M H
Manchester Historian
Issue 9 October ‘13
Issue 9: October 2013
HISTORY IN THE HEADLINES Chemical Weapons, Human Right and Syria Syria and the West Not in My Back Yard The First Global Products: From Sugar to Apple HISTORY IN MANCHESTER The History of Manchester
HISTORY IN FEATURES The Roots of the Modern University The Rise of Student Activism The First History Students
Check out our YouTube channel for extra content from History around Manchester.
The Original Female Students A YEAR IN PHOTOS: 1933 HISTORY IN CULTURE Science Britannica: a Frankenstein or Friend?
Editors
Charlotte Johnson Alice Rigby
Historical Novel Review: The Constant Princess Theatre Review: All My Sons
A Potted History: The Storming of the Bastille A Potted HIstory: The First Crusade
Head of Copy-Editing Head of Marketing Head of Online Web Editor
Caroline Hailstone Kieran Smith Michael Cass Cai Reach Jennifer Ho
Undiscovered Heroes of History: Peter Wildeblood
Keir Forde HISTORY SOCIETY Advice from the Peer Mentors
Copy-Editing Team Hebe Thorne Helen Chapman Vidhur Prashar
An Introduction to Your History Society A Review of an MA: Northern Soul HISTORY DEPARTMENT An Interview with Dr. Tom Allcock
Marketing Team
An Interview with Dr. Henry Miller In Conversation with Tristram Hunt: A Review An Interview with Public Historian Michael Wood Upcoming Events
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Amelia Fletcher-Jones Caroline Bishop Gemma Newton Rebecca Hennel-Smith Sarah King
Online Team
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Issue 9: October 2013
Since it was founded two years ago, the Manchester Historian has grown and developed with each set of issue for the 2013/14 academic year will only make the magazine more exciting for you, the reader.
in Photos spread across the centre pages. Anyone who spends any time in Manchester knows that the city Historical Highlights should set you on the right path if you want to explore further. While we all enter our degrees with the best intentions, some of us have painful gaps in our historical knowledge. The new History
in question is a fascinating one.
over the last two years. This issue, our History in Features focuses on the history of student life, to remind our freshers that the student tradition is a long held one. Covering everything from the foundation of universities to the rise of student activism these are a great insight into the student lifestyle through the ages. History in the Headlines considers recent news ranging from the Syria crisis through to the iPhone 5S/C from a uniquely section. We got the chance to interview three new members of the faculty: Dr Henry Miller, Dr Tom Allcock and, of course, Michael Wood. These are a great way of getting to know your future lecturers so be sure to give them a read! Thank you to those of you who have worked so hard to bring this issue together. Particular mention must
continuing to grow the Historian and to hopefully making it a magazine read throughout the university, as well as the department.
Enjoy, Alice and Charlotte
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History in the Headlines
Tom Oliver The issue of Human Rights is both a timeless conundrum and a recent addition to the international discourse. Arguments over what can and cannot be done to any man, woman or child date back to ancient Greece, with Aristotle proposing there are varying classes of human, each with individual duties to the protection of body and property.
With the creation of the Red Cross, there was a renewed focus on protecting the lives of soldiers. A State could no longer use its citizens as masses of cannon fodder without feeling the impact of it back home.
War were not taken until after the First World War. It was only after The modern concept of human rights however, with the notion this massive loss of life that the international ban on poison gas that there are certain inalienable rights afforded to everyone, did was adopted. not come into place until after the renaissance period. Note that The main issue behind the articles in the Geneva Convention is context, and it simply did not exist in many languages. that they rely on every state following the same ideas of what a just war entails. For some, only the absolute minimum amount of military involvement is ideal, for others there are greater lengths oppressive government actions originated in Britain, with the English Bill of Rights and the Scottish Claim of Right in 1689. international code of human rights, which is what leads us to the These were themselves the building blocks for the more famous case in Syria. pronouncements of the 18th century that outlined the rights of citizens. These were of course the American Declaration of Up until the time of writing, the jury is out about the use of chemical independence in 1776 and the French Declaration of the Rights proportion of the casualties have been civilians it is not unlikely that one side or the other would consider using internationally considered a citizen of the country and say, a slave, there were banned weapons to aid their struggle. little to no rights afforded to you. Civil war inevitably complicates the idea of just war, and how far Thus the next major addition to the idea of Human Rights (the human rights can be preserved when citizen militias challenge term then coming more and more into use): the abolition of slavery. The famous example is of course the 13th Amendment that chemical weapons cannot discriminate between those who to the US constitution in 1865, but the British Empire had already abolished the slave trade by 1807 and slavery altogether by 1833. the establishment of the Red Cross in Geneva, with the intention of outlining certain basic humanitarian rights for both soldiers and civilians.
situation in Syria? It is because as these changes were implemented from the 17th century onwards, the attitude of warring factions began to shift concerning the role of civilians in war. With the professionalization
villages and towns over the course of a military campaign. The larger wars became, the more focus went into protecting civilians from the damage done by increasingly massive armies as killing became
ABC News
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Issue 9: October 2013
Getty images; Menahem Kahana
Ned Rodger Throughout the course of history, relations in the Middle East As the French had used many Alawites to secure their rule, many have been tense - Syria is no different in this respect. Today Syria had been promoted to top military positions and therefore had is in the midst of civil war and its civilians are being subjected control over a large majority of the army. weapons. It is tempting to blame these atrocities on the people Western control had not only brought two very different factions that hold power in the region, but how far can the West be blamed? promoted a hierarchy creating resentment among the Sunni In more recent times the US has played a key role in supporting Arabs. Israel and protecting it from surrounding nations, which has been seen to amplify tensions in the area. But can European powers be completely void of blame? took over and quickly ignored the needs of those living in rural areas - mainly Alawites. The result of this was the party did not After the treaty of Versailles and fall of the Ottoman Empire, a have the support of the army. This resulted in many military coups committee, made up of British and French representatives, was that culminated in Hafez al-Assad coming to power. set up to decide how to divide Syria and the surrounding areas. over Sunnis, whilst at the same time slowly distancing itself ethnicities including the two that have shaped Syria, as we know from the Western powers which were seen by many Sunnis as it today: the Sunni Arabs and the Alawites. supporting the Assad rise to power. Many of the tensions between the Sunni Arabs and the Alawites came from how the West treated the different factions. The Sunni Arabs were the most opposed to French rule. Consequentially the French were seen to look preferentially towards the Alawites to help keep their rule in the region. As a result, after World War II there was huge anti-French sentiment from the Sunni Arabs.
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The West has since consistently provided the Assad family with the means to maintain their tyranny by selling them weapons, including the chemical weapons that are allegedly being used growth in order to try to stabilize the region, but as we can see it has arguable caused, and undoubtedly failed to hold off, the
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History in the Headlines
Imogen Clark Recently, it has been hard to avoid the prevalence of NIMBYism (provision of clean, renewable energy), the dispute about them in the press. Be it fracking, wind farms or HS2, there are continual provides an excellent example of local people protecting their protestations about some form of development somewhere individualism even today. BANANA (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone). But whilst the action of voicing opinions about local developments When considering why NIMBYism still prevails today long after may be as old as societies themselves, historically in Britain NIMBYism has its strongest roots in the 1980s, when the acronym current legal system makes it fairly easy for people to challenge Secretary of State for the Environment Nicholas Ridley.
to encourage development by transferring decision-making power from central government back into the hands of local councils, communities and individuals, looks to have made it simpler for those people to stop development. Furthermore, in June 2013, the around the nation. As home ownership increased alongside this, government introduced new guidelines giving local communities people began to take a heightened interest in what was being built the power to veto plans to build wind farms in their area, with the around them. The value of their home became more important than wider social issues such as shortage of housing. This is crucial to the concept that generally NIMBYs do not oppose the as a whole. proposed development per se, but take issue with the fact it is in their immediate neighbourhood and the negative impact it would However, although such examples suggest an increase in the power of NIMBYs, we should consider the fact that the huge local and hospitals, or spoiling their view. opposition to fracking is not being met with the same sympathy or action from the Conservative government as the issue of wind farms. Thus whilst the notion of individualism was a factor in the has come under attack from NIMBYs is wind farms, thanks mainly to their visual impact on our landscapes and the noise that they generate. As something which arguably serves a greater good
Siemens UK
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Issue 9: October 2013
Vikki Woods The mass consumption of non-necessary items is highlighted by being product conscious, while it is true that we are consuming reach has detrimental effects both for small businesses and for more than ever, the evolution of global trade has made us blind to the consumer. what we are purchasing. While local businesses face bankruptcy, consumers are in blind servitude to multinational companies offering ever more making tactics were employed, from the British East India appealing products – a situation which has been evolving since Company getting China hooked on opium to fuel the British tea the early modern era, emerging from the immoral practices of the European colonists. sales. Yet due to global narcotic prohibition and new technologies, companies developed sneakier marketing techniques, resulting in There are many examples of inter-continental trade routes before consumer ignorance to manipulation. European colonisation, for example the Chinese silk industry created wide consumer demand as early as the Han Dynasty While the Chinese coolie working in South East Asia was entirely (206BC – 220AD), and some argue that the Knights Templar was him, welcoming this as a method of coping with the harsh realities of jungle labour, the twentieth century consumer was blissfully Archaic globalization saw a cosmopolitan culture grow around unaware of subliminal advertising. Ancient Greece from 323 BC, and Frank even suggests that a form of globalization existed around 3000BC. However, Now, the modern consumer is so bombarded with advertising that it is almost impossible to escape, resulting in active acceptance of the idea that the emergence of the global market can be traced mind manipulation. Take a look at many UK citizens, spurred on by Indeed, a product can only be considered global when available across the world, thus one should trace the emergence of the global product from global recognition of the Americas. While there I urge friends to shop locally, reminding them of the ever-shrinking sizes of mass-produced food items which are becoming everit was the exploratory voyages during the Age of Discovery that more costly, but for sake of convenience, they chose Tesco to saw American produce enter Europe. The Columbian Exchange better quality goods for far less. As well as creating laziness product. among consumers and a market offering poorer quality goods, the emergence of the global product has led to a decline in demand for locally produced items, putting small businesses out of work. it was cuttings of sugarcane received by Columbus from his lover often overlooked by modern consumers, however, that products complex and often unnecessary technology, at least it is probably such as sugar became the backbone of the the best phone on the market. Yet smartphones development of a global market fuelled by the have downfalls, which, when marketed globally, subjugation of overseas labourers. create social problems. I frequently end up talking to myself when my girlfriends, midhallmarks of the modern, industrial-age sugar was considered a necessity in Europe, driving the colonization of tropical islands,
rather than making conversation, people seem to prefer playing games or listening to music. These problems may seem trivial, but remind us of the damaging impact that global products are having not only on individual consumers and local economies, but now on communication.
an excellent workplace for African slaves – who also found themselves a product on the market. Wordpress: Jake Stevens
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History in Manchester
Caroline Bishop The history of the city of Manchester is ingrained into our Whitworth Art Gallery, and right down the curry mile to Ashburne Hall. Its prominence spurred by the Industrial Revolution of the 18th century, Manchester has remained renowned for its liberal
in the Roman period, in approximately 80AD. Built as a wooden fort protecting a Roman road from the ruling Celtic tribe of the Mamucium in around the 3rd century, yet people returned in the 5th century and built Christian and Pagan places of worship. After seemingly surviving the Norman Conquest, there is also mention
The transition of Manchester into a town was realised as the rest of Britain experienced an increase in population, due to trade and commerce, in the early thirteenth century. During this time Manchester was also granted an annual market, making it one arrival of Flemish weavers and cloth makers in the 14th century, marked the beginnings of Manchester as a major player in the textile industry. Rolling onto the 16th century, Manchester had become a blossoming market town, specialising in the wool trade and with many great civic buildings. Its reputation as a staunch Puritan town meant that it sided with Parliament in their disputes with Charles I, and there is speculation that this marked the origins of the English Civil War.
place, Manchester established itself not as a manufacturing centre As trade increased so did population, with migrants arriving from across Britain and immigrants from across the world. But in the 19th century the greater emphasis on commerce and a laissez-faire attitude towards welfare and standard of living had led not just to industrial wealth, but to slums and poor sanitation, as well as segregation and discrimination towards immigrants.
yeomanry with a resulting 18 dead and hundreds injured. The providing impetus for the 1832 Reform Act and the rise of the Chartist movement. Today, the city is internationally renowned for its football and weight of its history, and the strong personalities and opinions that formed it. Getty images
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Issue 9: October 2013
Jack Crutcher
Jennifer Nuttall
When you think of Manchester, a number of things might spring The mesmerising array of academic and historical books still to mind. Football, rain and Noel Gallagher would be just three examples. However this city is a profoundly historical place and perhaps its greatest gift to the world thus far was the Industrial the overwhelming sight of shelves upon shelves of books dating as far back as the 16th Century. historical archive chronicling the history of working people in Founded in 1653, by the will of Humphrey Chetham, a wealthy Britain. only one of the oldest, most treasured buildings in Manchester, but The great thing about this museum is its relevance to its location is also the oldest English speaking library in the world. Humphrey Chetham feared that upon his death the government would take greatest strength is its universality. On visiting it you will realise its his wealth and instead donated it to form a new school, which then and art, all relevant in some way to the working history of this School of Music, as well as the library itself are now prominent country. One of the museums greatest highlights is the collection attractions in Manchester. of 18th and 19th century cartoons - perfectly capturing the essence of British working class satire and its representation in the press. the meeting place of philosophers and social commentators, It is not just political history you will be able to enjoy upon your Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The pair would meet to discuss visit but a broader and revealing social history. Over 1700 posters statistical surveys which still remain today in the alcove in which they used to meet. Friedrich Engels, some 30 years later, referred an emotive window into the role of British working people in their push for reform both at home and abroad, helping bring to life the to him and his philosophical ideologies. often perilous struggle they faced in doing so. For the keener eyed historian there is also an extensive array sitting at the four-sided desk in the alcove where we sat together of medals and political tokens which celebrate a variety of key twenty-four years ago. I am very fond of the place. The stained historical moments for working people, including the repeal of the part of this vast collection is the deep connection many of these items have with the north west of England and Manchester more
and varied look into the relevance of working people to
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landmark in Manchester due to its illustrious background and multitude of historiographical books, artwork and religious texts. It is a must-see in Manchester for anybody interested in Social history, the works of Marx and Engels or anyone who simply wants to see a fraction of what made Manchester the greatest industrial city in the world.
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History in Features Michael Cass
II forbade English students from attending the University of Paris, it remains at the pinnacle.
The roots of the modern university can be traced as far back as 11th century Italy. The University of Bologna - thought to have The University of Cambridge, the second oldest English-speaking university, also has its roots in Oxford, the town its founding scholars appearance to the modern university with which we are familiar today. Initially specialising in scholarship of grammar, rhetoric and logic, by Bull of Pope John XXII in 1318, it also retains a standing at the the University was granted Constitutio Habita by Emperor Frederick apex of world higher education. I in 1188, which granted its scholars a particular set of rights and privileges. In contrast to the early universities of Southern Europe which were largely led by student corporations, English and Central European universities were run by teaching fraternities. This model was adopted when Harvard University, the oldest university in North America, of elite European schools was beginning to emerge. These schools was founded in 1636 with a student body of nine and one master. were known as studia generalia and among these were schools Formed by vote of the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts that became the Universities of Paris and Oxford in 1150 and 1167 Colony, it became the latest colonial university to be established in respectively. University of Mexico, founded in 1551). However, the prestige that several studia generalia had earned through historical achievement could also be ordained. In 1225, Today, Harvard University has distinguished itself through its stellar Emperor Frederick II conferred the title of studium generale to his academic achievement and boasts what is perhaps the greatest new school in Naples, signalling the start of the general acceptance reputation of any current world university. However, one cannot that educational establishments would need a license in order to confer degrees to its students. This saw several more universities Andrews, which this year celebrates its 600-year anniversary. Founded established across Europe. By the turn of the 14th century many of by Papal Bull in 1413, a quote from its Vice Chancellor, Professor of the Catholic Church. As the oldest university in the English-speaking world, the University Agincourt, before the construction of the Forbidden City in Beijing, of Oxford has long been recognised as one of the foremost higher before the construction of Machu Picchu in Peru, before Columbus education establishments in the world. Formed in 1167 when Henry
James Eatwell In 1963 a clean-cut Cliff Richard reached No1 in the hit-parade China, partly because of a perceived ‘copping out’ of the ‘Old Left’ to dreaming of his ‘Summer Holiday’. By 1967 a hirsute John Lennon the establishment. A ‘New Left’ emerged, which had a strong level of distrust in the ‘system’. It was a revolutionary, not just reformist a trip with ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’. A year later they were movement, and at its vanguard were college and university students, proclaiming ‘Revolution’. This change sums up the evolution of youth rebelling against many facets of the world they lived in: big business, the Vietnam War, mass media, and so on. culture during the 1960s. The most famous outburst of 1960s student activism took place in consensus and economic growth in the West. Some spoke of an ‘end of ideology’, at least at a level below the great ideological and nuclear appeared at the time as the closest the post-1945 Western world came to revolution. However, it is easy to over-state the desire for change around 1963, with increasingly widespread protest. A driving fundamental change: just one month later the Gaullist party won the force behind this change was the awakening of youth and student largest majority in French parliamentary history, yet tried to appease activism. The unrest was to peak in 1968, a year sometimes held-up youthful rebellion by introducing major reforms in the education with 1789, 1848 and 1917 as a year of revolution (though, notably, a system. Some historians argue that most young people in the 1960s were less interested in radically changing society than in securing revolutionary year in which history failed to turn). their economic futures. Levels of student activism witnessed in the 1960s have, arguably, not been matched since. Young people felt alienated, which led to The impact of 1960s student activism has been profound. Some have a new and provocative engagement in politics. During the 1960s many of the characteristics of civil society and popular culture we now ended traditional views of revolution: taking to the streets to overthrow recognise as the norm began to emerge, driven by the progressive the system. Instead, many politically active people, especially the young, began to turn towards the Gramsciite ‘long march through youth movements. the institutions’, engaging in new forms, broadly labeled ‘social Student activists shared a sense of disaffection with the establishment; movements’. Such movements have come to dominate political the controlling forces with which they did not identify. They were also protest worldwide, a major legacy of student activism. Consequently disaffected with the political left - partly this was because of evergrowing revelations of atrocities in Stalinist USSR and Maoist terms.
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Issue 9: October 2013
Stephen Fulham History began as a means for documenting the victories of rulers, Jumping forward around half a millennia, to the formalisation of surges of empires, and catastrophic events such as plagues, universities under the direction of the Byzantine Empire, and then, earthquakes, and famines. The magna opera of Herodotus and much later, through the Papacy and Holy Roman Empire, history was not given true equivalency to the predominant and dedicated predated by Confucius, focused on the Peloponnesian and Persian disciplines of monastic, theological, legal, and medical study. It was, wars, respectively. But there was always room for poetic licence on generally, instead part of a holistic education as in earlier centres of the part of early historians, be it for the battles of Pharaohs of Egypt learning across the world - such as schools founded by Plato, and then Aristotle; the complex at Alexandria; as well as later institutions inevitably led to accusations from some corners that they were more in the Islamic world, India, and China. Another millennia further forward, history appears to repeat itself - but Thucydides was actually a General, for the confederacy of Greek truly it had not moved on. The teaching of history as a subject was history which he was writing about (and therefore maybe also worthy of critiques of bias in his somewhat polarised depiction of the two sides!). Both were mindful of the machinations of early city states, expectations of aggrandisement from rulers, and perhaps too ready to include hearsay and myth alongside serious evidence.
- particularly in the clergy producing colleges springing up on the east coast of what is now the United States. There, still, history cannot be pursued in the exact same devoted manner at undergraduate level as elsewhere, remaining a Major, or Concentration, within the liberal arts curriculum now exported around the world.
But their contribution, particularly that of Thucydides, is not to be understated, nor derided for a willingness to ensure wider readership through the incorporation of contemporary supernatural dogma. predecessor, Aristotle, are renowned for inspiring both Machiavelli and Montesquieu, and in turn, the Founding Fathers. This juxtaposes mocked by playwright Aristophanes for his historical mention of the rape a mythical quartet, including Helen of Troy. But Herodotus is certainly redeemed by his extensive and keen detailing of the causes create. Clearly, such a legacy underlines the eternal importance of merely the military elements of history- delving into culture, politics, the study of history. and geography- and thus even more set the foundations for today.
Kate Ayling Considering the variety amongst students at universities today, it Place in the 1860s, and by the university admitting them, to take can be quite hard to imagine a time when the institutions in which classes. Although these classes lacked formal recognition, this form people spend three of the most formative years of their lives were of higher education for women was prevalent within the University of once reserved for a certain type of student: a male. Before 1878, gain degrees, not one university in the UK acknowledged women as Classes where women were welcomed initially started in 1830, intellectual counterparts worthy of education at their institution. It was although changing attitudes in academia enabled these classes to increase in number in the years before 1878. These changes were not that the ideas thought up decades before, by the likes of Margaret all over the UK, enabling them to attend lectures. Proving popular, through circles of like-minded, privileged women with money - and examinations and colleges for women also became a more prevailing idea than before. change. It is hard to say how far the legislation introducing degrees for women it undoubtedly led to more involvement of women in higher education Davies, who was particularly concerned with education for women. female by 1900 – at this point education was still reserved for the higher education for women in their own right in the form of Girton privileged. The issue of women in higher education was fought by the College, Cambridge University. middle classes and for the middle classes. Creating higher education solely for women was replicated elsewhere; With the inclusion of women to universities in the years preceding
keep universities reserved for only one gender.
next logical step for liberating women in the public sphere. Although it may have gained popular support due to the idea of women being trained into better wives and mothers, the granting of higher education to women has rightfully been about so much more than that.
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(Wikipedia/Public Domain)
Vivienne
Delliou-Daly
British Mandate. (Public Domain)
of the Carlton Hotel before delivering a radio address in Geneva. (Alfred Eisenstaedt; Getty Images)
Street view of Sennichimae, Osaka, Japan. (Wikimedia Commons)
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of Franklin D. Roosevelt. (Margaret
Bourke-White; Getty Images)
The Queen and runners up of the Century of Progress World Fair held in Chicago. (John Chuckman/probably public domain)
Gandhi visits Edwardes College, Peshawar, having undertaken a three week hunger strike and a period of imprisonment during the year. (Wikimedia Commons)
Germany. (Getty images)
On 12th November, Hugh Gray was walking along the loch after church when he spotted a substantial commotion in the water. This picture is the (Public Domain) (Wikimedia Commons)
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History in Culture
James Pidliswyj
which brought a “change in attitude towards science”.
physicist Professor Brian Cox has returned, showcasing 350 with barbaric surgery and animal testing being the hot topic. The 18th century “mad man” John Hunter, a grave digging surgical for?” he asks while peering at a decapitated chicken head. created bad image for modern day science. Cox uses the term “Frankenstein” to highlight shocking moments with Dr Aziz, a self-assured animal tester at the forefront of ground details of the public hanging of George Forster in 1803, he brings day “Frankenstein” research; the argument that over 100,000 “Frankenstein” moments in research. Cox elaborates on research primate test-subjects, is a powerful one. Yet Cox continually carried out by Humphrey Davy, who himself sounds very similar to recognises that public criticism has an important part to play in Cox as a 19th century advocate of popular science. debate, it is one always worth having. presented to us, including the Atom bomb which devastated Things can only get better from Science Britannica as Cox Hiroshima in 1945. Cox exposes the secrets of its production, using beautifully diverges from his norms to present us with a different his classic smiley face personality to question past collaborators science since GCSE.
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Issue 9: October 2013
Laura Currer
Charlotte Johnson
Michael Buffong, director of All My Sons and artistic director of monarchs the world has ever known...and I will be Queen of the Talawa Theatre Company, has answered many questions about the all-black cast. Yet the talent of the actors blinds the The Constant Princess delves into a story untold, depicting the life of Catherine of Aragon, born the Infanta of Spain and later Exchange hosts the play in its intimate theatre-in-the-round that was, predictably, close to capacity on the opening night. VIII. Classically known only as a stuffy and infertile bride, history Set in 1947, the Second World War serves as an uncomfortably plays Joe Keller, the patriarch and prosperous partner in a factory the title of Queen of England. distribution of faulty parts which caused the deaths of American When Arthur dies prematurely Catherine proves herself to be pilots during the war. Having rigidly denied this, he is cleared of every inch the daughter of the Catholic Kings, Ferdinand and blame in a court of law allowing him and his wife Kate to regain their position in their community as the idealised family. The by securing her betrothal to Henry, the next in line to be king. This to the neighborhood, forcing Joe to reexamine his actions. and the fact she had been left abandoned and desolate by her own father. Despite this, Catherine triumphs, claiming her rightful Arthur Miller interprets the struggle of Americans, disillusioned by place as Queen and asserting herself as a warrior and protector, war and the unobtainable American Dream, by writing a dialogue thus winning the respect and the hearts of the English people. wider responsibility to society. The play has a moralising tone that Gregory, highly acclaimed by popular readership and historians is particularly potent to modern audiences in its contemplation a refreshingly illuminating perspective on the hardships and playwright is acutely clear at the crux of the play. Shame and achievements of a once beloved English queen. It is impossible guilt, responsibility and love seep from every pore on stage, one secret love affair with her own husband, Arthur, nor in the sacred promise she made to him on his deathbed and kept for the rest of her life. However it nonetheless proves to be an enchanting The unchanging set facilitated the steady pace of the play, and tale, reigniting the magic and mystery surrounding the life of the the proximity of the action and well-timed climax moved me to youngest daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella, and helping to tears; I was not the only one delivering a teary-eyed applause. Every character could be mentioned individually for their beautiful loved constant princess. and humble performance: the casting is faultless. All My Sons will certainly be one of the highlights of the Manchester Weekender. Talawa Theatre Company continue.
Amazon UK
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Jonathan Keenan
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History You Should Know But Don’t
Ruth Erhlich
Jamie Sinnot-Davies
The weeks leading up to the storming of the Bastille had been The year is 1095, and Pope Urban II preaches to a crowd of rife with rumours of a government attack on the people, and the growing fear and anger culminated in the still-celebrated event occupied more and more of the lands of those Christians, and that is often seen as the start of the French Revolution. have overcome them in seven battles. They have killed and captured many, and have destroyed the churches and devastated The dismissal of Jacques Necker, the French Finance Minister, the average working man, inevitably provoked a violent response. In late 18th century France, where approximately 2.5 percent of the population ruled the commoner and paid no tax, any indication of taking away from the little liberty possessed by the French man
This was the beginning of the First Crusade – a pilgrimage that grew into a vast gathering of knights and peasants from England, France, and the Byzantine and Holy Roman empires, as well as other smaller kingdoms. It was a war to defend Christendom against growing threats in the east, a war that resulted in the death of thousands and the formation of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
Triggered by a perfect combination of revolution-inducing circumstances, including a dire economic situation, an incompetent The First Crusade did not have one single leader, but instead a monarchy and a staggeringly debauched aristocracy, the French combination of both spiritual and military men alike – priests such Revolution was underpinned by the recent cultural movement as Peter the Hermit and lords like Walter Sans Avoir were some of the more notorious commanders from 1096. They led thousands traditional ideas of absolute power and the Divine Right of Kings. of skilled and unskilled men, women and children out of Europe to That this concept was put fully into practice during the Revolution is shown in the events that occurred at the Bastille. The fortress of Bastille Saint-Antoine stood in the centre of Paris, Upon reaching Constantinople, the devout amateurs were and despite holding only seven prisoners on the morning of the advised to wait for the main crusader army, which consisted of 14th of July 1789, was a symbol of the repressive ruling classes and their power. Starting at Invalides an angry mob stole 28,000 forward into Asia Minor. Here, they led raiding parties across modern day Turkey, but due to poor organisation and a lack of Bastille. Despite being prepared for an attack on the fortress, the soundly defeated at both the Siege of Xerigordon and the Battle of not only when three times the number of protestors arrived, but Civetot, in which nearly the entire group was destroyed. when deserting soldiers from the Gardes Françaises joined the angry mob, providing the crowds with lethal skill. Meanwhile, between the years of 1096-1097, the main crusader forces gathered around Constantinople, and the army crossed representatives from the crowd, their excitement and anger could Crusade was now truly underway. not be contained, and it boiled over into a raging mob. The outer parts of the fortress were breached, including the arsenal, and a bloody battle between the loyalists and the attackers commenced. giving the European and Byzantine powers a foothold in Turkey. The battle progressed brutally, and in an attempt to contain the From there, the crusading forces were successful at repelling resistance from the Turks at Dorylaeum and laid siege to the city fashion, he and other defenders of the fortress were dragged of Antioch until the city was taken in June 1098. through the streets of Paris, before being stabbed, beheaded and having their heads on pikes paraded through the crowds. and a month later the city fell. The ensuing massacre of its Muslim The result was unexpected - rather than commanding the crushing and Jewish inhabitants was such that, according to Fulcher of the uprising peasants, the upper echelons of society began crusaders. all over the country. The storming of the Bastille undoubtedly With this, the Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem was established, provided the civil unrest with the momentum to become a and Godfrey of Bouillon led the remainder of the weary forces revolution, something that was clear even at the time of the events to Ascalon to drive away the last of the resistance. With this, themselves. When the King was informed of the storming of the the holy city of Jerusalem was now safe. The First Crusade was over.
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Issue 9: October 2013
Xan Atkins To many, Peter Wildeblood is not a well-known name. And yet, in After his sentence Wildeblood began campaigning for homosexuality to become legal. His big chance came in 1957 of giant proportions. when he argued for the legalisation of homosexuality to the Wolfenden Committee, a board mandated to decide what to do Born in the Italian Riviera but brought up in England, a scholarly young Peter attended Radley College and later Oxford, although private acts of homosexuality should be legalized, a law passed this was interrupted by his Second World War service with the in 1967. RAF in Rhodesia. After Oxford he became a journalist at the Daily Mail where he quickly made a name for himself becoming Royal Wildeblood spent the rest of his life campaigning for homosexual Correspondent and then Foreign Correspondent. rights, returning to writing in many different forms until his death Peter had risen through the ranks and was regarded as a highly in 1999. His struggle was important, yet largely anonymous, and intelligent man deserving of respect. He was, however, aware in that respect Peter Wildeblood is truly an undiscovered hero of history. England was confused over how to react to homosexuality, which seemed, to the authorities, to be more prevalent then than it had been at any time before the Second World War. The investigators soldiers being away from their families. The response was a major crackdown on all signs of homosexuality and the best way, example.
(who was arrested with Peter on the same grounds a year later). He had not holidayed alone, however, having brought along his (also from the RAF).
cousin) were accused of homosexuality and committing indecent acts over the course of their holiday, but the two RAF men, (thinking the higher class Wildeblood, Montagu and Pitt-Rivers would get
the true test came when Peter was asked if he was a homosexual.
openly admit to it. Wildeblood and Pitt-Rivers were sentenced to 18 months in prison whilst Montagu received 12 months.
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musicaltheatre.net
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History Society
Sophie Praill challenging during your time here, and yet at the same time it can often be the most rewarding! You most likely never have been, and never again will be, faced with so many new experiences, people and challenges. It can often feel pretty overwhelming, and yet the History Peer Mentor Scheme has been put in place to help you out during this time; you will always have an older student available to answer any questions you may have throughout the year.
from your mistakes and to adjust to a completely new system of studying and assessment. Use this year wisely, and make the most of this opportunity to progress whilst you have a bit of a safety net.
work; remember to enjoy yourself and make the most of your time Again, if you have any questions, academic, social or otherwise,
system, using Turnitin on Blackboard, and any other systems you may be adjusting to can be stressful, but they will very quickly become second nature to you. It could be worth your while to ask each lecturer if they look scheme. They are not always very clear about their personal preferences, which may be a focus on primary source material, Moreover, listen to the feedback from your lecturers, as you never know what pearls of wisdom they may have that will help you during the rest of your time at Manchester.
James Eatwell
on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for all the up-to-date news.
was one of the biggest turnouts in History Society history and we had a lot of fun – we hope you did too! Next up is the Pub Quiz at 256, starting at 7:30 on Monday the 14th of October, where students and staff will be able to pit their wits against each other. We hope to see you all there, and keep your eye on Facebook and Twitter for other events. Also, look out for careers events promoting. Finally: Amsterdam! Everything is now sorted out and we are taking bookings – just £130 for what will be the highlight of your year! We really want to beat the previous HistSoc trip record of just over 100 people, so get booking! Check Facebook and Twitter The History Society are going to Amsterdam after the January exams for updates.
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Issue 9: October 2013
Wesley Davidson
event. The fortieth anniversary of the opening of the Casino Club this very local and much forgotten northern subculture.
Wheel Club in the mid-1960s, formerly located just around the corner from Piccadilly Train Station. Whilst most of the world was fanatical about a certain rock band from the Merseyside end of
So what is Northern Soul? The term was coined by Dave Godin, music journalist and owner of the Soul City record shop in over the records, the fashion, the dance-moves and notoriously the drugs. The Wheel was closed down in 1971 after frequent police raids looking for drugs. This left a vacuum on the Northern developments in the black American chart. The Northern Soul scene was at its prime in the middle of the 1970s, as working-class youngsters travelled from all over England to attend all-night dances which typically lasted from them records currently in the US black music chart, just play them 2am until 8am the following morning. No alcohol was served and many attendees chose to take amphetamines in order to dance obscure black American soul, based on the heavy beat and fast all night. tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound. Northern Soul records were released on smaller regional labels in the United States and the artists who recorded the songs were equally obscure, often unaware that the records had been released at all, let alone become hits on the Northern Soul scene. Occasionally these artists were hunted down from total obscurity and brought over to England to perform on the Northern Soul club circuit.
to sacramental dimensions, with the pilgrimage to the Casino the pinnacle of devotion. In 1981, when the Casino was forced to close, it had more than 100,000 members - not bad going for a club which only had a capacity of 2,500.
Northern Soul scene is experiencing a modern day revival as a new generation are being attracted towards its unlikely tradition.
The records only became hits due to the record collectors and discjockeys that crossed the Atlantic to trawl through the warehouses The revival can be attributed to the interest the scene gained of defunct and obscure record labels and the second-hand record classics on television advertisements in recent years, as well as the older generation of Northern Soul survivors, who are returning The expense of doing so was worth it for those who made the to the scene in which they spent their formative years. trip even if they discovered only a handful of records - their value For more information on the scene look out on iPlayer for the could soon be ten, twenty or a hundred times the original cost if the record became popular in the clubs in the UK, and further copies could then be shipped over. If you are interested in the records check out this hour long Spotify Playlist I have put together featuring some of my favourite Paradoxically if only small numbers of the same record were Northern Soul records as well as some of the most popular tracks. http://goo.gl/p3Ejuy
Photos courtesy of Wesley Davidson
@TheMCRHistorian
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History Department
Tom Oliver Why did you choose to go into Academics? I think really just the enjoyment and the interest that I have for my subject. Just before we began recording we were talking a little bit about taking some time out between undergraduate study and graduate study. I went and worked to save money for a while, and that really put into perspective how much I enjoy reading about history, writing about history, talking about history, and having the chance to do that as a career would be fantastic.
What made you choose to come to the University of Manchester, was it teaching opportunities, research options etc.?
department that is expanding, that is bringing on people. That is incredibly enticing to an Academic at the moment in the current climate. It was pitched very much as there are no other American
Can you tell us about your experience of doing your PHD at students. That meant I would have a fair amount of freedom in offering new courses and new modules, so obviously that is Cambridge? Yes. Well as you probably saw [when doing research], I did not extremely appealing having that freedom to offer things that are So there was a lot of adjusting, it was quite a unique place with quite a different approach to things. But from my point of view they have fantastic resources for American History, and I also met some academics there so it was a very important place for American History. So from my point of view, for me that was fantastic. Particularly I had the opportunity at Cambridge to do an exchange year at Yale University on a fellowship and was obviously studying US politics, US History, it was a fantastic opportunity.
What are you currently working on?
policy this year for third years. I am really just happy to be at an institution like Manchester, one of the leading universities, the support is there for both my research and my teaching. So are you looking forward to the year?
am currently going through a bit of a learning process with them, work, and then third years who are obviously a lot more with it, understand what is happening, but they have all actually chosen to switch onto my Kennedy module from their other options, so they are all really keen, really enthusiastic, so I am really looking forward to teaching them.
1960s in particular. That was my PHD subject and I am currently developing it to a book.
Dr Tom Allcock, photo courtesy of Tom Oliver
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Dr Henry Miller, Photo courtesy of Dr Miller
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Issue 9: October 2013
Alex Byrom and an end to poverty, as well as representation in a parliament dominated by landowners and aristocrats. When the workers rose own country; especially when that new insight is given by one of the best historians of the generation. wore on, the German found he was increasingly frustrated at the Professor of Public History Michael Wood swapped the which would never happen in Britain. Why was this? Why did Britain not follow its closest neighbour and Communist thinker Friedrich Engels.
life in Victorian Britain and in particular Manchester, somewhere Engels eventually settled in the 1840s. Mr Hunt recounted how Engels and Marx strode around the streets of Manchester, with Engels reporting to Marx both the views and opinions of workers
Chamberlain was one of the iconic statesmen cited one who made a real difference to local communities. The increasing involvement of local authorities in aiding poorer people seemed to be the overriding reason for the socialist left to accept the continuing change in society; municipal socialism helped millions of families to gain access to water, electricity, health and education.
factories.
The conversation provided an outlook from different eyes: Engels, Marx and the people directly involved in the changes to British Perhaps most interesting was that it was Manchester where the society. It was a fascinating insight into an interesting element of leftist movement rose to prominence in the early Victorian era. not just overarching British history, but something prominent in The working class factions and workers wanted political freedom our very own Manchester too.
Darren Davies
be about Victorian print culture and politics, which is my main
Manchester University Press next year, about how portraiture I guess growing up I was always very interested in history. I used and visual imagery was used by political movements, parties and to visit my grandparents in Wales and we used to often go to the politicians. castles and get read stories about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. So growing up I was quite interested in medieval If you could offer some advice to early career postgraduates looking to work in academia, what would it be? I gave a talk about this last year at my old college, Queen Mary interest started really; but yeah, from an early age. positive, but also to think of a way you can sell your research in a What brought you to Manchester? Well I already lived in Manchester before I started my job. do that, it can help.
happy to be here. I was in the right place at the right time I think. should e-mail them, and perhaps try to arrange to meet them. What is your current research on and what modules will you various academic social media things now: acadmia.edu and be teaching this year? so on. Sometimes those people are very busy, like these big to share ideas if you give them a bit of time. They could even read year course about modern British economic history, a number of MA courses as well, and my new third year special module will doing. @TheMCRHistorian
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History Department
Charlotte Johnson Michael Wood may not have been wearing one of his onscreen trademark scarves when I met him for the interview, but his downto-earth and friendly style, unceasingly present on TV, was most certainly in tow. What you see on TV is what you get in reality. Professor Wood joined the faculty of History at the University of Manchester this September, and already he has given a public lecture, as well as introductory university lectures, a number of
Dark Ages. We had David Hill, who looked a bit like Tom Baker academic work was on the early tenth century and I still publish on that. I have several things coming out this year and a bigger book for Oxford University Press on Athelstan. So I have kept that
Professor Wood discusses his extensive academic and onscreen career in Manchester and around the world, and what joining the How have you managed to balance the academic work with faculty will mean for students and for him. There was a very intensive period through the 80s and 90s where What is it like being back in Manchester? Have you returned much since you left for university? I was born and brought up in Manchester and I went to school big successes. I wrote a biography of Shakespeare in the early here. I went off to Oxford for university but my parents still lived 2000s, which has long been an interest of mine. There are several here. I came back and worked with the BBC for about 10 years. the tenth century a lot of it was unpublished and I just circulated it Peace FM, Moss Side, for the last episode, which is where I grew a hell of a lot of it and other people are writing on the subject so I estate for a lot of Welsh especially, but also Irish and Scottish im- coming out this year and a book for Oxford University Press next migrants, and later phases were Caribbean and then Afghan and Somali immigrants. It is one of those suburbs whose character has always changed but some core thing about it has remained How and what will you be teaching at Manchester? I was most keen to do things with the undergraduates but I am done, could you give us a synopsis of your interests and re- to university, we can all remember what it feels like to arrive in a search? history and exploring different ways of seeing history is what I am quite keen to be involved in. for about thirty years doing history, culture and politics. In the early days we started off doing all kinds of things, when Channel 4 had One of the things I will do is city walks; to actually talk about the a kind of radical remit we covered feminist, gay, lesbian, political industrial history of Manchester because a lot of the undergraduumentaries on history and culture. Some of them grand sweep - actual books that they ordered up and the statistical surveys and in the East Midlands and its people all the way through history. are available here because Manchester is really great for that. We are doing a series at the moment with an American writer on pilgrimages across the world from India to Japan to Mecca, and I early history of China. I have an academic interest that coincides with an interesting little bouts of a week here and a week there. element of the History faculty here [at the University of Manchester], which is Anglo-Saxon and Dark Age history.
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Issue 9: October 2013 What do you like to do in your spare time? I do like travelling. And football. And I love the theatre. I am a the Marsh Arabs by Saddam Hussein and the nature of the sourcrace and their historical theories. A colleague of ours is working on dovan] Karadzic, so we are going to come up and workshop that. Town, the 168, goes all the way across Waterloo Bridge and stops I see TV as a kind of link between the professional scholars and outside the National Theatre so we very much like going to the - National. demic research, sometimes of great depth and sometimes stuff so hard. I work with my wife, Rebecca, who directs some pieces. you see on telly is the tip of the iceberg in terms of research. I Running a small company, no matter how much you try to delthink our methods are interesting from the point of view of undergraduates as well as the MA course. doing this big series on pilgrimage with an American writer, which at the moment. Beginning with Tristram Hunt talking about the can be a little problematical. Victorian age. Professor Janet Nelson, who is one of our greatest historians, has just retired from Kings but she is writing a biography of Charlemagne. She is one of the great medievalists, espe- If you could get students to understand one thing what would it be? she is an absolutely unbelievable scholar and polymath and she - With the study of history you have to remember that the people of ous other friends and contacts about other people coming up, in the past are real people with real experiences and real emotions. always have to try to do that with sympathy and empathy. It is our imaginations that give them life, which is truer the further back you go.
be of interest. The thing to do is excite people.
an undergraduate but make sure you leave enough time everyday to do the essays and read historical texts as you would a short
there another career path you might have taken?
the past. So make sure you give yourself moments for that as undergraduates. If all you do is end up trying to churn out factual four-part documentary about Shakespeare in the 2000s. I made -
plored or researched fully but hope to?
are parts of Tamil Nadu that I know a lot better than places in welcomed by people of another culture into that culture. You carry on learning. History is one of those subjects where, whatever you do in life, you may not carry on after university, but which remains a passion that took you far and that you should never forget.
Photo courtesy of Charlotte Johnson
@TheMCRHistorian
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History Department The Withington Civic Society is embarking on a new oral histories project to record the
We hope to interview some elderly residents who have lived in the area for a long time and it is our hope that lots of the people who volunteer to conduct the interviews will be students living in Withington, even if only for a short time. It would be really great to have students and other younger residents highly involved to try and break down the dividing lines between the student and permanent population in the area. The project is still in its early days but we are very keen to get students aboard from the off. If you are interested in taking part please contact Charlie Bush on charlie.bush@ manchester.ac.uk. For more information about the Withington Civic Society and the Withington Memories project visit: https://sites.google.com/site/withingtonhistory/withington-memories
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
Prof Matthew Jefferies (Department of German Studies): Germany and the Approach of War in 1914
16 October 2013 5-6 pm
Dr Laura Tunbridge (Department of Music) Music during Wartime
23 October 2013 5-6 pm
Prof Peter Gatrell (Department of History) Europe on the Move: the Great War and its Refugees
6 November 2013 5-6 pm
Patrick Doyle (Department of History): Ireland and the First World War
13 November 2013 5-6 pm
Dr Emma Griffiths (Department of Classics and Ancient History) Homeric Mud in the Trenches
20 November 2013 5-6 pm
Prof Laura Doan (Department of English, American Studies and Creative Writing) 'Muscular Femininity': The Amazon and the Public during the First World War
27 November 2013 4-5 pm
Dr Melanie Giles (Department of Archaeology) The Archaeology of the Great War
4 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 I
11 December 2013 5-6 pm
Dr Andrew Frayn (Department of English, American Studies and Creative Writing) The First World War: Literary Enchantments and Disenchantments
18 December 2013 5-6 pm
Dr Barbara Lebrun (Department of French Studies) Singing the War in France
8 January 2014 2-4pm
Dr Christopher Godden (Department of History) British Propaganda and the First World War – Imagining a United Nation
The Manchester Historian is a growing magazine seeking writers studying a single or joint honours History degree to write articles, interviews and reviews with an historical slant to chronicle our vibrant and fast-changing world. In return, the Historian offers a great opportunity for budding journalists to 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 enthusiastic team of writers and contributors. We welcome article suggestions too, please contact us at any time during the year with your ideas.
For further information contact sonja.bernhard@manchester.ac.uk , Tel (0161) 27 53429
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