‘...And If You Know Your History’ An Introduction
‘’And if You Know Your History…’’ is a series of blogs tracing the growth of the vegan social movement in the UK during the first 70 years or so of the last century. Written by sociologist Dr Roger Yates, the series follows the fortunes of the early vegan pioneers including Arthur Ling, founder of Plamil, one of the world’s first vegan companies, who adopted a plant based diet aged 6 in 1926, through to Dorothy and Donald Watson, the co-founders of the Vegan Society in November 1944, the roles of people such as Eva Batt, Kathleen Jannaway, Leslie Cross and Elsie Shrigley as the society grew and prospered in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s, into the 70’s and the beginnings of animal rights philosophy and vegan activism with a look at Tom Regan, and Ronnie Lee, co-founder of the ALF. Of course, veganism has its roots in different cultures across the globe stretching back millennia, with multiple references to predominately plant based diets and in some cases 100% plant based diets frequenting the annals of history and shaping many of the menus that we see in today’s multitude of plant based options. It’s a fascinating history in itself, and well documented and easily accessible. And the shaping of animal rights philosophy and a vegan position which seeks to exclude the use of all animals wherever practicable and possible is evident in such 130
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luminaries as the esteemed Syrian poet Al Ma’arri, whose wonderful words from 1,000 years ago are shared here. Victorian times in the UK saw a propensity for anti-vivisection actions, and the Scottish animal welfare charity One Kind has it roots going back over 100 years to when it was founded as an anti-vivisection organisation. Around
150 years ago, the National Anti-Vivisection Society, the world’s first such organization, was founded by Frances Power Cobbe, who went on to found a second group, the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection. The UK passed the world’s first animal protection law, the Cruelty to Animals Act of 1876, which governed the use of animals in vivisection. And by that time there was a thriving Vegetarian Society in the UK, with a USA society formed in 1850, and by the end of the century vegetarian societies were emerging in different continents includ-
ing India and Russia, and the establishment of the International Vegetarian Movement in 1908 started to link up these groups into the beginnings of a cohesive global movement for some animals at least. And of course, us modern day vegans should be celebrating this wealth of global plant based culture and the beginnings of the animal liberation movement intertwined with different individuals at different points of history in different cultures and influences. But we should also recognise and celebrate the beginnings of the UK vegan social movement for animals, in part for two significant reasons – in 1944, with the formation of The Vegan Society, we saw the first movement which included all animals, not just those used in ‘single issue’ environments. And in 1944, we saw like-minded individuals come together for the first time and form a social movement that centred all animals. Such is the significance of the events of 1944 – and as such becomes the focus for our ‘And If You Know Your History’ series – a time when our understanding of veganism as distinct from plant based diets or lifestyles – namely a social justice movement that centres animals, includes all animals, and humans – takes shape and evolves into the understanding we have today. It would be inaccurate to suggest that veganism was ‘invented’ in 1944, and to suggest as such would also erase
