HISTORY LEFT BEHIND:
The Abandoned Places of the Twentieth Century
DRINKING BRITAIN
I’m really happy with how the Historian has progressed this term. The team’s been working incredibly hard at coming up with ways to incorporate a more contemporary angle and I’m really happy to announce that we’ll be launching our own website very soon. I’m delighted to see the Historian growing and hope by the end of the year we’ll have a much more widespread paper. I’d also strongly like to encourage students to email in their ideas to us for future articles; even those who aren’t interested in writing. After all, we want to make this magazine more about what History students want to read! Ata Rahman We have taken as our theme for this issue an integral part of history, an integral part of being a student (and apparently a lecturer), and an integral part of life itself. I am, of course, talking about drinking: be it tea, beer or any other type of booze. We’ve sent reporters to a beer festival, an exhibition about the Prohibition Movement (the horror, the horror), and had them researching the importance of beverages in British history. Ata has been getting even more of a taste for a subject close to his heart: gin. We have also drawn on the experience of History lecturers for some recommendations for we should be quaffing. So pull a pint, unscrew the cap of a bottle of the house vino, crack open a can or pop the kettle, and enjoy this issue of the Manchester Historian. Cheers! Charlie Bush Editors Ata Rahman Charlie Bush Head of Copy-Editing Aditya Iyer Head of Layout Becky Stevens Head of Advertising Vidhur Prashar Head of Marketing Sinead Doherty Web Editor Jenny Ho Copy-Editing Team Feargal Logue Jessie Brener Amy Garnett Sigourney Fox Eve Commander Layout Team Charlotte Johnson Cover Design Tom Eccles Advertising Team Caroline Bishop Gemma Newton Tom Oliver Harry Cooke Marketing Team Rebecca Hennel-Smith Kate Blaxill Leah Crowther
DRINKING BRITAIN Tea: our National drink A HISTORY OF ALCOHOL: Ale & Gin FLORIDA: A State of Chaos The Long Road to Peace in Mindanao Marikana Miners Strike Theatre review: Orpheus Descending A Postgraduate Students thoughts on her Research and Postgraduate Life INTERVIEW: Dr Pierre Fuller Review: Demon Drink, Temperance and the Working Class Review: Didsbury Beer Festival Review: Jane and Louise Wilson: Atomgrad HISTORY LEFT BEHIND Abandoned Places of the 20th Century and the History of Small Islands James Bond: The Phantom Limb of the Empire Winds of Change? Or just the same old problem? The Economic History of the EU The History of Evil Corporations How Bikes Changed our History HISTORY SOCIETY ANNOUNCEMENT Events Contact us on:
or email: manchesterhistorian@gmail.com
Tea: Our National Drink Us Brits can hardly make it through the day without a beloved brew, but WHEN and HOW did dried up leaves in water (not, perhaps, the most appetising description) become an essential requirement? Keep Calm and Drink in Holland and fashionaTea’ could probably rival ble Parisian districts but, ‘God Save the Queen’ as by 1647, a fall in demand the unofficial slogan for meant Dutch tea drinking British-ness. No other had pretty much popped country’s national conits clogs. In France, tea’s sciousness is so saturated decline may have been by a single drink. Tea in encouraged by the revoBritain is not just a bevlutionary spirit which deerage—it’s a social expenounced anything even rience. Our rich have tea vaguely associated with parties, our poor have the aristocracy. It seems tea time and our middle-classes have tea anxiety over Earl Grey didn’t quite make the transition to Citoyen Grey. whether the milk goes in first or last. But when tea first arrived on these shores in 1657, you wouldn’t Tea-drinking in Britain was also encouraged by two have guessed anything significant was brewing. trendy ladies. Catherine of Braganza, the Portuguese wife of spaniel-haired party animal King Charles II, inIn fact in the seventeenth century, it looked like coffee troduced tea to the royal court in 1662 and Anna Maria was set to become the brew of choice among fashion- Stanhope, the Duchess of Bedford, took the trend furable British elites (eventually it would filter down to ther. Between lunch at 12pm and dinner at around 8pm, all classes). All-male coffeehouses became important she began to get a little bit peckish. Without the modmeeting places where all classes could enjoy a cuppa ern-day go to - a pot noodle - she settled for cakes or - of coffee. In fact, for much of the century it looked sandwiches with tea instead. This 5pm ‘tea time’ proved like tea would never bag the hot beverage market. so good that Stanhope soon began inviting her friends round for ‘tea parties’. The most stylish aristocrats atThis is possibly because it wasn’t seen as a beverage so tended, and this was quickly copied by the lower classes. much as a medical panacea. Today, all good Brits know about the magical physical and emotional healing prop- The British Empire also played a part in tea’s rise to erties of a mug of hot tea, but seventeenth century Eu- prominence. In the bad old days of imperialism, the ropeans really drank in this idea. At first, tea was sold cartoonishly evil British East India Company had moalmost exclusively at apothecaries. It did briefly catch on nopolised trade with Asia, where tea came from. The government’s eventual support for such an important source of tax money meant they kept prices fairly low. In comparison, by 1734 coffee had run out of steam. Coffee merchant, Thomas Twining, decided it was a mug’s business and closed his coffeehouse to focus on his teahouse. These allowed women in too and meant their husbands or servants no longer had to be sent to fetch them a brew. While coffee’s appeal wasn’t completely ground down, nowadays there are few things more spiffingly British than the beloved cuppa. Christie Fraser
A History of Alcohol
Tea may well be our National drink, but there’s no denying the long-held, never-ending love the population of the UK has for Ale!...and Gin...and Vodka....and basically all spirits. Hannah Barker
Max Jones
Pierce
pierre fuller
Stephen
e l A
The production and drinking of ale can be traced back 4,000 years to the first harvesting of barley. Since then, ale has gone from uniting warrior tribes to becoming an essential element of pub culture.
Ale was produced on a domestic scale throughout the Middle Ages. As a result, an estimated 1 in 5 houses were also informal alehouses (as well as the first pubs and taverns). The selling of ale formed local economic markets within communities, with women as the dominant producers. Whilst today some may regard ale as a luxury product, ale was a staple drink during this period, with the only alternative being contaminated water sources. Preserving ale started during the 15th century through adding hops. Speculation surrounds the origins of this method; suspects include returning Crusaders from the early 1400s or traders from Flanders. Ale could be produced in larger quantities due to the expansion of investment, machinery and technology during the Industrial Revolution. Major profit making brewers such as George Adlam in Bristol and R.W Andrews in London emerged. However, the quality of ale also suffered during this period. Mass brewers cared little for the taste and texture of the ale. Instead, they chose to increase profits through preserving ale in bottles (causing a loss of taste quality) and reducing the volume by injecting Carbon Dioxide (producing a frothier drink). During the last 40 years there has been something of an ale revolution- the introduction of ‘Real’ ale. The ‘Campaign for Real Ale’ (CAMRA) has been at the forefront of this. Valuing secondary fermentation in the kegs and the use of natural ingredients, they argue for the importance of micro-breweries. It is this resurgence in the quality of ale that has made it so vital to British pub culture. Caroline Bishop
Gin
When contemplating what alcoholic beverages are truly British, nothing springs to mind quicker than a refreshing gin and tonic. Whilst this drink has strong historical roots in the British Empire, gin has not always been Britain’s favoured tipple. Though consumed widely today throughout the UK and having associations with all things British, gin’s roots do not lie in the many distilleries continuing to produce gin in Britain today.
Gin is thought to originate from the Habsburg Netherlands, where Franciscus Sylvius created an ailment for stomach aches in the 1550s using the diuretic properties of the main flavouring of gin, juniper berries. Having said that, there is evidence of Italian monks flavouring alcohol with juniper berries since the 11th century, but no evidence of it bearing resemblance to modern day gin. Sylvius named the drink ‘genever’ and it became an important part of Flemish and Dutch culture. Troops brought it back to England returning from the Thirty Years War where they consumed it to deal with the cold, coining the term ‘Dutch courage’. A combination of factors including a heavy government tax on imported spirits and an unfit grain crop for beer brewing led to gin becoming incredibly cheap in the 18th century, setting off what was known as the Gin Craze. Gin’s popularity had surged when William of Orange of the Dutch Republic married Mary II and ruled the British throne. This led to widespread consumption of gin on a large scale, and saw the birth of the phrase ‘mother’s ruin’. Gin sales were eventually more regulated by the government through the Gin Act of 1751 and a lot of gin began being distilled at home, commonly flavoured with turpentine. Overall, gin consumption reduced during the 19th century and its production style changed, becoming a bitterer and clearer spirit than previously. Today, though gin remains one of Britain’s most beloved drinks, cheaper vodkas have caused a slight decline in popularity. Ata Rahman
Classically, gin should be served with cubes of ice, a wedge of lime and tonic water. But where do the tonic and lime come from?
Handley
Sasha
Tonic contains quinine which has antimalarial properties and became an important mixer with gin for colonial British officers, initially in South Asia but also in Africa. Lime was originally added to gin to make lime juice more palatable, because it was a good countermeasure against scurvy.
FLORIDA: A STATE OF CHAOS
There are a number of unwritten rules that surface
during an American Presidential Election with alarming alacrity. A small town in New Hampshire will be the first to declare its results after the 34 voters have cast their ballots, no Republican wins without taking Ohio’s 18 Electoral College votes, and the calamitous inevitability of something going horribly wrong in Florida. As a result of demographic changes over the last 50 years, Florida has become an important swing state. Its 29 electoral votes mean that it is always a highly competitive battleground, and one with a reputation for electoral chaos. Perhaps the most infamous example of this chaos was the 2000 Presidential election clash between Bush and Gore. According to the state’s finals results Bush led by 537. The whole process was riddled with controversy and partisanship: the state’s Secretary of State, Katherine Harris, who was responsible for the electoral process, was also the Bush campaign’s state co-chair. She oversaw the ‘scrub list’ process that removed felons from the electoral lists, however, often people with the same names were also removed. This disproportionately affected African-Americans, who were more likely to be Democrat voters.
Buchanan. The Gore campaign claimed that this was because voters tried to correct their mistake. The Gore campaign requested that disputed ballots be counted by hand and the Bush campaign countersued. The case advanced through the courts to the US Supreme Court. While the Justices considered their decision, the whole presidential election hung in the balance. On 12th December, the Supreme Court handed down its decision on Bush v Gore: the recount would cease and Bush would be declared the winner in both Florida and the country. This was a constitutionally horrendous situation because, as Professor Sheldon Goldman of the University of Massachusetts says, “the judiciary was essentially determining who the President would be”. The Court was split 5-4, on partisan lines with the conservative element in the majority; the decision made was based on who the Justices wanted to win, creating a mockery of the elections. The Court further judged that a partial recount contravened the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution, resulting in Bush’s succession into the White House. This year, Florida was beset by long lines and absentee ballot problems. The delayed result was a victory for Obama. When I went along to a voter centre in Massachusetts on Election Day, I remarked to one of the volunteers on the lack of line and how smoothly voting was going. She replied, “This isn’t Florida, we’ve been doing this much longer.”
Badly-designed ballot cards also caused problems in Palm Beach County. Voters had to punch a hole next to the candidate that they supported, but the layout of the ballot paper meant the second candidate on the ballot paper (Gore) was the third hole. Democrats argued that this confused voters who accidentally voted for Buchanan of the Reform Party. 5,330 were spoiled Charlie Bush and not counted because voters voted for both Gore and
The Long Road to Peace in Mindanao
With a population of 94 million inhabitants, the EastAsian archipelago of The Philippines is the 7th most populous nation in Asia and 12th in the world. Despite this, developments in The Philippines rarely feature in Western news cycles, until recently. An oft-cited reason for The Philippines’ huge and ever expanding population is that 80% of the country is Roman Catholic and, although it is overpopulated to the extent whereby shanty towns in Manila house up to 90,000 people within a half a square kilometre, the Filipino government fears losing support if it promotes contraception.
Religion has held a prominent place in the politics of the Philippines ever since it became part of the Spanish East Indies in 1565. The 300 years of religious conversion that would follow Spanish conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi’s arrival are still felt in the political climate of the Philippines today, no more so than in the predominantly Islamic southern island of Mindanao, where a sectarian conflict that has displaced 250,000 and killed two million has been a consistent factor since 1976. Just as Catholic principals have a stranglehold on government policy in the north, the determination of Muslim militant groups to establish an independent Islamic state Mindanao has dominated the south.
Marikana Miners Strike This summer there were a series of wildcat (unlawful) strikes that took place in South Africa at the Marikana mines, over proposed drastic pay cuts. The mining industry is considered the driving force behind the South African economy, being the largest in Africa.
The Filipino government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, negotiating on behalf of the five million Muslims living in the Philippines, re c e nt ly agreed to end sixteen years of on-off p e a c e negotiations on 15th of October this year. The crux of the negations is that the Muslim population will hold a plebiscite on the establishment of a Muslim area, under Sharia law, called Bangsamoro. Incidentally, term ‘Moro’ is derived from the Spanish colonists’ derogatory name for Mindanao Muslims. It seems that even if plans to establish an Islamic utopia in the southern islands do come to fruition, years of colonial obsession with religion will remain as much a factor in The Philippines’ future as it has been throughout its history. Feargal Logue
South Africa in 1910 the British exploited the natural reserves of South Africa even further, as the Republic did post-1961. This country, much like Sierra Leone, has very rich natural mineral deposits, and today accounts for 80% of the world’s platinum reserves and the 3rd largest exportation of coal. However, what caused the Marikana strikes was the recurring theme of exploitation. When under British control most of the wealth went into the empire and little went to the miners. This carries on today, with private corporations and governmental departments taking the place of colonial organs.
This explains the eagerness of the government to quell the strike, utilising methods which culminated in a massacre of protesters on 16th August, with 47 casualties as a result. What is significant is that this took place on the anniversary of another major miner’s strike 25 years previously, which begs the question of why there are so many tensions in the mining sector. It is a land of dichotomies; the 28th richest economy in the world with 25% of the population unemployed and The mining industry in South Africa has a long histo- most living on the equivalent of 85 pence a day. It is a ry, with its start popularly attributed to the discovery vicious cycle of exploitation that spurred the strikes and of a large diamond in the banks of the Orange River violent backlash and has the potential for many more to in Transvaal republic when it was still an independent occur as the demand for raw resources increases. Boer region. When it became part of the dominion of Tom Oliver
Review of Orpheus Descending This rather relatively underperformed Tennessee Williams’ play is set in the Deep South in the 40s. Claustrophobia and prejudice smothers the small town, where the parochial poison of vicious and sadistic hatred of wops, blacks and those that just don’t conform steadily intensifies. This is a deeply unsettling play that discomforts the audience, who can only remain held captivated by some moving performances and mighty rhythm. Imogen Stubbs plays Lady, the aging wife of a dying dry goods storeowner, whose loveless marriage and Sicilian background increasingly isolate her in this miserable town. Stubbs gives an incredible before of huge depth and range, her vulnerability and passion emerge cautiously f r o m initial frostiness. The arrival of the outsider, the unknown musician with a shady past, has a desultrifying effect on Lady. Played by Luke NorPhoto by Jonathan Keenan ris, this interloper Val is trying to start a new life with his guitar as a form of resurrection. His vitality and apparent liberty have a fascinating appeal to Lady. Norris’s performance is certainly strong, but Stubbs gives a transfixing portrayal that outshines the rest of the cast. She has a wonderful intensity and sensuality, as evident as it was the last time she performed at the Exchange in Private Lives.
A Postgraduate Student’s Thoughts on her Research and Postgraduate Life I’m still unsure myself what the title of my postgraduate dissertation will be – but, at the moment, the most enjoyable part of doing a Masters is having the complete freedom, if not infinite time, to decide. My undergraduate degree was English and History, so this year I was really drawn to research an area of History which would make use of the expertise I’ve gained from both subjects. I decided to focus on travel and colonisation in the early modern period, in particular how these experiences and themes can be explored in popular culture. So far I’ve been making use of the diverse print sources which survive from this period – including published travel accounts written by those that explored the New World, descriptions that survive of court masques which toyed with contemporary ideas of empire, as well as plays about colonisation, such as The Tempest. These sources appeal to me most because I get to further explore my interests in language and literature; which, I’ll admit, is a relic from my undergraduate study that I’m finding hard to give up.
I’m hoping to conclude my research – though I’m far from this point yet – by making light of the ways that ideas about the New World were transported across Europe, as well as how they were consumed and interpreted by contemporaries. For the moment I’m still doing secondary reading to gain a better understanding of the historiography of this field, and also determine whether there are unanswered questions for me to investigate. A good amount of early modern print sources are available online, but I would love to make a trip to the British Library and Museum in the future to paw over original travel accounts, and perhaps even view objects that Despite the ultimately tragic brutality of this play, it is were collected by travellers from the New World. not without amusing, indeed, absurd moments. However, the overall tone of the play is ominous, the periodic Misha Ewen baying of chain-gang dogs and Choctaw chants are unsettling. The disgraced, promiscuous Cutrere girl (Jodie McNee) interludes throughout the play, indicating and prophesying the ostracism that besets anyone who deviates from the crushing mores of 1950s Louisiana. Orpheus Descending leaves one with the impression that in such a society, even the greatest strength of character or romance will be torn down by loathing, jealous and fear. As a modern retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus, the futility of love is stunning in this production. Charlie Bush
Interview:
Dr. Pierre Fuller MJC- First of all, what brought you to the University of Manchester? DF – What really took me to this institution is the fact that there’s way more to the job and the community than just the teaching and the research. You have a variety of institutes here like the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute (HCRI), the Brooks World Poverty Institute, the Centre for the Cultural History of War; you’ve got plenty of things that add many dimensions to what I can contribute here. MJC – What did you do before academia? DF – I took about a six or seven year break between finishing University and getting into graduate school. So I spent a good chunk of my twenties wandering around, really, trying different things, and trying some independent underground film projects. Heading off to China to try my hand at freelance journalism without a resumé that could get me a job in a newsroom, I had to try and get in through the back door. The idea, then, was to go to a part of the world that was somewhat under-reported, in other words a part of the world where a news room would be excited to get news copy. I got some contacts in a few newsrooms around the world, mainly in Tokyo at the Japan Times, and wrote stories from China, using an interpreter because I had no Chinese at the time (sic.).
MJC – Which courses are you teaching this year? DF – Right now I’m teaching is a Level 3 course called The Margins Mobilise. Looking at the modern experience, how modernity is seen through everyday people, in other words; working girls, refugees fleeing crises, rebels against the state. It’s sort of an everyday history of the modern period. MJC – Do you have any advice for History students coping with their workload? DF – One thing I would strongly, strongly suggest is: visit your professors, your lecturers way more often. I think many students don’t realise that there can be a conversation beyond the classroom; where they want to take their work, how they want to approach their reading, how they want to approach the course. See your lecturers more; I would suggest for students to show up for the lectures and the office hours and talk about the challenges of the course. The lecturers would be, by and large, happy to because it makes their lives easier as well. The other thing is to be deliberately conscious about how you approach the readings.
MJC – Do you think History students from the University of Manchester can learn from your experience? DF – In the field of journalism, resumés don’t necessarily matter. If it’s journalism we’re talking about, it’s the ability to manage an uncomfortable environment and find a story; what a newspaper wants to read. Those are things that that a resumé won’t necessarily help you with. Of course, you’ve got to network in terms of what you can get published. I’d encourage any Manchester student to head out there and see what they can do be- Michael Cass fore they get a full-on graduate degree, because it’s also very useful when you’re getting a graduate degree to approach it from another, outside academia perspective. One of the ways I was able to finance grad school is that there were fellowships out there which were fellowships for people who can demonstrate an ability to put out academic work that you can put out there for the wider public. So that required a sort of journalistic style, a certain style of writing and so I came to grad school with a portfolio, it also helped fund my graduate schooling.
Demon Drink? Temperance and the Working Class Exhibition at the People’s History Museum, 30 June 2012 — 24 February 2013 Which movement involved a regal robe, a bicycle and milk? The Temperance movement, of course. The People’s History Museum, located in Manchester’s old pump house, accommodates this exhibition now in its final few months. Midweek the museum is rather empty, so the demography of the few visitors wandering around while I was there was limited to students and thirty-something’s, while the child-orientated activities draw families on weekends.
Demon Drink Exhibition phtoograph by Charlotte Johnson
Didsbury Beer Festival
The Didsbury Beer Festival was a three-day event, celebrating the beers, ales, perries and ciders from independent breweries throughout Britain. Returning for its fifth year the Festival has expanded both in capacity and the range of drinks on offer. It was hosted by St Catherine’s Social Club, which also provided a wide range of music and a surprisingly good curry to accomOriginating in Liverpool and moving swiftly to Preston pany the booze. Initially, set up by locals in Didsbury and the rest of the North West, the Temperance move- who want to enlighten people to the wonders of Britment developed out of the Beerhouse Act of 1830. This ish beverages with all profits going to local charities. Act hoped to increase competition between breweries, thus lowering the price and weaning the public off more Included in the entry was a pint glass and drinks coualcoholic drinks such as gin (given frequently to chil- pons. The marquee was bustling with people but there dren to keep them quiet, have you seen Sweeney Todd?), rarely was a need to queue for your pint. With all the ales but subsequently fuelled beer consumption. The move- in one marquee I found myself walking up and down tryment drew on the newest scientific information of the ing to work out how to decide which ones to try. Despite time to support economic, moral and social arguments my wish to try them all I decided that I would go for the against drinking, whilst providing social alternatives ones with the most interesting flavours. I started with the for its members; men and women, adults and children. seasonal pumpkin ale by Quantum Brewers. Unfortunately I would have to say that pumpkin really shouldn’t Despite some repetition and if you can either overlook be added to ale. Despite a bad start, I persevered with the or are happy to participate in the activities for children, Triple Chocoholic by Soltaire and the Ginger Pale Ale by the abundance of historical memorabilia is worth a Little Valley. These ales were much more appealing, with visit: archive film footage, maps, photographs, posters the former having an almost Guinness taste with a hint and artefacts from the movement spanning a century. of chocolate. To finish the night I decided to try a perry Those interested in a specific and largely unknown so- and a cider. The Double Vision Elderflower I sampled cial movement in the nineteenth century will enjoy this was an absolute delight and something I would recomexhibition. In fact, students wanting to adopt a nine- mend to anyone. Unfortunately I didn’t stop there and teenth century substitute for alcohol would benefit from decided to end the night with the Moss-Cider which, as a visit. The real gem however, was the museum itself. Its the name may suggest, left me wishing I hadn’t risked it. modesty in the museum world makes it a pleasant place to peruse, where you can take tea with a view of the Will Porter canal and get some reading done in the Study Centre. To find out how the regal robe, the bicycle and milk are connected, pay a visit. Charlotte Johnson
CHERNOBYL
Jane and Louise Wilson: Atomgrad plus force of volunteers from across the USSR. Through Shevchenko and the Wilson’s films we can extrapolate the sense of collective responsibility felt by large portions of the population in the wake of the disaster. The Wilson’s ‘Atomgrad: Nature Abhors a Vacuum’ is a powerful series of photographic prints of the once prosperous Pripyat. It is left in its current state, as nature returns to reclaim the land once occupied by leisure centres and theatres. The image of a decimated lower school classroom with books still on desks is an enduring image capturing the fragility of human life and civilisation. It seeks to serve as a historical testament to the dangers of atomic energy. The prints and film screenings are framed by the haunting crackThe April 1986 nuclear disaster of Chernobyl remains le of Geiger meters and the recurring use of yardan infamous date throughout history. From this, the sticks which the Wilson’s have employed to illustrate Whitworth Art Gallery’s latest exhibition of the works of the desolation and emptiness of the exclusion zone. British artists Jane and Louise Wilson seek to entice the attention and imaginations of students from a variety of Despite the artistic backgrounds of the installations in academic programmes. One of the main focuses of the ex- this exhibit students of history and other disciplines hibit centres upon the Wilson’s exploration of the recent should not be deterred from visiting this moving and obsession of the 1986 Chernobyl power station disaster interesting interpretation of a significant moment in and the abandoned nuclear exclusion zone city of Pripyat. twentieth century history. Further complementary events to this exhibit will be running in November and The works include a premiere of the Wilson’s new short January including ‘‘Apocalypse Now: thinking about rufilm ‘The Toxic Camera’, a factual dramatisation which ins and radiation’’, a seminar which will feature Dr Paul takes its inspiration from the later reflections of the Dobraszczyk of the University of Manchester’s SAHC. Soviet filmmaker Vladimir Shevchenko’s camera crew, who were granted access to the area to document the af- Robbie Wilson termath. Taking into account the recent proliferation in The exhibition will be open until 27th January 2013. the historical study of social memory, ‘The Toxic Camera’ offers an intriguing medium with which to gauge how Shevchenko and his contemporaries considered human impact upon the earth. It also further explores the jeopardy of their own mortality posed by the radiation they willingly entered. Visitors are made aware of what the Wilson’s term to be ‘‘radiation’s sadistic rapture’’ by revelations including the death of Shevchenko’s camera and film technician. Shevchenko never visited the site but his contact with the polluted materials alone was sufficient enough to induce radiation poisoning. The complementary screening of Shevchenko’s ‘Chernobyl: A Chronicle of Difficult Weeks’ is also enlightening in the field of social memory and studies of patriotism and the suppression of knowledge. Twenty six years on from the disintegration of ‘Reactor 4’ media coverage and popular commemoration rarely offer insight into the ‘decontamination programs’ which relied upon the military and a 30,000
HISTORY LEFT
BEHIND Living in the hectic metropolis of Manchester,
it’s hard to imagine the bustling streets empty and abandoned, the buildings left to ruin and decay, and complete silence where once was the sound of thousands of people. However there are entire Islands in the world that have been abandoned, now uninhabitable, and buildings which saw thousands pass through their walls, now empty and decaying.
Beelitz Military Hospital (BELOW)
This hospital in a suburb of Berlin was mostly abandoned by 2000, after over 100 years of use. It served as a sanatorium for the Imperial German Army in the First World War. After Adolf Hitler was injured at the Somme, he recuperated in this hospital. At the end of the Second World War, it was taken over by the Soviets and continued as a military hospital until 1995. Now only the Neurological Rehabilitation Centre is still in operation, the rest slowly decays, unvandalised. No longer a destination for injured soldiers but curious visitors and film-makers (The Pianist and Valkyrie used the location).
Hashima Island (ABOVE)
This concrete slab in the Pacific Ocean will be recognisable to anyone who has seen the latest Bond film, Skyfall. The island has been abandoned for nearly forty years but before then it had the highest population density in the world. Its reinforced concrete residential blocks were home to 5,000 employees of the Mitsubishi Corporation. The company mined coal from the seabed, around ‘Battleship’ Island. The labour force extracted huge quantities of coal but when demand for petroleum took off, Mitsubishi closed the mine and Hashima was deserted.
We all know plenty about Sicily, Crete and Cuba, but what about those tiny little patches of land in Earth’s vast oceans? Here’s a few interesting facts about three islands you may only know very little about…
Thursday Island (Waiben)
Waiben is the local Melanesian name for this island located just North of the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia. Home to a Melanesian population for thousands of years, the island is believed to have been first discovered by Captain William Bligh after being set afloat from the mutiny of the Bounty. A government outpost was set up by the British colonial government in 1877. In the 1880s it became a huge site for pearl diving, particularly popular with the Japanese and today there remain large gravesites on the islands for Japanese pearl divers. A fort was built in 1892 to protect the island from Russian occupation after worsening Anglo-Russian relations; however it has been out of use since 1927. During World War II it became the main government site for the entire group of islands in the area known as the Torres Strait Islands and it was spared from Japanese bombing due to Japanese concerns about pearl divers on the island. It became a subject of a territorial dispute with Papua New Guinea in the 1960s, due to the Melanesian population, but the decision was ruled in favour of Australia. Today it represents one of the challenges the Australian government faces regarding indigenous peoples.
South Sandwich Islands
We all know about the controversies surrounding the Falkland War, but the South Sandwich Islands were a site of British-Argentine tension long before the Falkland Islands. Located east of the Southern coast of Argentina, James Cook discovered these islands in 1775 who named them “Sandwich Land” in honour of the 4th Earl of Sandwich. They were formally annexed by the UK in 1908, however Argentina laid claim to the islands in 1938. They challenged British sovereignty on the islands numerous times, including maintaining a naval base on the southeastern coast of Thule Island from 1976 to 1982, after a brief stint in the same locale with a summer station in the mid-1950s. Efforts were made by the British to resolve the situation via diplomatic means, however it was unsuccessful and the issue was dissolved into the Falklands War in 1982. Today, they remain a British overseas territory which Argentina still lays claim to.
Diomede Islands
Perhaps the least known of this bunch, these two islands could have been the site of some particularly heavy nuclear bombing had the USSR not collapsed. They are located in the Bering Strait which separates Russia and Alaska. The islands are responsible for marking the boundary between Russia and the USA – the 1867 purchase of Alaska from the Russian Empire by the United States uses these islands as territorial markers. Big Diomede is still part of Russian territory and was once occupied by people, but during World War II the Soviet government relocated the entire population to the mainland in order to use the island as a military base. Little Diomede remains part of the USA and is home to a small Inuit population of 170 people. Though due to weather conditions the residents of Little Diomede are poorly connected to the mainland, a small Russian military presence on Big Diomede (only 2.5 miles away) might just be the last remnant of the Cold War.
JAMES BOND,
The Phantom Limb of the Empire theme remained: suaveness, unflappability, bottomless charm and the ability to do what was necessary. Despite what was considered rather silly overtones, the portrayals of an Englishman flying around the world solving international problems continued to reflect a belief Even if you have not, by some stroke of luck or misforthat Britain was a relevant power in the new world. tune, seen any of the James Bond films, it is very likely that you have at least heard of the franchise. This year When Timothy Dalton took on the role of James Bond, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first James this perception had changed, and as a result so did the Bond film Dr. No, and we are now on the sixth actor to films. They became darker and more realistic, focustake the reins of the womanising super spy. The books ing less on protecting the world and more on British go back even further. In many ways how James Bond is interests as Britain became less focused abroad and perceived reflects how the British see themselves, and more on domestic issues. However, with the collapse this is most clearly seen in the evolution of the James of the Soviet Union, the focus of the Bond films had Bond films, and how our perceptions have changed with to change drastically to remain relevant. The Brosnan them. films became a mix of the Moore and Dalton films, with outlandish gadgets accompanying more groundFor many, Sean Connery has been the best Bond to ed issues such as international terrorism and, in the date: smooth and charming yet at the drop of a hat a last Brosnan outing, the threat posed by North Korea. cold blooded killer with deadly efficiency. In the dying days of the British Empire this was a comforting imThis leads us to the latest instalment: the Craig films. age to hold on to, suggesting that whilst Britain’s star If we pretend for a moment, like most of the world, was fading, it was still powerful and not to be underesthat “Quantum of Solace” didn’t happen, the Dantimated despite its calmness. Roger Moore’s flicks (Laiel Craig Bond films have a radically different feel. In zenby’s one film stint was sandwiched between Cona reflection of what is demanded of an action hero nery’s and so for convenience will not be looked into) nowadays, Bond is still smooth and full of quips but were increasingly outlandish in a desperate attempt to now rougher round the edges, feeling pain like an accapitalise on current trends, as in Moonraker, yet one tual human being. This is a far cry from the Connery films of old, where it felt like nothing could really harm him, and this reflects how Britain sees itself today, no longer an undefeatable superpower, or a nation desperately clinging to an oldidea of empire, but tough and capable, able to hold its own on the world stage. Tom Oliver
Bulldog Jack by Royal Doulton as seen in Skyfall
Winds of Change? ...or just the same old problem?
Weather may be the most influential actor in human history. From fluctuating harvests to monumental changes in global climate, it will always be largely outside of our control. Storms are a sudden reminder of this. Only last week Hurricane Sandy threatened to undermine the work of dozens of political operatives working on the Presidential campaigns. Sandy is just one of a line of great storms that have threatened the Northeast United States and its role as the centre of the global economy over the past century.
deavour. Hurricane Sandy saw partisan politics cast aside in order to tackle the devastation it created in New Jersey and New York whilst unnamed heroes took to skis and snowmobiles to rescue stranded motorists, buried in their cars, and victims of blocked exhausts on Interstate-95 in the New England Blizzard of 1978. They also inspire innovation. The transport gridlock caused by the Great Blizzard of 1888 precipitated the first US subway system which is fundamental to why New York today is rarely paralysed by heavy snow.
The New England Hurricane of 1938 ravaged the north But the weather can turn: who knows if winter will see east leaving over 600 dead. Salford’s own Alistair Cooke, New York Library’s books burned as kindling? in a Letter from America, recalled reports of a New York cinema being carried two miles into the Atlantic with Kieran Smith twenty film-goers still inside. In Charlestown, Rhode STOP PRESS! Island a house was carried across the street, deposited Manchester PMH Graduate, Graham intact and stood, occupied, until it was demolished last year. In 1944 The Great Atlantic Hurricane stormed, Hughes, is the first person to visuninvited, into the Second World War and sunk a U.S. it all 201 countries in the world without flying! 200 weeks from Navy Destroyer and Minesweeper. starting, travelling 250,000km As well as inspiring awe at the force of nature, super- over land and sea, he entered storms are responsible for awe-inspiring human en- South Sudan on 26th November.
The Economic History of the
European Union
706 years later, much of the continent is tied, to some degree, to the European Union evidenced by Greece’s recent signing of the New Deal. How did this come to pass? The foundations of the European Union lie in the establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) following the basis for the rationalisation of Europe’s steel industry outlined by French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman in 1950. For the first time, member states of the ECSC would be brought together under a supranational political authority. The ECSC was eventually ratified when France, Italy, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium and West Germany signed the Treaty of Paris in 1951. Further attempts by the French government to widen the political integration of Europe, however, were met with opposition as plans for a European Defence Community (EDC) and a European Political Community were shelved in 1954, with European collective security organised through NATO instead. However, despite this defeat, 1957 saw the organisation of the Treaty of Rome between member states of the ECSC, which led to the establishment of the European Economic Community (EEC) and European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) following the recommendations of the Spaak Report. The Treaty of Rome served for the basis of the widening of political integration. By 1967, the ECSC, EEC and Euratom were merged to create the European Communities - later named the European Community (EC) – after the Merger Treaty in Brussels. However there were also increasing intimations regarding the possibility of a European-wide monetary integration, which were influenced by fears over the stability of international finance and the need for Europe to secure its monetary future. The 1970s and ‘80s saw the increasing influence of the EC and the common market in the European political and economic landscape, seeing its membership increase in 1973 with Denmark, Ireland and the United
Kingdom. Following further enlargements to the ranks of the EC, the Maastricht Treaty was signed in 1992, paving the way for the establishment of the European Union (EU) and led to the establishment of a single European currency – the Euro – presided over by the European Central Bank. Further amendments to the Maastricht Treaty came in the form the Amsterdam (1999), Nice (2003) and Lisbon Treaties (2009) in which adjustments were made to the functioning and democratic legitimacy of the EU, accommodating Eastward expansion and enhancing individual citizenship rights. Contemporary debate concerning the European Union is concerned with the stability of the Eurozone’s monetary integrity, specifically the health of European banks and European budget deficits. It is increasingly widely acknowledged that in order to ensure the long-term health of the Eurozone and its banks, further European integration should take place in the form of a European banking union. The aim behind a banking union is to oversee a co-ordinated supervision and regulation of European banks and ensure that good financial practises are followed. The talks regarding this next stage of European integration are poised to begin in Brussels this December. Michael Cass
AASHISH
VELKAR
Philipp Rössner
The history of European integration can be traced back to 1306, and the idea proposed by Pierre Dubois that European princes should form an assembly in order to attempt to secure a lasting European peace.
History of Evil Corporations
One of the most controversial episodes of October 2012 was the revelation that many multinational companies, including Starbucks, Apple and Google, have been evading corporate taxes in the UK through tax management schemes. Most strikingly, all of these schemes have been legal leading to suggestions that such companies have undue influence over politicians in this country. However, commercial interference in the state is nothing new.
And on a lighter note... How Bikes Changed Our History
The concepts of mobility and freedom are centuries-old, yet little has shaped their history more than the bicycle.
German Karl Von Drais created the first commercially successful, two-wheeled vehicle in 1818. He called it the velocipede and across Europe Drais’ d e s i g n was copied and reinvented as fashionable. It was, however, confined to an aristocratic market by its high novelty and financial value. London dock-workers christened the velocipedes “dandy-horses” in reference to the type of men who rode them.
Much of the initial imperial expansion of Britain is owed to commercial interest. The desire to dominate the markets for primary goods in Europe led to conflict between companies that often turned violent. It was in the interest of states economically for their own companies to control these markets. This interest led to military (the supply of troops) and eco- The vehicle returned to vogue when an unknown French nomic (in the form of limited liability) intervention. metal-worker added pedals to the velocipede frame. In 1868 velocipedes were produced on an industrial scale in In no case did this intervention prove more successful Paris but its high price excluded workers from the craze. than in that of the East India Company. It was Elizabeth 1st who granted the company the monopoly in It was the invention of the safety bike in the 1890s that trade from the Cape of Good Hope. Through grant- marked a turning point in personal mobility. The unstaing licenses for privateering and the limited service ble and dangerous high-wheel cycles of the 1870s were of her navies, Britain could successfully manage this more likely to break your wrists than change your prostrading stream, guaranteeing huge domestic profits. pects but their successor was a big improvement. This Although the East India Company did pay its taxes, it benefited politically in many other ways. Most notably, an East India Company lobby was created, designed solely to protect its interests in parliament. Furthermore, by financially supporting unstable foreign leaders, they ensured their continued influence abroad. If any aspect of the company is echoed in the recent headlines, this must surely be it. However, this history provides a word of warning for today’s multinationals. The ultimate downfall of the East India Company was not market competition; it was rather its increasing involvement in the Bengalese government that meant it simply stopped focusing on trade. As such, politics killed the profits of the East India Company. Alice Rigby
gave way to the “golden age” of bicycle manufacture. For women this transformation was particularly important. The safety bicycle was the “freedom machine” that gave women unprecedented mobility out of their homes and into society. It became a symbol of the “New Woman” even in its impact on clothing: restrictive corsets and dresses could not be worn while cycling. The influence of the bicycle on women’s emancipation was massive. In western societies the vehicle boom of the early twentieth century turned cycling into a leisure activity. Different styles of bike emerged but with the primary function of exercise and enjoyment. Yet in Vietnam or China the initial value of bikes lives on. There are now more bikes than people in some major Chinese cities, many mobilizing poor workers. Over two centuries the bicycle has been converted from the playboy’s toy to the working man’s carrier. Alex Underwood
An announcement from THE HISTORY SOCIETY:
Following our sporting theme last issue, we asked the History Society for an update on its sports teams . This semester the History Society has fielded four sports teams in the Campus Leagues. All four teams have proved a refreshing addition to the Campus League scene, demonstrating a competitive zeal in their efforts whilst providing the fun and relaxed environment in which History students have been able to enjoy their sport. Despite a strong start to the season from the cricket, netball and football sides, the stand-out team of the season so far has been the hockey. Pushing for promotion and already looking set as one of the strongest sides in their division, the hockey team have played an exciting and enjoyable brand of the sport. Having caught up with ‘star player’ Will Porter in between lectures, I had an opportunity to catch his views on the season so far: ‘playing hockey for history has been a liberating experience, it’s given me the opportunity to get to know my course-mates even better in a social environment, whilst bringing a joie de vivre to the campus league scene’. With the end of the semester approaching all the sides are looking forward to a restorative winter break, a chance to be refreshed and ready for the final push for success in the second half of the year. Jamie Lawlor President of the History Society If you are interested in playing in a team for History, email histsport@gmail.com.
EVENTS 6th December: Miles Taylor (IHR), The Cult of Queen Victoria in India, 4pm for 4.15pm, Room 4.206, University Place. Research Seminar. 14th to 25th January: Exam Period. N.B. The examination timetables are published the last two weeks of term. 30th January: Sasha Handley, ‘Sleep and Sociability in Eighteenth-Century England’, 1-2pm, Mansfield Cooper 4.05. 31st January to 4th February: History Society Trip to Prague. Excitement is building for our post-exam Prague trip! Shake off those revision blues with a post-exam trip to the lively city of Prague. Historical sites, Czech beer and big nights out - the perfect combination. You can book your place now with just a £40 deposit. £149 total. http://www.outgoing.co.uk/trip/manchistprag Semester 2, Wednesday Lunchtime Seminars, feel free to bring a packed lunch. Everybody welcome. Any enquiries to penny.summerfield@manchester.ac.uk 13th February: Georg Christ, ‘Trade Embargoes. Concept - Enforcement - Coping Mechanisms in Northern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean in the thirteenth century’, 1-2pm, Mansfield Cooper 4.05. 27th February: Chris Manias, ‘Public Presentations of Deep Time Evolution in the early-twentieth century’, 1-2pm, Mansfield Cooper 4.05. 13th March: Jenny Spinks, ‘Civil war, print culture and violence in sixteenth-century France’, 1-2pm, Mansfield Cooper 4.05. 17th April: Laurence Brown, ‘The 1962 Commonwealth Immigrants Act: A Global History’, Wednesdays 1-2pm, Mansfield Cooper 4.05. 1st May Sarah Roddy, ‘The spiritual empire strikes back: Transnationalism, migration and Ireland’s “devotional revolution”’, Wednesdays 1-2pm, Mansfield Cooper 4.05.
Arletty’s Parlour
Cosy café bar serving tasty food, coffees and fantastic cocktails!
Free Wi-Fi Inside The Lansdowne Hotel 346 Wilmslow Road Manchester M14 6AB arlettysparlour12@gmail.com Find us on Facebook and Twitter
Come and celebrate the end of the semester with the History Staff Wednesday 12 December 5-6.30pm Samuel Alexander North Foyer
Come along for
free drinks mince pies and