‘Labor and Want’ – this was the slogan adopted by the Co-operative movement, shortly after its formation in 1863, to promote the equality, unity and strength the group’s founders, the Rochdale Pioneers, aspired to formulate. There is no error in the spelling: the Americanism adopted as a statement of support for abolitionists during the Civil […]
Was the fall of Saigon inevitable? Was an independent South Vietnam ever a viable nation? In 1975, on the 30th of April, Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, was captured by the People’s Army of Vietnam and the Vietcong. This became known as the fall of Saigon, and it marked the end of the Vietnam […]
1959: The Regent Street Association first decorated the street with Christmas trees lights in 1954 after the Daily Telegraph reported that London looked ‘drab’ at Christmas. (Bettman, Corbis) 1960: As the afternoons descend into darkness in early November, the lights of central London are switched on and hang brightly above shoppers’ heads. (Henry Grant Collection, […]
“Our BODIES, our LIVES, our RIGHTS, our FUTURE”, chants the website of the women’s rights organisation poignantly titled the Handmaid Coalition. Formed in response to the outcome of the 2016 American Presidential election, which, they claim, “changed us all”, this collective are “fighting to ensure fiction does not become reality”. But why would a modern […]
Lord Kitchener was appointed Minister for War in August 1914 and, unlike many of his contemporaries, forecast a prolonged stalemate upon the declaration of war. He recognised the importance of mass recruitment and drew up significant manpower requirements in order to meet such high demands. Volunteers were required, and tapping into powerful sentiments of loyalty […]
Walking into this place really is (excuse the cliché) like stepping back in time – providing you can ignore the chrome coffee machine and smoke-less air of course. Housed in a former Georgian House on Cross Street, this Manchester institution first opened as a pub and restaurant by Thomas Studd in 1870. Before 1901, hard […]
Air travel today is a chore, involving seemingly endless queues, security checks and waiting in badly carpeted gates, with only the warm light of the holiday at the end of the flight making it worthwhile. Things weren’t always that way though. After World War Two, civilian aviation made tentative steps forward thanks to entrepreneurial characters […]
Dubbed ‘the bloodiest war in history’, the Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864) shook China, its scars both present and still healing today. In 1843, Hong Xiuquan was converted to Protestantism by Western missionaries and founded a God-worshipping society. Five years ago, Luo Huazhong made an important discovery: he loved doing nothing. After quitting his factory job in […]
We have retold the stories of the Second World War without pause since it drew to a close in 1945. Films are an increasingly important way in which we remember the Second World War. But yet, these films, while engrossing in character and wildly popular, do not always reflect how the Second World War actually […]
The Vietnam War (1955-1975), was a significant conflict in American history. When reflected upon today, it often instills a sense of regret. An immensely costly war in terms of casualties, displacement and destruction, the conflict is often perceived as one fought for nothing more than ideological motivations. But what was the Vietnam War and how […]
The seaboard of Southeastern American states has always been prone to dangers imposed by hurricanes. Hurricanes can form several times a year, typically originating off of the coast of Africa, in the Cape Verde area, and travelling North over the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico before hitting the United States. According to CBS News, […]
The Gaelic revival refers to the revival of interest in the Irish language and Irish Gaelic culture. While this broad movement emerged as early as the 1840s, it rapidly gained traction in the late nineteenth century. A variety of organisations espoused this revival, for example by promoting Gaelic literature or traditional sports. The Gaelic League, […]
This article will feature in Issue 37: Oppression and Resistance It is hard to imagine what Franz Jägerstätter, a conscientious objector from Austria who was executed for his refusal to pledge his allegiance to Hitler during The Second World War, had to go through. Bearing in mind that he had to sacrifice his large family’s […]
Hello everyone, and welcome to the History Society for the 2015/16 academic year! After a very busy Welcome Week and Week 1, we’ve kicked the year off with a bang and have loved seeing so many of you at our events or passing by the Welcome Week Fair stall. The History vs. English Pub Crawl […]