MOVING INTO A NEW WORLD
ISSUE 27 | JUNE 2017
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UK AND FRENCH ELECTIONS 105 YEARS SINCE THE SINKING OF THE TITANIC THE COLLAPSE OF THE SOVIET UNION
Behind every story… There is History
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ISSUE 27 | JUNE 2017
What’s Inside HISTORY IN THE HEADLINES UK General Election Preview............................................................... 4 French Elections.................................................................................. 5 The Influence of Prince Phillip............................................................ 6 The sinking of the Titanic .................................................................... 6
MOVING INTO A NEW WORLD
The collapse of the Soviet Union.........................................................7 End of the Roman Empire...................................................................8 End of the Slave Trade.........................................................................9 Idi Amin............................................................................................. 10 The Significance of Queen Victoria....................................................11 Armistice Day.....................................................................................11
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HISTORY YOU SHOULD KNOW
Sherlock Holmes.................................................................................12 Elvis Presley.........................................................................................12 A History of Korea................................................................................13 The 1956 Hungarian Revolution........................................................14 Simón Bolívar.....................................................................................14
HISTORY UPDATES
What’s Going on Around Manchester............................................... 15 History Society................................................................................... 16 Peer Mentors..................................................................................... 16 History Netball.................................................................................. 17 History FC..........................................................................................17
Editors
Araddhna Patel Will Bain
Head of Design
Olivia Mansfield
Head of Copy-Editing
Dan O’Byrne
Head of Marketing
Tom Denman
Head of Online
Orsolya Plesz
Design Team
Ollie Potter Lauren Dawes Ella Comben Paddy Marshall Natalie Branca
Copy - Editing Team
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Shannon Winterbone Holly Hark Megan Cunliffe Tony Scott Caitlin Hughes Ben Ryan Steven Bennett Kate McCoubrey James Blower
Front Cover via The Telegraph
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ISSUE 27| JUNE 2017
A Note from the Editors
When you’re knocked down, get right back up and never listen to anyone who says you can’t or shouldn’t go on.”– Hillary Clinton
Photo via @TheMcrHistorian
The Manchester Christmas Markets: Image © 2015 latimes.com Credit Manchester Evening News.
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ISSUE 27 | JUNE 2017
HISTORY IN THE HEADLINES UK General Election preview
On 18 April 2017 Theresa May declared there would be a General Election held on 8 June. This shocked the nation, because on 20 March, Mrs May’s spokesperson firmly said “there isn’t going to be one. It isn’t going to happen. There is not going to be a general election.” Theresa May became leader of the Tory Party and Prime Minister following the unexpected result of Brexit, which saw 51.9 percent of the British population vote in favour of leaving the European Union, a Union which had been in place since 1993. Many taunts have been hurled towards Mrs May, mocking the fact that she is an unelected leader. Yet here we are, and in less than a month we shall utilise our constitutional right and flock to vote once more. With this, Theresa May has given Great Britain the chance to vocalise whether indeed they want a “strong and stable leadership”, or whether in-fact that adhere to a doctrine which is there “for the many, not the few.” The political parties have been campaigning vigorously and hopping from town to town in a bid to rally and mobilise support for their campaign. Jeremy Corbyn himself was in Manchester last week, appealing to Labour voters. Inevitably, The Conservative Party and The Labour Party are the front runners within the General Election. Recently, (following a leak of Labour’s Manifesto), their official manifestos were released. Looking at Workers’ rights, Brexit, Education, Health, Immigration and Democracy, here is a side by side comparison of the Labour and Conservative Manifestos.
Education: • •
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Labour: “believes in fair rules and reasonable management of migration” and will not resort to “bogus” immigration targets. Scrap income thresholds for spouses of migrants who want to come to the UK Creation of a Migrant Impact Fund to support public services in host communities. It will be funded by visa levies and a contributory element from residence visas for high net worth individuals. Conservative: Commitment to “bear down on immigration from outside the EU” across all visa routes. Immigration cut to under 100,000. Foreign students expected to leave the country at the end of their course unless they meet new “higher” requirements allowing them to stay. Overseas students to remain in the immigration statistics.
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Labour: “accepts the referendum result” and intends to build a close new relationship with Europe “not as members but as partners”. Retain benefits of single market and customs union. Immediately guarantee existing rights of EU nationals living in Britain and secure reciprocal rights for UK citizens living in another EU country. No “no deal” option at the end of Article 50 negotiations, with “transitional arrangements” negotiated instead to avoid cliff-edge. Scrap Great Repeal Bill and replace with EU Rights and Protections Bill. Conservative: Exit the European single market and customs union but seek a “deep and special partnership” including comprehensive free trade and customs agreement. Vote in both Houses of Parliament on “final agreement” for Brexit. Assess whether to continue with specific European programmes and it “will be reasonable that we make a contribution” to the ones which continue. Agree terms of future partnership with EU alongside withdrawal, both within the two years allowed under Article 50.Convert EU law into UK law and later allow parliament to pass legislation to “amend, repeal or improve” any piece of this. Remain signatories to the European Convention on Human Rights for the next parliament. Repeal or replace the Human Rights Act “while the process of Brexit is under way” ruled out, although consideration will be given to the UK’s “human rights legal framework” when Brexit concludes. Reduce and control immigration from Europe after Brexit. Seek to replicate all existing EU free trade agreements. Support the ratification of trade agreements entered into during our EU membership. Introduce a Trade Bill in the next parliament. Create a network of Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioners to head nine new regional overseas posts. Reconvene the Board of Trade to increase exports from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as well as England.
Labour: More than £30 billion of extra funding for the NHS through increased income tax for top five percent earners, increased tax on private medical insurance and halving management consultants’ fees. Pay cap scrapped. EU NHS workers’ rights immediately protected. NHS Sustainability and Transformation Plans halted. Conservative: Real terms increases in NHS spending reaching £8 billion extra per year by 2022/23. A new GP contract and changes to the contract for hospital consultants. Retain the ninety five percent four hour A&E target. Require foreign workers and overseas students to pay more to cover the cost of NHS care.
Workers’ rights: •
Brexit: •
Labour: Tuition fees abolished and maintenance grants reintroduced for university students. Conservative: Pump an extra £4 billion into schools by 2022. Scrap free school lunches for infants in England, but offer free breakfasts across the primary years. No school will have its budget cut as a result of the new funding formula. At least a hundred new free schools a year. End ban on grammar schools - conditions would include allowing pupils to join at “other ages as well as eleven”. Ask universities and independent schools to help run state schools. A specialist maths school to be opened in every major city in England due to new funding arrangements. Every eleven-yearold expected to know their times tables off by heart. If universities want to charge maximum tuition fees, they will be required to “become involved” in academy sponship or the founding of free schools Introduce T-Levels. Change the rules to allow the establishment of new Roman Catholic schools. New faith schools will now have to prove parents of other faiths and none would be prepared to send their children to that school. Work to build up the investment funds of universities across the UK.
Health:
Immigration: •
Kate McCoubrey
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Labour: Creation of a Ministry of Labour to deliver investment in enforcing workers’ rights. Repeal Trade Union Act and introduce “sectoral collective bargaining” through unions. Zero hours contracts outlawed. Unpaid internships banned. Employers stopped from only recruiting from overseas. Bring minimum wage in line with living wage - at least £10 an hour by 2020. Rights for all workers to have access to trade union. Paternity leave doubled to four weeks and paternity pay increased. Protections for women on maternity leave strengthened. Four new public holidays to mark patron saints’ days. Public inquiry into blacklisting notification. Conservative: Increase the National Living Wage to sixty percent of median earnings by 2020. Ensure people working in the ‘gig’ economy are properly protected. Change the law to ensure listed companies nominate a director from the workforce, create a formal employee advisory council or assign specific responsibility for employee representation to a designated non-executive director. Introduce a right for employees to request information relating to the future direction of the company.
Democracy: • •
Labour: Lower voting age to sixteen. Conservative: Provide clarity across England on what devolution means for different administrations so all authorities operate in a common framework. A referendum on Scottish independence cannot take place until the Brexit process has played out and it should not take place unless there is public consent for it to happen. Protect the interests of Scotland and Wales as new UK farming and fisheries policy develops. Recognise Northern Ireland’s unique circumstances as UK leaves the European Union and will seek to ensure its interests are protected. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter who you chose to vote for. What is important it becoming informed. Too many people say “Politics is boring, it has nothing to do with me”, but the truth is that it has everything to do with you. We are lucky enough to reside within a country where democracy is valued, and in this it is important that we make an informed decision. Most importantly we have a civic duty to go to the ballots and cast a vote in accordance with that decision.
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French Elections: Macron beats Le Pen Lucy Wickham In April 2016, a few hundred people gathered in a provincial town north of Paris to hear Emmanuel Macron speak. Macron spoke of French industry and employment, and set out his vision for the future of France. He launched his brand new political movement, En Marche! (On the Move!) a little over a year ago, yet today he wakes up in the Élysée Palace as the President of France. It has been a meteoric rise for Mr Macron, who has never before held an elected office, and who spent two years working as Minister of the Economy, Industry and Digital Affairs in his predecessor François Hollande’s socialist government.
Le Pen was ardently anti-EU and her election would have caused the whole of the union to reassess and threatened the prospect of a ‘Frexit’. However, following Macron’s win, the French stock market surged and the euro took a huge gain. His views on business and the economy will win him favour with the commercial world, such as his suggestion of cutting French corporation tax from thirty three percent to twenty five percent, which will put France near the top of the list for companies looking to relocate following Brexit.
Macron’s win will also have wide implications for Britain’s exit from the European Union. The main implication concerns the Macron the centrist was victorious over the far-right Front wider security of the grand European endeavour. A victory by National candidate, Marine Le Pen, when he won sixty six perMarine Le Pen would have further stoked the anti-EU senticent of the vote in the second ment across Europe and threatround run-off. It was an unusual ened the very existence of the second round which did not feaUnion. The EU can handle Britain ture a candidate from any of the deciding to leave, but if France mainstream, traditional parties left, the EU would be in ruins. and with no candidate from the Macron’s pro-European stance, left of the political spectrum. It and the fact that his first priority also leaves France in the highly was a meeting with the German unusual situation of a president Chancellor, Angela Merkel, sends whose party does not hold a the message that the EU is safe single seat in the parliament. for now, and the populist craze Of course, En Marche will be might well have ended with fielding candidates in the June Trump’s election. parliamentary elections, but if Macron (left) and LePen (right) Photo via The Local France Macron’s movement fails to win The UK’s antipathy for the a majority of seats, or perhaps European Union has failed to even any at all, then his presidency will be plagued by coalicatch on elsewhere, with Geert Wilders’ far-right party in tions and a stunted agenda. the Netherlands failing to deliver in their election. France’s election of a pro-European president means that Brussels can Some would argue that Mr Macron’s rise was caused by a calm down, and it is less important for the EU to treat the UK number of lucky events for the young president, without harshly in negotiations to prove a point. However, this does which he would not have been elected. It helped him that not mean that negotiations will be plain sailing for Britain. the two main parties (the Republicans and the Socialist Party) Mr Macron has repeatedly suggested that he stands strong chose candidates from the fringes of their respective parties. with the EU and believes that the negotiations should be The choice between Jean-Luc Mélenchon for the left and heavily in Europe’s favour. François Fillon for the right, left a gaping hole in the centre ground which Mr Macron filled up nicely. Fillon was plagued Consequently, although Emmanuel Macron’s victory is a by a scandal over his wife’s job and his attitude towards relief for many across Europe, the fact that Marine Le Pen money. The Socialist candidate Benoit Hamon polled only six still received more than 10 million votes and increased the percent in the first round. vote share from when her father was in the run-off in 2002, shows that the far-right populist threat is not dead yet. The But what does Emmanuel Macron’s victory mean for the rest EU should therefore watch Mr Macron’s presidency carefully, of the European Union? Well, a Macron win has removed and any coalitions with the other parties following the June the chance of a political and economic shock to Europe. parliamentary elections should be closely examined. @TheMcrHistorian 5
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The Influence of Prince Phillip At the age of ninety five, the outspoken Duke of Edinburgh has been at the heart of the British Royal Family for the last seventy years, standing at the Queen’s side as her consort and her life partner. Although he has often been embroiled in scandal and his family has had every facet of their lives scrutinised by the press, the Prince has nevertheless managed to hold the family together throughout their reign, and has ensured a line of succession spanning across three generations. However, the course of history could have been very different for Prince Philip. Born in Greece into both the Danish and Greek Royal Families as the grandson of Queen Victoria, he spent his early years on the run, fleeing Greece as a baby aboard a British naval vessel during the Greco-Turkish war. His family then saw itself scattered across Europe, with his sisters marrying into the German Royal Family while he was adopted by Lord Mountbatten and raised and educated in Britain. Having been a promising naval Lieutenant during World War Two, he considered a career in the navy before marrying Queen Elizabeth in 1947. When the Queen was coronated in 1952, he had to give up this idea. Until his retirement, however, he continued his honorific duties in the military as Colonel-in-Chief of numerous regiments and, as of 2011, Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom.
The Titanic
Harry Prestwich
Faced with the prospect of having to find a new role for himself outside of the military, he dedicated his life to charitable work, choosing to create, support and represent over 800 charitable organisations during his life. The most notable of which is his work in conservation with the WWF, of which he was president for fifteen years from 1981 – 1996. He has also maintained a keen interest in education, having been the Chancellor of the Universities of Cambridge, Edinburgh and Salford. Despite this, he has often received harsh criticism from the press. His impromptu remarks and sense of humour have often seen him labelled as sexist and racist. His supporters argue, however, that his comments were often taken out of context and twisted by the press to portray him negatively. The British monarchy’s relevance has become a popular question in the twenty-first century, with many viewing it as obsolete. But those who question the work ethic of the Royals need only look at Prince Philip’s life to realise that the Royal Family is a family of hard workers. At the age of ninety five, Prince Philip is retiring from his official duties to take some well-deserved rest and to reflect on the influential role he has played in supporting so many charitable foundations during his life.
Imogen Major
105 years since it sank The Titanic was known as one of the most luxurious ships of her time, accommodating up to 2453 wealthy and poor passengers. However, whilst on her way from Southampton to New York City, the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean causing her to sink in the early hours of 15 April 1912. Over 1500 people were killed in the incident, making it one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in modern history. The lives of both the Titanic’s architect Thomas Andrews and captain Edward Smith were lost in the disaster along with countless other staff and passengers; most of whom were third class and male. The Iceberg was first spotted at 11:40pm on 14 April and although first officer Murdoch tried to avoid a collision, his attempts were unsuccessful and the Titanic ultimately hit, sinking completely at around 2:20am. Inquiries into the tragedy began soon after with the US Senate beginning their inquiries on 19 April followed by the British Board of Trade inquiry later in the year. The overall findings stated a combination of failures which led to the sinking including inadequate lifeboat facilities and regulations, failures of the captain to take ice warnings seriously, the fact that lifeboats were not filled to capacity and the fact that the ship was travelling too fast in an unsafe area. Consequently, the International Ice Patrol was
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set up and stricter regulations were introduced through the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, both of which are still in place today. Although it has been 105 years since the disaster, the Titanic has never been forgotten and its legacy lives on even today. As previously discussed, it meant that maritime safety regulations were updated, including new lifeboat requirements, the introduction of lifeboat drills and the Radio Act of 1912 which insisted on twenty-four-hour communication access on passenger liners. Furthermore, the Titanic has also been the inspiration for works of both fiction and non-fiction. The first film ever released was named Saved from the Titanic and came out only twenty-nine days after the disaster, casting an actual survivor for its star role. Many years later in 1997, James Cameron released his Titanic which won eleven Academy awards (including best picture) and is still extremely popular today. More recently, the Titanic has been the inspiration for a play named Titanic the Musical which will tour the UK in 2018. Additionally, the legacy of the Titanic also lives on through the many memorials and monuments set up to commemorate the ship and victims. One incredibly famous example is Titanic Belfast opened in 2012 on the actual site where the Titanic was built. www.manchesterhistorian.com
ISSUE 27| JUNE 2017
MOVING INTO A NEW WORLD The Collapse of the Berlin Wall & the Soviet Union “From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent.” When Winston Churchill made this speech on 5 May 1946, he was speaking of the metaphorical division between Western Europe and the Eastern Bloc, and the tensions that would escalate into the Cold War. By 1961, this metaphorical division had become physical, a wall built by the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), separating West Berlin from surrounding Eastern Germany. Berlin became the epicentre of the entire Cold War conflict, and the Berlin Wall became symbolic of the division.
Rebecca Underwood
surrounded it, became symbolic of the wider ideological battle between East and West thatwas the focus of the world.
It is estimated that around 5000 East Berliners tried to cross the wall, and 239 were killed in their attempts; the youngest a one-year old baby, the eldest an 80-year old woman. Peter Fetcher, an 18-year old bricklayer, was shot as he and his friend attempted to cross the wall. His friend made it successfully to West Berlin, but Fetcher fell back into the East, and was left, bleeding, to die. He lay for 45 minutes before he died, as citizens watched, unable to go to his aid for fear of their own life.
The Cold War, which lasted from 1947 to 1991, was ideologically fought between the USA and the USSR, and was called so because of the lack of direct fighting between the two By the mid-1980s Mikhail Gorbachev as General Secretary sides, despite several proxy wars in Asia. Although there was of the USSR had begun making changes to the Soviet state. no global-scale fighting, the Cold War He employed economic reform known had a massive impact on world polias perestroika, or restructuring, and tics. The resultant arms race brought foreign reform known as glasnost, or the planet closer to nuclear war than openness. Gorbachev restricted the ever before. People’s lives became power of the Communist Party, and dominated by the threat of nuclear Cold War relations began to thaw. apocalypse, with the USA broadcastEastern Europe started to break away ing adverts advising its citizens to from the Soviet bloc and the USSR be“Duck and Cover” in the event of an gan to crumble. High-profile western attack. Culture was also influenced artists such as David Bowie and Bruce by the Cold War. The Motion Picture Springsteen staged concerts close to Alliance for the Preservation of the Berlin Wall, as anti-Wall sentiMemorial to those killed trying to cross the wall. Photo via Emirates American Ideals, whose members inment grew. cluded Walt Disney, Ronald Reagan and John Wayne, was formed to track down apparent comOn 9 November 1989, demolition of the wall began, with munists in Hollywood, blacklisting the so-called “Hollywood mass television coverage of German citizens knocking down Ten” from working in the industry. the wall. Two years later, following much more unrest in Eastern Europe, the USSR was officially dissolved. The Belin Wall itself became the centre of the tension. The wall was erected virtually overnight in 1961. East Berliners Today, a trail of bricks mark the route that the Berlin Wall found that they could no longer reach their jobs in the West, once took through the city. Parts of the wall remain standing and vice versa. Families and loved ones were separated today – for tourists to visit and bear witness to the true scale without warning. The wall was built supposedly to ‘protect’ of the division. Memorials stand with images and flowers East Berliners from the capitalism and fascism of the West. of those who were killed in their escape attempts. Although In reality, the wall was built to prevent those from the Eastthe USSR was not dissolved until two years after the fall of ern Bloc from immigrating to West Germany in the hope of the wall, the wall remains the most renowned symbol of the a better life. Western companies such as Coca Cola erected whole Cold War conflict – the physical divsion of a country huge advertisements on top of buildings that could be seen that became the epicentre of an ideological battle between from East Berlin in order to promote capitalist commercialtwo countries that engulfed the world. ism and freedom. Kaufhaus de Westerns (Department Store of the West) became symbolic of the economic power of the Al Capone West versus that of the East. The wall, and all that @TheMcrHistorian
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End of the Roman Empire Tom Verheyden What do a bloody battle outside the gates of an impregnable imperial city, the destruction of the city that once led an Empire and the abdication of a sixteen-year-old Emperor all have in common? These events aligned to produce the downfall of the Western Roman Empire, in tandem with centuries of political disputes and chaos. Many scholars have been unable to identify the exact moment the Roman Empire ended. Nonetheless, the fall of the Western Empire in the late fourth and fifth century catalyzed the beginning of the end of Rome as an entity of global power. Despite the survival of Constantinople, the fall of Rome and the disintegration of Roman rule in the West signified the end of the Roman Empire as a political structure and its sovereign influence. Opposition to the mighty Roman Army began to impact the Western Empire’s capacity to succeed in military conquest. Since the third century, emperors had been recruited based on their ability as military generals and were often found directly leading campaigns, contrasting the politicized role of the Emperor in the principate. Arguably, Rome’s biggest struggle was its potential to maintain the Northern frontier, leading to the rise of barbarian nomads and an increased influx of migrants into the Empire. One particular group of barbarians, the Goths, came very close to capturing the newly established capital of the Empire, Constantinople. Occurring in the Battle of Adrianople in 378, the conflict also led to the death of the Emperor Valens and emphasised the strength of barbarian armies and their qualities as violent and brutish war lords. This signified a change in military tactics as emperors no longer led armies into battle and instead, as described by Stephen Mitchell, allowed ‘their courts became sedentary’. At the beginning of the fifth century, the Goths branched out into factions and the Visigoths, led by Alaric, turned their attention to the Western half of the Empire. Alaric and his Visigothic army continually threatened to invade Italy and demanded to be offered monetary compensation for his tribe to establish resources. These attempts throughout the fifth century AD put the whole Empire on edge. When no money was sent, Alaric besieged Rome in 408, leading to peaceful negotiations being set up to counteract his blockade. However, leading generals had sworn to never strike a deal with Alaric and negotiations disintegrated rapidly. The anxiety regarding capture proved justified on the 24 August, 410 when the city of Rome fell. Jerome – a fifth century historian- explicitly described how ‘the City that had once [conquered] the entire world was captured’. Not only was this a physical blow to the strength of the Roman Empire and its military strength but wasAlumni also a Athletic symbolic one and the wealthWatson of the Hutton city alongside The Club in 1910, Alexander top centre, Wikimedia Commons
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its reputation had been demolished. Eventually, the West remained political unstable and, as chaotic and unsuitable leadership dominated the later fifth century, the child emperor Romulus Augustulus abdicated in 476AD. Not only was this illustrative of the potential disarray caused by the appointment of child emperors across the fifth century - Theodosius II was raised to the role of co-Emperor a year after his birth- but also led to a political crisis. The Western capital had relocated to Ravenna because of the continued attacks happening in Italy. As Odoacer established himself as King of Italy, the Roman influence in the West was at a minimal level. The Emperor Zeno decided to permit Theoderic and the Ostrogoth to establish a new dynasty in Italy. Theodoric usurped Odoacer and maintained Roman values but marked his succession as a separate entity from the Empire. Attempts to re-conquer the Western Half of the Empire made by the sixth-century Emperor Justinian, although successful, did not last. Despite this, the Eastern half of the Empire continued to thrive into the Middle Ages and Constantinople remained the imperial capital of a declining Empire. Commonly referred to as the Byzantine Empire, any traces of Roman rule ceased to exist following the Fall of Constantinople in 1451. Despite its destruction, the Roman Empire has had huge influence on modern times. Not only do we now occupy cities founded by Romans, elements of the Empire’s political system and philosophy are ingrained in modern Western culture and Rome encouraged the spread of Christianity as a westernized religion. The empire may have been brought to its knees by the might of the barbarian hordes, but the legacy of imperial Rome has withstood the test of time.
An Artistic interpretation of the Visigoth’s Sack of Rome in AD410 Photo via Wordpress
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ISSUE 27| JUNE 2017
End of the Slave Trade in the US Shannon Winterbone In the early seventeenth century, several European countries began to implement the longest, and most sustained, forced migration in history: the slave trade. In colonial America, Spanish and Portuguese explorers had arrived expecting to discover gold, only to instead find tobacco which became a booming market. Poor Europeans who signed up as indentured servants were established as the main source of labour, but they could not satisfy the demand for tobacco with their temporary contracts. In need for a workforce, the colonists set their sights on the coasts of Africa. While it is argued that some slaves may have arrived before the discovery of Jamestown, the first recorded arrival of slaves to the Americas came in 161; thereafter the slave trade rapidly expanded. As African men, women and children were being taken from their homes, they forcibly became part of a growing workforce which would strengthen colonial America’s economy. While the self-sustaining slave population grew, the market for slaves developed exponentially with the success of the tobacco harvest and the introduction of slave fortresses.
the white ideals of slavery south of the Mason-Dixon line; to be a slave in nineteenth-century American South was to know that you were a commodity. Along with the diminishing of the slave population in the northern states came the cause for abolition, which was mainly circulated by free blacks and white sympathisers alike. Although slaves had been escaping since slavery began, systems such as the Underground Railroad were implemented across the American South to methodically free slaves and get them to the north and into Canada as quickly as possible. While the cause took on speed and became a national outcry, seven slave-holding states suddenly announced their decision to secede from America in February 1861; the American Civil War thus broke out two months later. The conflict was the deadliest in American history, with a horrifically high death-toll on both sides.
The main reason for the outbreak of this war was the Unionists’ desire to end slavery in all American states. Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which granted freedom “Racism did not exist in the It has been argued that racism did to all slaves, though not to those still not exist in the early stages of slavery early stages of slavery.” trapped in the American South during the and that the introduction of diswar. Once the Confederacy had collapsed criminatory laws to subjugate slaves in 1865, all slaves were immediately developed ideas of white superiority. declared free and a period of reconstrucLines between the colonists and the enslaved were drawn by tion began to rebuild southern states and to enact hugely the creation of acts which purposely held the slaves to their significant changes to the American Constitution. The thirconditions permanently, making escape extremely difficult. teenth, fourteenth and fifteenth Constitutional Amendments It was decreed that the children of enslaved women would abolished all forms of slavery, gave African-Americans the automatically become slaves and that baptised slaves could right to vote and granted them American citizenship; this no longer use their Christianisation to secure freedom. was the first time in which black people were recognised as These laws allowed the colonists to successfully continue equal to white people by American law. the slave trade throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth Prior to the Civil Rights Movement in the late twentieth centuries and push the enslaved to the bottom of society century, all black Americans were given access to education using mental and physical abuse. As slavery developed through the formation of black schools and colleges across into an economic institution, small resistances were carried the nation. Black intellectualism began to spread through out by the enslaved, which ranged from breaking tools to the circulation of newspapers and literature which solidified organising large rebellions. Most attempts were quashed, the collective African-American identity by propagating the however, and resulted in the prosecution or execution of need to keep fighting for equality. The momentous abolition those involved. of slavery thus gave all black Americans a platform for their By the early nineteenth century, slavery had been abanvoices to be heard, which would grow stronger in the years doned in the American north while enduring in the South leading up to the Civil Rights Movement and beyond. due to the thriving market for cotton. Since the cotton gin’s invention, cotton production multiplied fifty times over and prompted the mass migration of slaves from the north to the south to propagate the trade. This further entrenched
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ISSUE 27 | JUNE 2017
Idi Amin
Araddhna Patel
The Expulsion of South Asians from Uganda Since Idi Amin did not write an autobiography, research on his background is limited. Amin was born in 1923 in either Koboko or Kampala. A researcher from Makerere University has stated that Amin was the son of Andreas Nyabire, who converted from Roman Catholicism to Islam and changed his name to Amin Dada. Andreas abandoned his son, leaving him to grow up with his mother’s family in a rural Ugandan town. Amin was educated in an Islamic school, only reaching grade four before being leaving and later being recruited by a British colonial army officer. As the daughter and granddaughter of Indian immigrants from Uganda in East Africa, I grew up listening to the stories of Idi Amin’s reign of terror. It was after a military coup that Milton Obote was deposed from power in 1971. Idi Amin then seized control of Uganda and ruled for the following eight years until Obote regained power. Throughout his rule, Amin not only committed genocide within Uganda, but also forcibly removed the Indian minority from Uganda - completely ruining the country’s economy. In the 1800s, it had been a deliberate decision by the British administration to bring South Asians into Uganda. They were to ‘serve as a buffer between Europeans and Africans in the middle rungs of commerce and administration.’ Over 30,000 Indian labourers were brought over from British India to begin construction of the Uganda Railway. However, when Obote served his first term as president, he pursued a policy of ‘Africanisation,’ which included policies targeted at Ugandan Asians. Obote persecuted Indian ‘traders,’ as they were then stereotyped. Furthermore, they were labelled ‘dukawallas,’ which is an occupational term that transitioned into an anti-Indian slur when Amin came into power.
and physical and sexual violence by Ugandan soldiers. Many Asians who had received citizenship status chose to leave voluntarily, fearing further intimidation and violence if Amin went back on his word and expelled them from Uganda too. Amin defended the expulsion by arguing that he was giving Uganda back to the ethnic Ugandan. He also claimed that God spoke to him in a dream, saying South Asians were responsible for exploiting the indigenous citizens of Uganda. Amin also accused them of sabotaging Uganda’s economy and encouraging corruption. It has also been suggested that Amin was plotting vengeance against the British government due to their refusal to provide him with arms so he could invade Tanzania. Many of the expellees were citizens of the United Kingdom and its colonies, so emigrated to there. The other refugees settled in Canada, India, the nearby Kenya, and other Commonwealth countries Before the expulsion, Asians owned many large businesses in Uganda, so the effect on the economy was destructive when Amin purged them from the country. Amin expropriated all these Pele during aand game against Malmö FF inthem 1960,toBrazil won supporters. 7-1. businesses properties and gave his own Wikimedia Commons However, the businesses were not managed well at all, and industries began to collapse from lack of maintenance by the hardworking Asian community. The economy, already declining at this point, suffered an even bigger loss. Yoweri Museveni, the current From an illustration by David Lloyd President of Uganda, came to power in 1986. He had inherited an economy that suffered the poorest growth rate in Africa. In 1979, Amin was forced into exile. He escaped to Libya and stayed there for a year, until he settled in Saudi Arabia. Amin died there in 2003, but never seemed to show any remorse for his actions.
Obote was overthrown by the army while he travelling to Singapore for a Commonwealth conference. Amin had ordered this because he knew Obote was planning to arrest him for misappropriating army funds. As Amin became president, full-blown Indophobia was induced throughout the country. Exaggerating the policies of ‘Africanisation’ upheld by Obote, Amin announced a review of the citizenship status awarded to Ugandan Asians. At this point, Amin said his government would recognise all citizenship rights that had already been granted, but outstanding applications would be cancelled. The number of outstanding applications was close to 12,000 at this point. In August of 1972, Amin ordered the expulsion of the Ugandan Asian minority. He gave them ninety days to leave. At the time, there were close to 85,000 South Asians in Uganda, and of these, around 23,000 people had had their applications for citizenship processed and accepted. Amongst these people were my great-grandparents and grandparents, who recall the distressing exodus well. Those who refused to cooperate were subject to theft
Idi Amin in 1973
Photo via Wikicommons
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The Significance of Queen Victoria Reigning for an impressive sixty-four years, Queen Victoria ruled during a period that witnessed the invention of the telephone, Jack the Ripper roaming the streets and Thomas Hardy dominating book shelves; a period that became renowned in British history. Queen Victoria in her coronation robes. Photo via wikipress.com Queen Victoria took to the throne in 1837 aged eighteen and remained there until her death in 1901. She ruled during a period of immense expansion and progress, both domestically and internationally, becoming the first monarch to have her period of rule named after her during her reign. The Victorian era was a time of national self-confidence as both the population in England and Wales (16.5 million in 1851 to 30.5 million in 1901) and Britain’s imperial reach almost doubled, becoming the largest in history. The British Empire came to include Canada, Australia, India and various other possessions in Africa and Asia. Queen Victoria was the queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Empress of India, with the Empire extending over approximately one fifth of the earth’s surface. Almost a quarter of the world’s population owed allegiance to Victoria. As well as ruling Britain’s powerful Empire, Queen Victoria herself also had nine children. After marrying her cousin Prince Albert in 1840, to the dismay of a portion of the British population who were not pleased with the German Prince, they raised nine children together.
Armistice Day
The news reached the capital cities such as London and Paris by 5:40am; however, due to the constraints of communication, actual ceasefire was not scheduled until 11:00am to allow the news to reach all areas of the Western Front. This meant that sadly causalities occurred on the front line while many back home were celebrating. Even when the news did reach the front line, celebrations were very different. Many soldiers remained sombre and quiet, they were exhausted from the perils of a long war which took more than 17 million lives in total. The way is the past is commemorated, or ignored, often reveals a lot about the present and Armistice Day is no different. Several @TheMcrHistorian
Queen Victoria quite significantly outlived Prince Albert, as he died in 1861 of typhoid fever, leaving Victoria devastated and sending her in to a twenty-five year recluse. However, her family did help to save Britain from any European entanglement through the marriages of her children. Either directly or by marriage, she was related to the royal houses of nearly every European power, with the exceptions of France and Spain, enabling Britain to avoid any major European conflict, until the First World War, and allow the Empire to successfully grow. In addition to the legacy of Queen Victoria herself, who is the second longest serving monarch to date, Victorian Britain itself also left an impressive and wide-ranging legacy. For example, in terms of sport, tennis was created in Birmingham between 1859 and 1865 and Wimbledon was held in 1877 for the first time as well as the establishment of the first football league in the world in 1888. Britain also experienced unprecedented expansion in industry, railways, and science. Victorian Britain was a period of breakthroughs with the creation of the underground, the telephone, photography and Darwin’s theory of evolution. Historians have often credited Victorian Britain as the ‘golden years’ of British history, supported by the strong reign of Queen Victoria, the expansion of the Empire and the breakthroughs in multiple fields.
The eleventh day, of the eleventh month, at the eleventh hour: Armistice Day. The last day of the First World War is a date deeply embedded in European culture. The day, which will celebrate its ninety-ninth anniversary this year, commemorates the signing of the armistice by the Allies and Germany to end the war. The armistice essentially ended four years of fighting as a precursor for the Treaty of Versailles. The armistice was signed during a clandestine meeting held just north of Paris, in the Forest of Compiegne. The mutual agreement for ceasefire was reached by representatives from France, Great Britain and Germany. The cessation of hostilities was agreed and the armistice was signed at 5:00am.
Amy Leahy
Grace Young countries in Europe, and across the globe, come together on Armistice Day to remember all those lost in the Great War. In 1918, when news of the armistice reached London the historic moment was marked as Big Ben was rung for the first time since the outbreak of the war in August 1914. In 1921, poppies began to be made and sold to raise money for the ex-service community, an act which was inspired by John McCrae’s famous poem, In Flanders Fields. Since 1919, the tradition in Britain has been to pause for a two-minute silence to remember all those killed in the war. A ceremony is held every year at the Cenotaph in Trafalgar Square which the Royal family attend; this has been televised since 1946. Poppies became the symbol of the Royal British Legion which was formed in 1921. Every year the selling of poppies is now known as the ‘Poppy Appeal.’ In the wake of the Second World War, Armistice Day became Remembrance Day, the silence held includes all the fallen servicemen from both world wars and other subsequent conflicts since. However, no matter how people wish to commemorate, in the words of Robert Laurence Binyon: “At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them.”
Modern day Diwali Celebrations
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HISTORY YOU SHOULD KNOW Sherlock Holmes 130 Years since ‘A Study in Scarlet’
From creation by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s to Benedict Cumberbatch’s portrayal in the BBC’s Sherlock, the past 130 years has witnessed a significant development of the character of Sherlock Holmes. The original depictions of Sherlock Holmes, in A Study in Scarlet first published in The Strand 1887, embodied what Conan Doyle believed to be the ideal characteristics of a detective. Formidable intellect, circumstantial awareness and a scientific mind were characteristics that enabled Holmes to solve cases far quicker than the intellectually inferior Dr Watson. Conan Doyle created this character as a reaction against the modernisation of the London, particularly the establishment of the Metropolitan Police Force in 1827. Holmes’ method of deduction was contrasted with the futile efforts of the police force, embodied by bumbling Inspector Lestrade. Conan Doyle aimed to critique the inadequacies of the working class, largely unskilled police detective emerging in the late nineteenth century. Although the first readers were the middle-class audience of The Strand, the popularity of Conan Doyle’s stories saw expansion aimed at including the working class through the penny-weekly Tit-Bits. Illustrations accompanied the short stories in both publications, in which Holmes is first seen donning the deerstalker in illustrations by Sydney Paget. Through adaptations of the character by other artists, the popular image of Holmes has become significantly distorted compared to Conan Doyle’s original description. The phrase ‘Elementary, my dear Watson!’, contrary to popular belief, was
Elvis Presley
Born on 8 January 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi, Elvis was born with an identical twin, Jesse, who was delivered stillborn. With no other siblings, Elvis grew a close attachment to his parents who encouraged him to pursue musical inspiration through attending an Assembly of God organisation. As his family relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, Elvis took up the guitar and vocals throughout his teenage years. Upon his graduation in 1953, Elvis had singled out a musical career as his future.
Molly Tillet in fact introduced by PG Wodehouse in his novel Psmith, Journalist. It has since been adopted as Holmes’ signature phrase. Furthermore, the violin, a symbol of his class and education, only appeared in eight out of sixty of the original stories. Modern depictions, particularly in the BBC’s Sherlock, have since used this violin as a defining feature of the character. Holmes’ addiction to drugs, despite cocaine and opium’s prominent use in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, was quashed early by Dr Watson in the original stories. However, American Nicholas Meyer’s novel The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976) synonymised the character with drug use. The modern films starring Robert Downey Jr. emphasise the drug addiction to highlight how Holmes’ enhanced his intellectual capabilities. Even Ian McKellen’s portrayal of a significantly older Sherlock Holmes in Mr Holmes, depicts his fascination with scientific methods to enhance one’s mind and body. Despite the deerstalker, phrase, violin and drug addiction not defining the original character Conan Doyle presented, they are the product of interpretations by authors, screenwriters, and illustrators. The culmination of these depictions all stay true to Holmes’ intelligence, class and style which made him one of the first characters to be embraced as a symbol of British culture by the new mass media emerging in the twentieth century.
Will Bain
Special’ – where he would play his classic tunes in front of a live studio audience. This PR move was originally designed to salvage his tarnished reputation he gained through his film career in the 1960s. Instead, it helped propel him to the status of one of the greatest solo musical artist of his generation, and possibly of alltime.
The next three years would prove to be highly His death in 1977 from prescription drug abuse significant in Elvis’ life. His releases with Sun ended years of medical deterioration yet sealed Records in 1954 gathered little interest – with the rock star’s legendary status. With twenty studio his contract sold to RCA Victor the following year. albums and thirty- three number one hits, the ‘King 1956 saw the release of numerous hit singles of Rock and Roll’ remains to this day the best-selling and the self-titled debut album that launched solo artist of all time. The now-iconic singer was Elvis’ career. ‘Elvis Presley’ contained hits such perhaps not always destined for greatness though. as ‘Blue Suede Shoes’, whilst other 1956 singles During his school years Elvis had been somewhat of included the iconic tracks, ‘Heartbreak Hotel’, an outcast, seeking solace in solitude and music. ‘Hound Dog’ and ‘Love Me Tender’ – all of which shot straight to number one in the US charts. Through his widely acknowledged attractiveness Elvis himself and combination of musical influences, Photo via Pintrest Elvis single-handedly marshalled in a new era of U.S. music and Perhaps surprisingly, Elvis had to overcome stage fright during his popular culture – breaking down racial barriers and becoming one childhood - with his confidence knocked following his teacher’s of the first icons of ‘teenage rebellion’ that was common in the rock assertions that he was just ‘average’. Aged 14, a young Elvis was and roll era. told by his high school teacher that he had no aptitude for music and that: ‘not many would ever appreciate him for his singing’. The Towards the end of his career, Elvis Presley agreed to take part in a rest is, as they say, history. TV special that would later be known as the ‘The 1968 Comeback
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Noisy Neighbours: A history of Korea Lucy Wickham According to a 2014 BBC World Service poll, just 3 percent of South Koreans view North Korea in a positive light, with 91 percent expressing a negative view. This statistic is indicative ofA the tensions between the two countries which have varied since the end of the Second World War in 1945. At the end of the war, the country was divided on the thirty eighth Parallel into the Republic of Korea in the south, backed by the United States and Western Europe, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in the north, backed by the Soviet Union and Communist China. The North’s new leader, Kim Il-sung launched the Korean War in 1950 in an attempt to reunify the country under communist rule. After three years of devastating war between the two countries, a ceasefire was brokered in 1953. However, the two states still remain officially at war because a peace treaty was never signed. The ceasefire established the Korean Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) which remains in place today.
In the late 1980s, a global thawing of the Cold War and the election of a new, more liberal president in South Korea led to an initiative called Nordpolitik which proposed the interim development of a Korean Community; again, reunification looked like a distinct and imminent possibility. But North Korea’s nuclear ambitions got in the way and the end of the Cold War brought economic crisis to the north. Defectors began to flee southwards in large numbers. In 1995, it was estimated that 561 defectors from the North were living in South Korea. By 2007, the estimation had risen to more than 10,000. In light of the North’s economic troubles, Kim Dae-jung announced a ‘Sunshine’ policy toward the North which primarily meant a softening of attitude. The Sunshine Policy led to dramatically increased relations between the two countries, both diplomatically and economically.
Both countries remained under military rule following the Korean war, but South Korea has since prospered and, in terms of development, is now in line with the United States, Japan and Western Europe. The North has remained under communist rule by the Kim family. Following the Korean War, the North has relied heavily on foreign aid, most of which came from the Soviet Union until the end of the Cold War in 1991. Levels of foreign aid have since dropped dramatically and the economic situation remains precarious.
The Sunshine Policy was formally abandoned in 2010 after a South Korean ship was allegedly attacked by a torpedo from the North; an accusation which North Korea rejected. President Lee Myung-bak declared that Seoul would cut off all trade with North Korea as part of measures primarily aimed at striking back diplomatically and financially. North Korea denied all such allegations and responded by severing ties between the countries and announced it abrogated the previous non-aggression agreement.
Map of Korea Tensions rose again in the late 1960s with a Photo via Dilemma X series of low-level armed clashes known as the Korean DMZ conflict, including covert raids on Over the next few years, brief and low-level fighting occurred the North, a commando attack on the South Korean presidenover the DMZ at various times and a war of words was fought tial Blue House and the hijacking of a South Korean airliner between the two countries. in December 1969. Following these clashes, a series of secret talks began in 1972 between the two countries. These talks led North Korea’s recent testing of nuclear missiles has alarmed to the North-South Joint Statement in July 1972 in which the both the South and the international community, leading to terms of reunification talks were set out by the two countries. relations being at their worst since the 1990s. This is due in
However, the unruly nature of the North and the strong response by the South has resulted in a series of strains between the countries over the past forty years. Talks broke down in 1973 after the kidnapping of the South Korean opposition leader Kim Dae-jung by the North Korean intelligence agency. The rollercoaster of tensions continued throughout the 1970s and reunification looked like a strong possibility several times. @TheMcrHistorian
part to the rule of Kim Jong-un who has escalated tensions since he came to power in 2011 and continues to test missiles in the region and stage large military demonstrations. Since President Trump was elected, America’s attitude towards the North Koreans has hardened, despite a visit by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to the DMZ.
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The 1956 Hungarian Revolution 6 December 1956: The closing moments of an Olympic water polo match. Hungarian Ervin Zádor leaves the pool bleeding due to a punch from Soviet player Valentin Prokopov. The fracas? Evidence of the tensions consequential to a month’s worth of revolt in Hungary against the Soviet regime between 23 October and 10 November 1956. The uprising of a student-led revolution characterised an opposition to the oppressive Soviet regime. Preceding the revolt, Khrushchev’s ‘Secret Speech’ of February 1956 condemned Stalin and his deputies within the Eastern bloc. The broadcast of the speech across Eastern Europe encouraged widespread anti-Soviet sentiment. Likewise, the US, aware of the potential nuclear consequences of turning the war from ‘cold’ to ‘hot’, were encouraging the bloc to rise and oppose the Soviet Union. In the summer of 1956, the US-Hungarian relationship brought fears that links with the West would weaken Communist dominance. Hungarian opposition to the Soviet rule was typified on 23 October by a mass gathering under the dominating silhouette of a statue of Hungarian national hero, József Bem. Perhaps the most evocative symbol was protestors emphatically cutting the Communist badge from their flag. Their manifesto was simple: independence from foreign authority, democratic socialism, membership in the UN and the rights of free men. The revolt spread rapidly over the following days, attacks on parliament resulted in the fall of government on 24 October and a new regime was sworn in just four days later. A
Simón Bolívar
Sarah Wallis
temporary ceasefire and an announcement from Hungary that it was withdrawing from the Warsaw Pact marked the transition from October to November. Nonetheless, fighting continued, and when the Soviet tanks arrived on 4 November, it took just a week to claim Soviet victory over these Hungarian freedom fighters. The revolution was devastating in casualties and losses. Approximately 722 Soviet forces were killed with 1,540 wounded. An estimated 2,500-3,000 Hungarian revolutionaries were killed and 13,000 wounded. Over 3,000 civilians were killed. But what exactly was the legacy of this uprising? On the one hand, it was an exhibition of Soviet strength, which arguably intimidated other countries within the bloc. On the other, it was symptomatic of twentieth-century politics, the construction of a nationalistic drive for freedom against a dictatorial regime. It is difficult to point to the Hungarian uprising as a contributing factor to the eventual demise of the Soviet regime. However, the revolt incited ideological fissures within communist parties in Western Europe and garnered significant international attention, with Time magazine even naming the Hungarian freedom fighter its ‘Man of the Year’ for 1956. Fifty years on, and 23 October is heralded and commemorated as a Hungarian holiday, the legacy of the fight for nation and freedom perhaps its truest victory.
Dan o’Byrne
The man who freed South America from the Spanish Simón Bolívar, or el Libertador as he is known, is one of the most important figures in South American history. When Bolívar was born in 1783, in what is today Venezuela, the Spanish Empire had been ruling much of his home continent for nearly two hundred and fifty years. Bolívar was born into a wealthy, aristocratic family in the Captaincy-General of Venezuela. Bolívar’s early childhood was characterised by tragedy, with both of his parents dying before he was nine. Crucially, however, Bolívar was taken under the wing of Simón Rodríguez, a prominent philosopher. Rodríguez is credited with having taught Bolívar the value of liberty, science and philosophy. Once he reached his teenage years, Rodríguez sent Bolívar to Europe to further his military, historical and political education. Across the Atlantic he became enamoured with the French revolutionary movement and its philosophy of ‘liberté égalité fraternité.’ Rodríguez’s mentoring and Bolívar’s time in Europe had a powerful influence on his character. These experiences, combined with Bolívar’s indomitable ambition, drove him to excel in Latin America’s political landscape. Upon Bolívar return home, he almost immediately became involved in revolutionary movements. The people of South America, not just Venezuela, were weary of the imperial control from their Spanish overlords. Latin Americans felt that they were being exploited by the colonial government. When Napoleon invaded Spain in 1808 the dissidents saw their chance and made a bid for power. The fighting was fierce and much ground was both gained and lost on both sides.
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Bolívar finally secured independence for Gran Colombia (present-day Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Panama) after the Battle of Carabobo in 1821. With this new power base, Bolívar had the resources to embark upon his ambition of creating a unified Southern American nation. Over the next decade, in order to reach this goal, he undertook a number of famous military campaigns. By 1830, Bolívar had liberated Peru and also the central regions of South America. His vision, however, was ultimately never realised due to his inability to convince the diverse peoples of Latin America to unite, and these internal divisions plagued his new territories. Bolívar’s health failed him at the age of forty-seven, and he died a broken man in late 1830. He lamented this lack of unity in his home continent on his deathbed. Bolívar is still upheld as a nationalist hero in many nations, particularly those that were liberated by him. Some historians contend that he was merely an opportunist who used the ideal of liberty to excuse his bid for power; but others maintain that he was a genuine visionary seeking to free Latin America from Spanish oppression. Either way, Bolívar is an impressive figure whose legacy is still strong today.
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What’s going on Around Manchester?
PICK OF THE GIGS Cloud Nothings – Saturday 18th March – Deaf Institute Glass Animals – Saturday 18th March – Albert Hall Temples – Tuesday 28th March – Academy 2 G Run the Jewels – Friday 31st March – Albert Hall Soulwax – Sunday 9th April – O2 Ritz
OTHER EVENTS ON IN MANCHESTER Andy Warhol exhibit – The Whitworth Art Gallery – Ends 16th April Andy Warhol shows the sharp critical opinions of an artist known to many primarily as art salesman, purveyor of product and celebrant of capitalism. Supported by Arts Council, Art Fund and Creative Scotland, the exhibition is drawn from ARTIST ROOMS, a collection of international modern and contemporary art owned by National Galleries of Scotland and Tate on behalf of H public. the Focusing on themes of death, politics and identity it presents audiences with Warhol’s reading of the American Dream at a time when the country is under scrutiny following the 2016 US Presidential election. The Warhol exhibition has been based at the Whitworth since November and runs until 16th April so catch it before it’s too late!
If you wish to write reviews for films or events in Manchester please email: manchesterhistorian@gmail.com
Grease at the Palace Theatre – Ends 25th March
It’s the original high-school musical, featuring all the unforgettable songs from the hit movie including You’re The One That I Want, Grease Is The Word, Summer Nights, Hopelessly Devoted To You, Sandy, Greased Lightnin’ and many more. It’s one of the biggest musicals around, so be quick to catch it in Manchester before 25th March!
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HISTORY SOCIETIES History Society
Muneera Lula
Peer Mentors
The Alumni Athletic Club in 1910, Alexander Watson Hutton top centre, Wikimedia Commons The Alumni Athletic Club in 1910, Alexander Watson Hutton top centre, Wikimedia Commons
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History Netball
History FC
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Caitlin Hughes
Scott Doherty
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MANCHESTER HISTORIAN MANCHESTER HISTORIAN is changing READ IT, WRITE IT
The Manchester Historian is a newspaper run for students by students. Anyone currently attending the University of Manchester is able to write for it. you can write an article. do an interview with a staff membr, or revew a historical, book or play. 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, so whether you’d like to write it or not, please contact us at any time during the year with your ideas.
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Behind every story‌ There is History
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