demonstrator attacked by police dog in Birmingham, Alabama (AP Photo courtesy of Bill Hudson)
19th December: East Berliners queuing to apply for a passage slip to West Berlin after the border had been opened for the first time (AP Photo)
22nd November: The limousine of President John F. Kennedy just seconds after the shooting, rushing to the hospital in Dallas, Texas (AP Photo/Justin Newman)
12th June: Alabama’s governor, George Wallace, is blocking the doorway to the registration office for two black students (OFF/AFP/Getty Image)
1st May: Cuban Premier Fidel Castro with Soviet Premier Nikita Krushchev on his visit to the USSR (AP photo/Tass)
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History in Manchester
Historical Highlights: Manchester Museum Hannah McGuinn
Getty Images
Wikimedia Commons
1867 was the birth year of the Manchester Museum, perfectly on point with the social and cultural intrigues of the time, and from the start it was destined for national recognition. Now with over 146 years of experience, it’s fair to say that the Manchester Museum and its staff are no strangers to the world of the curious, wild and exotic. As the Victorian public flocked to see exhibitions of Egyptology, biology and natural history, the secrets within the museum’s gothic walls certainly didn’t disappoint. With the likes of Jesse Haworth and Alfred Waterhouse to name just a few of the many prestigious figures behind the project, Manchester’s Museum was prepared to excite and surprise the general public.
best of our natural history collections; from insects to fossils and everything in between. Each of the main cases highlights how the collection is used in research into subjects like climate change and extinction, education and public events.The family friendly displays are in the style of an illustrated encyclopaedia and sit in the heart of the museum’s gothic galleries.’ With the economic climate still floundering and the government making cuts in the cultural sector, how did the museum manage to rejuvenate at such a critical and economically difficult time?
However, in the changing times, the museum has not always been relevant; frequently exhibitions were outdated and screamed for renovations. The future looked a little bit brighter in 1997 when a £12.5 million donation from the Heritage Lottery Fund spurred massive redevelopments in the Living Cultures and Fossils Gallery, which would come to modernise and rejuvenate the museum for the better. Recently three new exhibitions have opened from 2011 up until earlier this year, culminating in the grand opening of Nature’s Library in April, and the reopening of the Vivarium on 26th October 2013. David Gelsthorpe, the project leader of Nature’s Library, explains, ‘Nature’s Library has given us the opportunity to showcase the The University of Manchester
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‘Funding and value for money were key considerations during the project. Generous donations came from a range of sources and in recent years, the museum has focused on raising smaller amounts of money to deliver a more phased redevelopment of the galleries, rather than a full and costly shutdown.’ As a relic of the city, and a nationally recognised institution, the Manchester Museum’s flexibility and appeal to a wider audience is an outstanding example of its longevity and popularity. Whilst the country may not be out of the financial woods yet, the Manchester Museum stands as a beacon of both curiosity and resolve with its doors firmly open; it will no doubt continue to be a source of wonder and admiration for many generations to come.
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Issue 10: November 2013
The People’s Business at the People’s History Museum Ben Beach ‘Labor and Want’ – this was the slogan adopted by the Cooperative movement, shortly after its formation in 1863, to promote the equality, unity and strength the group’s founders, the Rochdale Pioneers, aspired to formulate. There is no error in the spelling: the Americanism adopted as a statement of support for abolitionists during the Civil War. Despite the conflict’s continuation preventing cotton from reaching British mills, and the movement being in its embryonic form, the Co-operative became a staunch advocate of the crusade against slavery. The Rochdale Principles People’s History Museum would continuously transcend Lancashire, an intense focus on democracy and unity bearing influence upon foreign shores, and parliamentary vote, reads: ‘Let the husband be the Prime Minister, ultimately changing the course of world history. but the wife should be the Chancellor of the Exchequer.’
The People’s Business – 150 Years of the Co-operative, currently running at the People’s History Museum in Manchester illustrates a revolutionary idea which evolved from the Co-operative Wholesale Society, with just three employees, to an internationally renowned organisation, today boasting seven million members. Tales and feats of its membership are anoverwhelming theme in the Coop’s story– a narrative of emancipatory ideas and initiatives which continually broke new ground.
An overriding sense of loyalty to the people fills this exhibition. From the Cradle to the Grave: an adage instantly identifiable with the Co-operative. A family of businesses, dedicated to providing unrivalled service. Conveyed in this section is the Coop’s unwavering commitment to its core values: the Defiant radio offering a powerful example. In 1933, when a group of radio manufacturers and suppliers refused to sell their products to Coop stores offering dividends on their products, the firm created its own. Profit for profit’s sake not the company’s defining factor This exhibition underlines the radical nature of an essentially – instead a loyalty to its members – the quest for equality and socialist movement, harnessing the most basic of human instincts: progress unshakable. for people to feed and clothe their families. From the conception of the dividend scheme, known as the ‘divi’, leading to financial What the People’s History Museum has encapsulated so well rewards for members, to caring and sharing initiatives where here is the ability, of a fundamental set of principles, to alter long profits were used to change communities for the better. standing conditions. The Co-op gave local working-class people a chance to work and prosper – I can vouch for this from a personal Showcased are illustrations of this commitment in practice: from perspective: my Dad became the youngest ever departmental convalescent homes created for the elderly and ailing in the early manager at the Co-op in Bury at just twenty-one. twentieth century, to its guarantee of better wages, improved working conditions and job security to its employees. More Moreover, mentions of the group’s backing of local hospitals prior recently the group’s backing of FC United – a breakaway club to the NHS’s formation started by rebel Manchester United supporters following a seizure includes the aid given of the club by its American owners – has demonstrated the to India during the movement’s enduring commitment to its roots, ‘Giving Football 1897 famine, the Back to the Community’, as they put it. sending of relief ships to strikers during The most striking section of the presentation is that focused the Dublin Lockout upon the role of women in the Co-op. It is jolting to discover and a 1992 pledge that womankind had an equal vote in Co-operative societies, a regarding fair trade staggering eighty years before universal suffrage was passed products, are just some in the British parliament. By making no distinction between the instances provided sexes the Rochdale Pioneers proved themselves to be visionaries of the movement’s of colossal stature. astonishing efforts around the globe. In 2011, the Co-operative’s Women’s Challenge 2020 was created, Above all, what is its aim: to bring women’s voices together to challenge the lack of exhibited here is a feminine representation in British business. The Co-operative’s notion which presented role in the emancipation of women in Britain is not one that can hope and support to be taken lightly. A quote, mounted upon a display celebrating people – and by doing woman’s progress and success, from the History of the Stalybridge so, offered an example National Co-operative Archive, copyright Co-op, in 1909, nine years before any women were given the to the world. The Co-operative Group
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History in Culture
The New Black Alex Hulmes If you have passed Manchester’s Cornerhouse on your way into university recently, you may have noticed that schedules are littered with the likes of Double Indemnity (1944) and Sunset Boulevard (1950), as part of the cinema’s My Noir season. Harking back to classic film noir is not a new trend; films such as Memento (2000), Brick (2005), and Drive (2011) have drawn on the genre, and subsequently contributed to an off-shoot known as neo-noir. But what is it that renders film noir so enduring, and how has it managed to enjoy such continuity in an ever-evolving Hollywood? Although it is difficult to define, film noir’s foundations are rooted in American literary history – primarily crime fiction of the late 1920s. Some of the genre’s most famous films, like The Maltese Falcon (1941) and Mildred Pierce (1945), were based on novels, and Raymond Chandler, who wrote the script for Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train (1951), debuted as a novelist. As a result, film noir tends to involve criminal investigations and predominantly anti-heroic protagonists, who often provide narrative voiceovers. Another noir archetype is the iconic femme fatale; a temptress who, in the words of Roger Ebert, ‘would just as soon kill you as love you’. Stylistically, however, film noir – French for ‘black film’ – was largely influenced by German Expressionism, and used light and shadow amongst black and white for impressive, dramatic effect. While some of these elements have not carried over to more recent noir films, they are vital in framing the genre and understanding its spread throughout the mid-twentieth century.
Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer in Out of the Past (1947). Wikimedia Commons
The immediate popularity of film noir reflected heavily on its audience at the time; the films were pessimistic, as were post-war American attitudes. Moreover, many of film noir’s plot elements and exchanges of dialogue were considered risqué during this period, which may have contributed to a curiosity that allowed the genre to enjoy great popularity until the end of the classic noir era in the 1960s. However, its notoriety – while wavering slightly – has endured and today, over twenty noirs stand in the National Film Registry. In addition, plot elements are still used for new interpretations and classics continue to bere-mastered for cinemas and exhibitions. Therefore, evidence suggests that film noir, while enjoying notable success in this particular film season, is not necessarily making a comeback but is rather maintaining its vital position in the ever-continuing development of world cinema.
Helen Fielding at the MLF Caroline Bishop
BBC Images
Helen Fielding has just released the third Bridget Jones book, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy. Promoting the novel, the Royal Exchange hosted an intimate talk with the author. Fielding proved to be both charming and funny but there was an elephant in the room: why did she have to kill off Mark Darcy? Making no secret of her compulsive enjoyment of Austen’s winding and teasing plot lines, the love story of Bridget Jones and Mark Darcy often mirrors that of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy. Often snubbed by Austen fans, Fielding has been criticised for her modernisation of Pride and Prejudice. Yet Fielding’s plot lines are no more influenced than Amy Heckerling’s, in her 1995 classic Clueless, are of another Austen favourite: Emma. As Fielding stated: ‘she [Austen] won’t mind, she’s dead.’ Fielding faced critical questioning from the audience; predominantly concerning Bridget’s representation of women. Riddled with insecurities over her weight, alcohol consumption and attraction to unsuitable men, Bridget is refreshingly different to the media princesses that women are supposed to idolise. Fielding argues that Bridget is a feminist but that: ‘she’s just a person, not the senator of state for women’. Alike to Elizabeth’s lack of accomplished skills, Austen mocks the Georgian’s high standards for women. ‘I am no longer surprised at your knowing only six accomplished women. I rather wonder now at your knowing any,’ Elizabeth responds after Darcy lists the requirements for an
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accomplished woman. The modern antithesis to Austen’s Elizabeth, Bridget is not always perfect but reassuringly realistic. But, still, the audience were left crying: why kill Darcy? At first Fielding just shrugged. Yet Darcy’s death has allowed Fielding to turn away from the Austen references and transform Bridget into a twenty-first century icon. Fielding reminds us that Austen herself died in her 40’s, her character’s life spans also in this range. Fielding questions, is it realistic to expect relationships to last for so long? Maybe Darcy had to go to save Bridget from a monotonous married life. Although not stereotypes, Bridget and Elizabeth are both feminists. Fielding shows us that women have historically been made to feel as though they have to be the perfect exemplar; however it is ok to reject these pressures. Personally, I have to agree with Fielding: big pants and all. www.manchesterhistorian.com
Issue 10: November 2013
Heston’s Feasts Xan Atkins The future of cooking lies in the past according to Heston Blumenthal. In today’s world culinary television shows, it seems unlikely that you would ever need a historical perspective. Channel 4 And yet, with remarkable accuracy Heston Blumenthal has managed to combine the art of cooking with historical fact in his show, Heston’s Feasts. The first season is a 5 part series that sees Heston explore and recreate some astounding historical dishes in which the food, presentation and dining experience are all made to match a historical time. He then serves these dishes up in an astonishing and sometimes shocking fashion to a group of six celebrity guests, entertaining them with ideas and ingredients ranging from whale vomit to roasted dormice.
Rageh Omaar’s The Ottomans Alex Hulmes Rageh Omaar has returned to our screens in recent weeks, offering what is certainly aneye-opening series. Omaar, known best for his time as a leading BBC correspondent during the Second Gulf War, presents a three part series looking at an often forgotten empire which stretched across three continents and commanded immense power and wealth. Omaar tackles the neglect of this period of history head-on, Wikimedia Commons juxtaposing the dismissive myths of barbarism with the beauties of this civilization. Of course, civility is not measured by the architectural splendour of the Hagia Sophia, the Süleymaniye Mosque, or the Sultans’ palaces, but rather characterised by the sustained (relative) tolerance exercised while controlling all of the holiest sites of Abrahamic religions, and other innumerate enduring symbols of the Ottomans.
Such achievements were subordinated by the terrified states of Westphalian Europe, who scared their children with tales of ‘the Turk’. This is despite the fact that, at this time, the horrors of the Armenian genocide had not yet been committed, and thus the Ottomans did come close to sharing the standard modus operandi of most of Europe’s imperial powers. Omaar even suggests that the Ottomans’ continued presence at the gates of Vienna (the Habsburg’s capital at the height of the Ottoman empire) is an underlying reason amongst several, including the recent tabloid conflation of Islam and militant Islamism, which must be overcome It’s not all cooking however, as Heston goes into some very in order for Turkey to eventually join the European Union. detailed research both in the library and by talking to experts, whose subjects range from edible insects to lamprey fishing in Perhaps most interesting was not the rapacity of Mehmet II’s Estonia. And just to keep the die-hard historians going, there’s a seizure of Byzantine Constantinople, or even the zenith of the whirlwind of facts throughout each episode concerning cooking Ottomans under his great-grandson Süleyman the Magnificent, in certain time periods. Heston manages to turn even the most but the response of this empire (covered in the final episode) to fanciful historical recipes into a delicious course. In the Tudor feast, the exigencies of nationalism, modernisation, and globalisation. It is truly a show not for the faint hearted when it comes to dining. Over 5 episodes Heston explores a Victorian feast with Alice in Wonderland at the very heart of it, a medieval meal with amazing theatrics, a Tudor banquet featuring a completely new animal, a Roman spread where the ideas of eating and sexuality are explored and a Christmas feast which borrows each of its courses from a different time period.
Heston sets out to recreate a Cockentrice, a spliced animal that Revolution and the First World War led to Ataturk’s wholesale was turned into a meal by joining a cockerel and a pig together. homogenisation of the empire into a western-styled, secular model, including the abolition of both the Sultanate and Caliphate. As he does throughout the series, Heston experiments with Turkey was one of just many countries to choose democracy at the original concept and then modernizes it to make it more the fall of the Ottoman Empire, but remains among the few to appetizing for his guests. After several experiments not only have escaped the tyranny of dictatorship which endures in the with Pig and Cockerel, but also with Zebra and Kangaroo meat region despite the Arab Spring almost three years ago. It is this, (amongst others), he opts for traditionally English animals and and membership of the G20, which feeds the growing geo-political forms a creature with the head of a pig, the crest of a chicken, the strength of Turkey in such avolatile region. This was underlined by body of a lamb, and the wings and end of a goose, stuffed with Barack Obama’s visit within the first three months ofhis first term in the White House, and arguably epitomises an economic form all four meats melded into one! This is just one example of the of what many term ‘neo-Ottomanism’. absurd dishes of Heston’s Feasts. I would definitely recommend looking on iPlayer to watch this So if you are a budding chef with an appetite for history or vice series, but if it is no longer available, Magnificent Century, a versa, then Heston’s Feasts will certainly dish you up a dollop of historically-grounded equivalent to Game of Thrones might also be of interest, especially to any cultural historians who might be cuisine, a touch of antiquity and a splash of the ridiculous. reading this. @TheMCRHistorian
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History You Should Know But Don’t
Mussolini’s Rise to Power Ned Roger Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was, for over two decades, one of the most formidable leaders in Europe. He has often been overlooked in history but he was idealised by many fascists, including Hitler himself. Mussolini’s rise to power can be attributed to two main features, Mussolini’s talent in journalism and his recognition of the importance of the media and sheer force of personality. Mussolini was born in Northern Italy in a town called, Dovia di Predappio. His family was better off than most as his mother, Rosa, was a schoolteacher in the town. His father, Alessandro, was a blacksmith but his real passion lay in socialist politics, he even named his son after Benito Juarez, a Mexican revolutionary. It was clear from an early age that Mussolini was an incredibly bright, but violent child. At the age of ten he led his first revolution against the food in his Catholic boarding school, and at the age of eleven he was expelled for stabbing a fellow student. This kind of violence seemed to anticipate the way in which Mussolini would rise to power and rule.
in 1915 and was injured in 1917. This was an extremely important stage in Mussolini’s life. He later described it as ‘the most beautiful moment of my life.’ It was incorporated heavily into the myth of Mussolini that he used in his image as a modern Julius Caesar.
“Although he committed many atrocities, his rise to power is certainly impressive.”
After the war he returned to journalism and began to champion the many grievances of soldiers. He described his writing as ‘the finger on the pulse of the masses.’ In 1919 Italy was on the brink of civil war with unemployment incredibly high, as a result there was a large communist movement amongst the people. There was fear in the middle class that there would be a revolution similar to In 1902, after leaving school, Mussolini escaped to Switzerland in that seen in Russia. Mussolini saw that this was his chance, and order to avoid military service; this was a crime that later in his life promised that he would destroy the communists and restore law he would have people shot for. Mussolini continued his passion and order to Italy. in socialist policies and was arrested several times by the Swiss police for ‘political agitation’. At this stage of his life Mussolini was This promise saw the rise of the Fascist Party. Immediately hardly recognisable in his political values. He preached against Mussolini built his army, named ‘the black shirts’, which was the church, the king and the exploitation of the people. However mainly made up of soldiers that felt disillusioned with life after characteristics were clearly developing the war. He used violence to crush that would enable him to seize power the communists and began to plan a for himself in 1922. He was a vocal and campaign to overthrow the government. It radical member of the unions; many has been a common misconception that feared and admired him and his ideas. Mussolini took power with a violent take Mussolini often openly spoke out about over that he named the march on Rome. the need for a revolution that shocked In fact Mussolini was handed power many of the more moderate socialists. before the march began, as many saw his taking of power as inevitable. Mussolini The Socialist party in Italy saw Mussolini used the media to great effect to send the as an influential figure and as a result message of his ‘glorious overthrow’ of the he was rewarded with the position government. of editor of the socialist newspaper Avanti! Mussolini has been seen as Mussolini is clearly an infamous character one of the first political leaders to see in history for many reasons, but one cannot the true value of media in controlling fail to admire certain characteristics. the population. Under his leadership the His force of personality held his regime amount of people that read Avanti rose together for many reasons; he created from 20,000 to 100,000. legends and myths around himself that held the population in awe of him. Also his Mussolini was finally expelled from manipulation of media would be copied the Italian Socialist Party in 1914 after by many regimes later such as in Nazi coming in to dispute with leaders of the Germany, Russia and China. Although party over their view that Italy should he committed many atrocities, his rise to remain neutral. He then joined the army power is certainly impressive. Wikimedia Commons
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www.manchesterhistorian.com
Issue 10: November 2013
Undiscovered Heroes of History: Johannes Junius Kate Ayling Few have heard of Johannes Junius, but his case of being burned at the stake after accusations of witchcraft casts light on an era in history where superstition and religion prevailed over rational thought. Johannes Junius was one of an estimated 300600 people executed in a particularly vicious wave of witch trials known as the Bamberg witch trials,which took place between 1626 and 1631. It was one of the most intense in Europe and no one was safe from being accused; the stereotype of a witch was completely broken down by the end of the trials.
dance where he refused their demands to give his daughter for a sacrifice. Of course, these were inventions of Johannes’ in a desperate attempt to relieve his torture, as revealed in his letter.
Johannes’ letter was written in secret by a quivering hand from inside his jail cell during the midst of his trial on 24 July, 1628. He describes how through physical and emotional torture he was forced into admitting not only his own witchcraft, but the witchcraft of others too. In a particularly disturbing part, he exposes how he was led through the streets to name other witches, showing how Johannes was born in 1573 and was executed on 6 August, 1628. the witch hunts of the early modern era snowballed into coerced He had been the mayor of Bamberg for twenty years when he persecution. was arrested. Whilst there is not much information on Johannes himself, his trial and torture was recorded in great detail. He is Johannes Junius overcame many obstacles in writing and astriking example of the rich and powerful falling victim to witch delivering his letter, yet his persistence and courage in speaking accusations, as he was a highly influential public figure due to out to his daughter leaves us with a rich source depicting the his roles as mayor, counsellor and landlord. Johannes is one horrors of the accusations of witchcraft. His strength is admirable of the most intriguing victims of the witch trials in seventeenth throughout his ordeal, and yet he is still someone many know little century Germany, as he left a fascinating and touching letter to about. A harrowing insight into the brutality of this early modern his daughter Veronica in which he detailed and condemned the superstition, the ordeal of Johannes Junius displays the deceptive nature of witch-hunting in great detail and this is what makes him an torture he had endured. undiscovered hero of history. Despite his former status in Bamberg, upon being denounced as a witch Johannes was denied all legal rights. Witnesses were called forward to give evidence against Johannes, yet there was no real evidence to back their claims; the witnesses of Johannes’ witchcraft were coerced into testifying against him. Furthermore, the judges conducted his hearing unfairly by not asking the witnesses to swear an oath upon testifying. Once accused of black magic, Johannes - like many others - was essentially condemned to torture and execution with no escape route. Johannes protested against this injustice, but his refusal to cooperate led to Johannes being viciously tortured. Thumb screws were applied, then leg vices, and finallyhe endured strappado, a form of torture that involves the victim’s hands being tied behind their back and being suspended in the air from their wrists. Throughout this torture, Johannes still resisted giving a confession, until his will was finally broken on 5 July, 1628. In his confession, Johannes described how in 1624, while undergoing some financial difficulty, he was approached by a woman who would later be revealed as a demon. This succubus insisted he renounced God for the Devil on pain of death. Johannes depicted how he resisted at first, yet as more demons came for him, he renounced God for the Devil and took the name Krix. He also confessed to attending witch-Sabbaths, that he rode to these Sabbaths on a black dog, and how he attended a witch@TheMCRHistorian
Bamberg Bayen Online
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History You Should Know But Don’t
The Battle of Gettysburg and the American Civil War Imogen Gordon Clark Coming at the approximate halfway point between the battle of Fort Sumter and the surrender of the Confederacy, the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863 splits the American Civil War neatly in two. It marked a significant turning point in the bloodiest war in American history, with the hitherto unstable balance of power settling on the side of the Union.Abraham Lincoln’s legendary address at the Gettysburg burial site, made 150 years ago this month on 19th November 1863, was less than two minutes long and yet has been heralded as one of the greatest speeches in history. In just 272 words, Lincoln managed to reaffirm the crux of what the Civil War was all about. It was a chance for the Union to ensure that their “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth”, and prove the superiority of federal control, as opposed to sovereign states. By quoting the Declaration of Independence’s immortal line that “all men are created equal”, Lincoln’s speech also reaffirmed the war’s connection to the “peculiar institution” that was slavery. The creation of the Cotton Gin in the late eighteenth century, which made cotton cheap and simple to produce, saw a huge increase in the number of slaves, particularly in the Deep South. The entrenchment of slavery into the South created an economy and society dependent on the institution, whilst rapid industrialisation and a flourishing free-labour society in the North resulted in two significantly contrasting and conflicting cultures. By 1858 as Lincoln accepted the Republican Party’s nomination as Illinois’s senator, the ever-increasing rift between the two cultures was an unavoidable topic. His prophetic speech claiming that “a house divided against itself cannot stand” highlighted his expectation that a civil war would be unavoidable. Although numerous attempts at compromise over the first half of the 19th century had been made,none proved successful or permanent. The 1820 Missouri Compromise, which prevented slavery in the West north of the 36° 30 ́ latitude line with the exception of Missouri, was undone by the 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act, which declared that popular sovereignty would dictate whether thesenewly created states (North of this line) would allow slavery. The subsequent rush to Kansas by Wikimedia Commons
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both pro- and anti-slavery groups to sway the vote led to a series of confrontations known as ‘Bleeding Kansas’, which hinted at the violence to come. After Lincoln and the newly-formed Republican Party’s success in the 1860 Presidential election, seven states in the Deep South seceded from the Union to form the Confederate States of America, an action which the Union quickly declared illegal. A month after Lincoln came to office in March 1861, the Confederacy attacked the Union controlled garrison in South Carolina named Fort Sumter, and the President prepared to retaliate against the now 11 state-strong Confederacy. After decades of hostilities, the Civil War had officially begun. Despite the Union’s substantial advantage in numbers (22 million men opposed to the South’s 9 million) and their more dependable economy, including a supply of steel for weapons, the next two years leading up to Gettysburg were surprisingly balanced. A series of indecisive battles enabled the South to maintain its defence of a society that refused to be controlled and conqueredby Northern authority. However, the Union’s victory at Gettysburg combined with the Confederate surrender of Vicksburg, their most important stronghold along the Mississippi River,arguably marks the point at which the Union’s eventual victory became clear. When Lincoln addressed the crowd at the site where 51,000 causalities had occurred during the Battle of Gettysburg (more than at any other battle in American history) he had an important job to do in boosting morale. Having issued the Emancipation Proclamation in January 1863 and officially ending the issue of slavery in the Southern states, he now had to remind his country what its men had been fighting and dying for: liberty and equality. For Lincoln, the war was the unfortunate price that had to be paid to keep the North and South united as a nation. Whilst the divisive issue of slavery had to be addressed as part of this, both sides understood the war to be a fight to determine how the nation would be run. Reflecting this, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address put the protracted Civil War back into context; it was a matter of life or death, not just for the individual soldiers, but for the nation as a whole. www.manchesterhistorian.com
Issue 10: November 2013
Were Medieval Historians Really Writers of Fiction? Megan Dina Garlick A medieval historian who did not invent, but contributed greatly to the legend of King Arthur is Geoffrey of Monmouth. Monmouth’s Historia Regum Britanniae was widely read and considered by its contemporaries to be of fact. However, today it is recognised as largely a work of fiction. Monmouth and his peers, Chrétien de Troyes and Wace, used elaborative techniques to document history. When writing of battles, they included lengthy descriptions of scenes which they could not possibly have witnessed, and wrote invented, impassioned speeches of war heroes for their eager, interested audiences. Wace and Chrétien de Troyes were also the authors of a number of royal biographies, utilised in politics as propaganda. De Troyes introduced the character of Lancelot So, were medieval historians any good at history, or were they to Arthurian tales. These writers were working as historians, yet writing largely fictional accounts of historical events that may, their contributions were written to entertain, amuse and move vaguely, have happened? A bit of both, really. Medieval history their readership. tended not to be a taught craft, such as logic, theology or law, and was studied by a small number of educated men. History on such a Even medieval historians with the best, most fact-committed small scale evades the filters which Academia provides, leading to intentions at heart struggled to obtain the information needed for large variations in quality. Budding historians during the medieval a well-rounded historical account. Shen Yue’s History of the Liu period may have turned to chronicles for information on their Song Dynasty was accepted as a historical account, but today chosen historical period. Chronicles, however, did not necessarily historians accuse it of ethnic bias and of being unclear. Bede’s provide adequate representation of key events. Inside a chronicle, Historia Ecclesiastica, arguably the most respected European one paragraph was allocated to each year. Within this paragraph, medieval source today, was limited by its time. Ecclesiasts, such each event of the year was permitted one sentence. Therefore, as Bede, had limited travel options, sources, and audience. History was written in Latin, and in local news, a new product literacy was confined to elites. inthe local market may have Given these proportional been documented as much as conditions, judging medieval the outbreak of war. historians on the standards of historians today is aimless. However, history as a rare and In Historia Regum Britanniae, vanilla hobby for ecclesiastics Monmouth wrote of Julius became a thing of the past Caesar’s invasion of Britain, in England after the Norman which happened 1082 Conquest, when interest in years before Monmouth’s history ruptured. The new publication in 1136AD. In Norman elites thirsted to know this way, Monmouth and the history of the country in his questionable peers of which they were residing. history are, indeed, guilty of Perhaps more importantly, embellishing historical truth, though, British people wanted but we needn’t be cross with to rediscover their identity and history’s Philippa Gregorylooked to history for national type beginnings, because it heroes from the past. These got us to where we are today, heroes often took the form with a bit of entertainment on of England’s early kings, the way. including the legendary King Arthur. We are a capable bunch of historians at Manchester, so confident in our historical knowledge. What a terrible thought it is, then that one day, in the distant future, our accuracy and arguments might be arrogantly mocked by twenty-sixth century history students. Sitting on their virtual swivel chairs, stroking their virtual beards (yes, the ladies too), and smoking their virtual cigars, they will loudly guffaw at our attempts to analyse the popular historical debates of our time, with so little evidence. Before they do, however, I will do the same to our respected predecessors, medieval historians, except without the virtual elements (I am stroking my beard though).
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History Department
Interview with Alumni Tony Korris Kate Curtis What brought you to Manchester, and what was it like What career did you pursue after your degree? to live and study here? Thereafter, having no further academic opening available I grew up in Blackpool. Manchester was the nearest large to me, I sought a job. Eventually I got a series of jobs in city with a very good academic reputation. I opted for a private sector business up to 1974. After an agonising reHall of Residence. I ended up at a Catholic one operated appraisal I applied for social work training and thereafter by the Order Opus Dei, well before it evoked international spent the subsequent 30 years in this field. Having said attention. Later I moved to the Moberly Tower on the this, I retained my close interest in both history and the campus, where the conditions were not so good. political process. Regarding the course, what is interesting was the social ordering of the relationships, which probably applied to all tuition. In those days, everyone was called ‘Mr.’ or by an academic honorific title. The formality was matched by a certain deference in style and attitude. At the time, some change began, with new and younger staff. This group had a tone of left wing intellect about it. There was a predominant belief that society was heading the socialist way, with a lot of concentration on Marxist ideology and socialist practice in general. The 1960s is known as a time of student protest throughout the world; did this impact the students at Manchester at the time? There was none! It was just before this became manifest. There was no trouble in this essentially deferential society. It was still between the end of the Chatterley ban and the Beatles first LP. One was just becoming aware of the breakout that was to come in popular music. There were no drugs that I was aware of, little indication of sex, and no sign of studentdiscontent.
What did you take from your student experience at Manchester? I had some good social times in the city and remain friendly with three of my contemporaries.Generally Manchester was a depressing place in terms of the environment, perhaps in the Lowry sense. How different it now is when I have occasionally seen it! The Student Union was largely a social organisation, rather than having a political rationale. There were formal debates, but not necessarily about the political situation. The only one I recall, and that was very radical for its day, was whether the gents toilets should be equipped with a contraceptive-vending machine, which all the numerically significant Christian groups fought to oppose happening. I think the proposal was defeated but could not swear to that.
Having graduated with a double honours degree in Politics and Modern History (PMH), what part of the course did you prefer and why? I started off wanting to do a pure History degree. In some places one could not do that without ‘O’ level Latin, a subject I had failed two years before. PMH did not require this so I moved my interest to that course. Both parts of the course interested me, though there were modules I found I didn’t like and wasn’t good at, e.g. empirical philosophy.
Photo courtesy of Tony Korris
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www.manchesterhistorian.com
Issue 10: November 2013
Masters at Manchester Wesley Davidson Having just finished my own MA History Degree at the University of Manchester the Historian asked me to write a short piece reflecting on the year. I thought that firstly it would be useful to outline my motivation for staying on for the year after completing my undergrad years in Manchester. Over the year I joked with a few people that I only stuck around becauseI’d been paying for the construction of the Alan Gilbert Learning Commons for three years and it made sense to see what my fees had contributed towards, but I must confess to only going in a couple of times, preferring the quieter confines of John Rylands or the clusters within Sam Al. On a more serious note, money was definitely a large factor in my decision to take my MA. The tuition fee saga which has rumbled on throughout my own time at university was probably the deciding factor. I had to take out a career development loan with the Co-Op bank to finance the course’s £5k cost but I feel that having completed the course that decision has been justified. It would be a great shame if postgraduate study is denied to large numbers of students for purely financial reasons. Unlike PhD courses, the funding available for masters level is much narrower in scope and accessibility so the career development loan wasmy only option - the interest of the loan is paid for by the government for the duration of the course but then you are expected to begin payback three months after the course ends. I’ve just checked and the course cost has risen to £6,300 for the 2014-15 academic year - a 26% increase - and unfortunately this increase in cost may continue to turn future prospective students away from postgraduate study.
“It would be a great shame if postgraduate study is denied to large numbers of student for purely financial reasons”
issues and periods and made me feel like I was getting more for my investment. The idea of auditing classes is something I wish I had heard about doing earlier in my university career, but I don’t think the department as a whole would be too happy if suddenly each lecture contained swathes of extra students. Unlike the undergraduate modules, postgraduate classes definitely had a more personable feelto them. All of the classes I attended were either held in the lecturer’s own office or in smallerseminar rooms, and this definitely allows a greater rapport to develop between the lecturer and the students over the course of the term. The smaller group sizes of the classes definitely ensured I got more from each class, but they do mean there is no chance of getting away without doing at least the bare minimum of the required reading for each week. My MA thesis in many ways felt like going through the process in which I had undertaken 12 months previous, but was more enjoyable as I realised from an early stage just what the required effort would be and choosing to work with Max Jones was definitely the correct decision. I cannot speak highly enough of Max, he is on research leave this year, but I urge anyone who is going to be in the department in twelve months to consider taking his modules. The final thing I’d like to say a little about postgraduate study is that it can feel a little lonely at times. In the second semester the compulsory weekly Historical Research class does mean the whole year group does get together, but on a social level the group seldom met outside of classes which hadn’t been my experience as an undergrad. I always felt that I connected betterwith friends I had made in the year below, particularly after the Prague trip in February & completing the BOGLE walk in the spring last year, both of these events will definitely ensure that I remember my MA year as not just overstaying my welcome in the John Rylands University Library.
In purely capitalistic terms, as a university course unfortunately must now be viewed, what did I get for my money? I continued to work within a department in which I felt comfortable working and took a wide range of modules to enhance my own historical knowledge and expertise. I set out with the attitude towards my MA of filling in as many historical gaps as I possibly could from my modular selection in order to aid me when I reach my goal of teaching at secondary school level. This involved taking Philipp Roessner’s Reformation module & Charles Insley’s module on the Making and Breaking of England, both of which were excellent and helped abate my fears that my focus was too modern. I also took the opportunity to audit two modules, one in each term, this means I attended and contributed in the seminars and did the reading when possible around other commitments. This Photo courtesy of the University of Manchester experience was again useful in helping me fill in gaps on certain @TheMCRHistorian
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History Society
Advice from the Peer Mentors
Georgia Calle with different arguments within them. This also enables you to focus your reading to topics within those themes, perhaps finding 4 to 5 separate texts for each section which will total to make your bibliography around the recommended 12. However make sure you paraphrase everything you write that a historian has said unless marked out as a specific quote, the turnitin computers will pick up plagiarism and you’ll be penalised! Make sure you reference everything you use properly too. The easiest way not to lose marks is to follow the invaluable referencing section in Starting to think about a longer 2500 word essay can be difficult the History in Practice course guide, which you should keep for (as will be due in the Historyin Practice module). As you will have second and third year too. been taught in your lectures, the best way to start is by reading a few relevant short journal articles and chapters in books to get “Don’t be afriad to drop us or a feel for what historians have written about a topic. If you find a a member of staff a line” useful article have a look in their bibliography and see if any of those texts are useful too - quite often they will be. The first essay can feel daunting, especially as they often come all at the same time for different modules. Although it is a cliché, Writing a history essay at University is very different to school; planning ahead makes such a big difference. Breaking essays up keep your argument to one side - no ‘for and against’. In your into 700 word chunks and doing it over the course of a week is essay you need to make sure you cover a broad range of so much less stressful than doing it all the night before. Work out historians’ arguments, highlighting where they have disputed your when your essays are due in on a wall planner and perhaps do claim but also make sure that you counteract them to back up one a week early if you have conflicting deadlines. That way you your case further. can have more time to relax in spare time with less stress! If you feel you are really struggling, your mentors and your academic 2,500 words may seem difficult to find at first, however a good advisor are always there to help, don’t be afraid to drop us or a way of splitting up writing an essay is to find three separate member of staff a line. That’s what we’re here for after all... good themes. On each of these themes you can write 650-700 words luck! We’re a good few months into life at University now, hopefully you’re starting to feel much more settled in and have made lots of new friends and acquaintances. Unfortunately now is the time when many of your first deadlines are looming. Perhaps you’ve already had a coupleof smaller assignments due but now it’s time for the larger essays. Having been through the process of getting to know the leap University work can be from school, especially in History, we mentors know how difficult it can be.
History Society Update James Eatwell We hope your year is going well so far and that you have had tour in years. Book your place as soon as possible because we a productive but enjoyable reading week (not that it’s any more anticipate high demand. Everyone must be fully booked and paid relaxing than normal university when you reach 3rd year). before December 15th at the LATEST. Invite everyone you know! Once again, if you haven’t yet joined the society you can do so by The first 25 people to sign up will have the chance to win a going to the Students’ Union website, finding NEW History Society Hoodie (RRP£25). us under societies and clicking ‘Join’. Be sure to also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for all the up-to-date news. Booking only requires a £40 deposit and you can sign up via the Facebook group or Thanks to everyone who came to our directly through the Outlook website: annual Pub Quiz in October. The turn out was absolutely amazing: there were www.outgoing.co.uk/trip/manchesterhistory around 160 of you which we’re pretty sure is a record. Good luck with the rest of the term, A quick update on the post-January exams trip 2014: Preparations for Amsterdam 2014 are fully underway, and you are now able to book your place on the most anticipated Society
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Your History Society Committee.
Photo Courtesy of Charlotte Johnson
www.manchesterhistorian.com
Issue 10: November 2013 Professor Michael Wood student workshops Michael Wood, our Professor of Public History and the creator of numerous critically-acclaimed history documentaries, is running a series of exciting two-hour workshops, each based on one of his landmark TV series. They will be of interest to anyone interested in a career in heritage, the media or television production as well as students with a general interest in the topics they cover, ranging from the history of one village to entire continents. These sessions are open to ALL undergraduates and there is no need to book – just turn up! The Story of England in One Village Monday, 25 November 2013 10am - 12noon, Simon Building G.31 Can you study the whole history of England in one place? In this ground-breaking series, Michael Wood helped the people of Kibworth in Leicestershire dig up and interpret over 2000 years of their fascinating history, from medieval peasants to suffragettes. This session will interest anyone thinking about careers in heritage or the media. Michael will talk about how the series captured the experience of a community discovering its own history while also creating a narrative to excite a wider audience. The Story of India Monday, 25 November 2013 2 - 4pm, Simon Building 2.61 How do you represent the richness and diversity of the history of an entire sub-continent in a six-part documentary series? In The Story of India, Michael Wood travelled across India’s to trace history from the first migrations of people from Africa to the end of the British Raj. Michael will talk about the choices made and challenges he faced creating these programmes. This session will appeal both to students interested in the history of India and careers in media and television production. In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great Wednesday, 27 November 2013 10am - 12noon, Coupland Building, Lecture Theatre A In this innovative series, Michael Wood retraced the journey of Alexander the Great over 20,000 miles and over 16 modern-day countries including Turkey, Israel, Egypt, Iran, Afghanistan and India. In this session, Michael will talk about the practical experience of making such an ambitious programme and how meeting modern-day storytellers in these countries helped him to vividly convey the profound impact of Alexander on the history of these countries. Conquistadors: Spanish Explorers and the Discovery of the New World Wednesday, 27 November 2013 2 - 4pm, Simon Building G.31 In Conquistadors, Michael Wood explores the history of the Spanish conquests of the Americas, following the footsteps of the Spanish adventurers. On his journey, Wood encountered stories of both heroism and the complex moral legacy of colonisation. This session will interest anyone in the history of imperial conquest, Spain and South America, as well as students interested in the challenges of making a history documentary in extreme terrains ranging from rainforests to deserts.
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Early Modern Seminars The John Rylands Seminar on Print and Materiality in the Early Modern World 2013/14 interdisciplinary seminar series, John Rylands Library, The University of Manchester Wednesday 18 December 2013, 3.30–5.00 pm • Professor Stephen Milner (University of Manchester), ‘Machiavelli’s “The Prince”: A book that never was’ • Dr Sasha Handley (University of Manchester), ‘Revisiting the Ghost of Old Jeffery at the John Rylands Library’ Wednesday 22 January 2014, 3.30–5.00 pm • Dr Dolly MacKinnon (University of Queensland, Brisbane), ‘”Ringing of the bells by four white spirits”: Two seventeenth-century English earwitness accounts of the supernatural in print culture’ Wednesday 19 February 2014, 3.30–5.00 pm • Jenni Hyde (University of Manchester), ‘William Elderton and the Ghost of the Ladie Marques’ • Sarah Fox (University of Manchester), ‘”Let the superstitious wife, Neer the child’s heart lay a knife”: Superstition and the domestic object in eighteenthcentury England’ Wednesday 19 March 2014, 3.30–5.00 pm • Dr Laura Sangha (University of Exeter), ‘The Recording of Illustrious Providences: Intellectual developments and the supernatural in later seventeenth-century England’
School of Arts, Languages and Cultures The Different Faces of World War 1 – Lecture Series 2013/14 Further details, venues and booking: www.alc.manchester.ac.uk/abouttheschool/schoolsandcommunityengagement In the run-up to the centenary of the outbreak of WW1, this lecture series considers the war from many different angles. Experts from the wide-ranging subject areas in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures share their research. Everybody is welcome – the talks are aimed at Sixth Form students and members of the public as well as University staff and students. How to book: Attendance at lectures is free of charge, but please book a place via our website. 9 October 2013 5-6 pm
The 16 October 2013 5-6 pm
School ofJefferies Arts, (Department Languages and Cultures Prof Matthew of German Studies): Germany and the Approach of War in 1914
Different Faces of World Warof 1Music) – Lecture Series 2013/14 Dr Laura Tunbridge (Department Music during Wartime
Further details, venues and booking:
23 October 2013 Prof Peter Gatrell (Department of History) www.alc.manchester.ac.uk/abouttheschool/schoolsandcommunityengagement 5-6 pm Europe on the Move: the Great War and its Refugees 6 November 2013to the centenary Patrickof Doyle (Department of History): In the run-up the outbreak of WW1, this lecture series considers the war from many 5-6 pm Ireland and the First World War different angles. Experts from the wide-ranging subject areas in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures share their2013 research. Everybody welcome(Department – the talks are atand SixthAncient Form students 13 November Dr Emmais Griffiths ofaimed Classics History) and members of the 5-6 public pm as well as University Homeric Mud in the Trenches staff and students. 20 November 2013 Prof Doan (Department Studies and Creative Writing) How to book: Attendance at Laura lectures is free of charge, of butEnglish, please American book a place via our website. 5-6 pm 'Muscular Femininity': The Amazon and the Public during the First World War November 927October 20132013 4-5 pm 5-6
Dr Melanie Giles (Department of Archaeology) Prof Matthew Jefferies (Department of German Studies): The Archaeology of the Great War in 1914 Germany and the Approach of War
4 December 2013 16 October 2013 5-6 pm
DrLaura Andrew Crome (Department Dr Tunbridge (Department of Religions Music) & Theology) “Mobilise theWartime Nation for a Holy War”: Churches, Chaplains and British Religion in Music during World War I Prof Peter Gatrell (Department of History) Europe on the Move: the Great of War and itsAmerican RefugeesStudies and Creative Writing) Dr Andrew Frayn (Department English, The First World War: Literary Enchantments and Disenchantments Patrick Doyle (Department of History): Ireland and Lebrun the First(Department World War of French Studies) Dr Barbara Singing the War in France Dr Emma Griffiths (Department of Classics and Ancient History) Homeric Mud in the Trenches Dr Christopher Godden (Department of History) British Propaganda and the First WorldAmerican War – Imagining a United Nation Prof Laura Doan (Department of English, Studies and Creative Writing) Part of theFemininity': Star LectureThe Series – onlyand open Sixth during Form Colleges 'Muscular Amazon thetoPublic the First World War
23 October 2013 5-6 pm 11 December 2013 5-6 pm 6 November 2013 5-6 pm 18 December 2013 5-6 pm 13 November 2013 5-6 pm 8 January 2014 2-4pm 20 November 2013 5-6 pm
27 November 2013 Dr Melanie Giles (Department of Archaeology) contact sonja.bernhard@manchester.ac.uk , Tel (0161) 27 53429 4-5 For pm further informationThe Archaeology of the Great War 4 December 2013 5-6 pm
The Manchester 11 December 2013 5-6 pm
Dr Andrew Crome (Department of Religions & Theology) “Mobilise the Nation for a Holy War”: Churches, Chaplains and British Religion in World War is I a growing magazine seeking writers studying Historian
Wednesday 21 May 2014, 3.30–5.00 pm • Rachel Winchcombe (University of Manchester), ‘Savagery and Civilisation: Representations of Americans in English print culture, 1492–1607’ • Roy Hickey (University of Manchester), ‘Radical Religion and the Quaker Movement around Pendle, the Ribble Valley, Craven and the Yorkshire Dales before 1660’ Wednesday 18 June 2014, 2.00–5.00 pm (note longer session with afternoon tea break) • Panel presentation, ‘Exhibiting Early Modern Prints in the John Rylands Library: A postgraduate perspective’ • Julianne Simpson (John Rylands Library / University of Manchester), ‘A Dead End Invention? Blockbooks at the John Rylands Library’ • Dr Edward Wouk (University of Manchester), ‘From Icon to Print’ • Dr Naya Tsentourou (University of Manchester), ‘”The ghost of a linnen decency”: Fears of the material and the immaterial in Milton’s prose’ Sessions will be held in the Seminar room, John Rylands Library, Deansgate. The programme is supported by the John Rylands Research Institute. Enquiries: Jenny Spinks (jenny.spinks@manchester.ac.uk)
read it, write it
a single or joint honours History degree to write articles, interviews and our vibrant and fast-changing world. The Manchester Historian is a growing magazine seeking writers studying a
reviews with an historical slant to chronicle Dr Andrew Frayn (Department of English, American Studies and Creative Writing) The First World War: Literary Enchantments and Disenchantments
single or joint honours History degree to write articles, interviews and reviews
withofanwriters historicaland slantcontributors. to chronicle our We vibrant and fast-changing world. No experience we are simplyof looking for an interested and enthusiastic team welcome article suggestions 18 December 2013 is necessary; Dr Barbara Lebrun (Department French Studies) 5-6 pm Singing War in France you’d like to write it or not, please contact us at any time during the year with your ideas. too,theso whether In return, the Historian offers a great opportunity for budding journalists to 8 January 2014 2-4pm
Dr Christopher Godden (Department of History) British Propaganda and the First World War – Imagining a United Nation Part of the Star Lecture Series – only open to Sixth Form Colleges
For further information contact sonja.bernhard@manchester.ac.uk , Tel (0161) 27 53429
gain experience as well as for students to develop writing and research skills to complement their degree and their employability. View our previous issues at http://issuu.com/manchesterhistorian No experience is necessary; we are simply looking for an interested and