October 2020

In August 1947, one of the largest and most ethnically diverse countries in the world became divided into two countries, India and Pakistan. People were forced out of the villages they had lived in for generations, in what became the largest mass migration in human history. For decades, Indians had fought to rid themselves of Continue Reading

The Season Review The season unfolded with all the excitement of the finest of Hollywood scripts. A story of passion, revenge, unrequited love and goals.Lots and lots of goals. Although they did not finish as league champions,the men of history will be considered by many as the people’s champion. As the late great Johan Cruyff Continue Reading

The French Revolution symbolises possibly the most important political change in early modern Europe. The revolution spanning from 1789 to 1799 saw mass social and political change in France culminating in the abolition of the French monarchy and replacement with a secular and democratic republic. The outcome of the revolution, especially the rise of Napoleon Continue Reading

Since the eighteenth century, women and men across the globe have fought to create a future free from gender discrimination. Whilst many battles have been won, the war is not over. The sporting industry continues to exist as a harsh reminder of the prevalence of gender inequality today. In 2008, heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury sparked Continue Reading

The local and mayoral elections a few weeks ago have been suggested by some commentators to be somewhat a ‘non-event’. The really exciting part of the political year arrives on the 23rd of June when Britain votes on whether to remain or leave the European Union. It’s the first time the country has voted on Continue Reading

‘The Great Proletariat Cultural Revolution’, better known as ‘The Cultural Revolution’, was a communist social-political movement established by Mao in an attempt to revive Communism in China and reassert his dominance within the Chinese Communist Party. Mao’s former attempt at revolution in the form of The Great Leap Forward in 1958 had seen the rapid Continue Reading

Soon the summer holidays will kick off the new swarm of British backpackers heading to South East Asia, looking for beautiful beaches, cheap beer, and the serenity in which one can ‘find herself’ against a backdrop of instagram-worthy scenery. Cambodia has become a staple section of the South East Asian route which sees thousands make Continue Reading

Since the advent of the 18th century, tea had been frequently imported to the American colonies. By 1773, it was estimated that American colonists drank approximately 1.2 million pounds of tea annually. In May 1773, the British Parliament, having realised the potential of this lucrative trade, passed the Tea Act granting the British East India Continue Reading

The Black Death is widely known as one of the most deadly diseases in human history, spreading in 1348 from Asia to Europe with recurrences up until 1666. However, it was also a key indicator of the changes occurring in Late Medieval Europe. Three aspects of the Black Death can be used to indicate its Continue Reading

On November 9th, 1989, Gunter Schabowski was in a press conference. He was the unofficial press officer for the new East German Government led by Egon Krenz, who had replaced the ailing tyrant, Erich Honecker. Reading from a note that he had not long received, and did not fully understand, Schabowski announced that GDR citizens Continue Reading

Arguably the most important facet to consider when one is examining the social and cultural developments within the European Enlightenment is the rise of the public sphere. What gave rise to what many historians now regard as the birth of the modern middle class in Europe is debated to be the result of numerous factors. Continue Reading

The ideological movement that developed in Europe during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, known universally as “The Enlightenment”, had a significant impact on the struggle for American independence. The ‘American Enlightenment’ combined an engaging political scene with a proactive military objective for sovereignty, creating a revolutionary war that was unparalleled in scope or ferocity in Continue Reading

There has been debate as to why the English are neglected in studies of Enlightenment. Marsak, in his ‘The Enlightenment’ presents no readings from English writers and Erick Cassirer does not help either by omitting such English thinkers as Bentham, Paine and Adam Smith from his ‘The Philosophy of the Enlightenment’. Against this tide stands Continue Reading

Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was the infamous Colombian drug lord who’s violent power dominated the cocaine industry for two decades, making him billions of dollars and leading to the murder of hundreds of people. Pablo Escobar was born in the city of Envigado, Colombia in 1949 and his criminal inclinations can be seen from his Continue Reading

As part of our ongoing focus on world history, this edition’s article focuses on the oppressive period in 20th Century Argentine history known as The Dirty War. Between 1976 and 1983 between 10,000 and 30,000 people “disappeared”, victims targeted for their opposition to the military junta that had seized power. This period of history has Continue Reading

‘I’ll show you who’s boss, Kate Moss’. Henry Holland was working on the teen magazine Bliss when he soared to fame with his tongue in cheek catchphrase T-shirts. Everyone whose anyone would recognise his rhyming slogan t-shirts, he’s best friends with supermodel Agyness Deyne, but what of the man behind the madness. Holland was born Continue Reading

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 Continue Reading

A quick glance at the Premier League table sees Roberto Mancini’s Manchester City backed by the foreign billions of Sheikh Mansour, sitting smugly at the summit. Following closely are city rivals Manchester United, who can reasonably claim to be the planet’s best supported club. United, by winning their 19th league title in May 2011, overtook Continue Reading

Stephen Joseph is a name ingrained in the minds of Manchester’s drama students. The Stephen Joseph studio, named in his honour, is one of the Drama departments most frequented rehearsal spots. The studio itself was originally built as a German Protestant church, before being occupied by the university in 1949 and eventually taken over by Continue Reading

Born in 1946, Steve Biko was a black anti-apartheid campaigner who died in police custody in 1977. Biko established himself as a student leader in the 1960’s. His belief in the need for black South Africans to organise and liberate themselves free from liberal white influence led him to establish the Black Consciousness Movement in Continue Reading

Today History Dept Manchester University passed a resolution on Black Lives Matter, pledging to do more in terms of recruitment of staff and students of colour, decolonising our curriculum, and acknowledge the deep-seated racial roots of the discipline. So proud of you colleagues

The United States of America had always been a destination I wanted to travel to from a young age. Perhaps it was the appeal of metropolis-esque cities such as New York or Los Angeles I had seen on TV programmes, the beautiful scenery of national parks across the huge American landscape or possibly the vast Continue Reading

For the French it is Verdun, for the British, it is the Somme. How do we think of the biggest battle of the First World War after 100 years? During one of the biggest battles of the First World War the British Empire and the French Empire tried to break through the lines of their Continue Reading

Nearly 2800 years ago, citizens from all over the Greek world flocked to Olympia for one of the most central rituals in Ancient Greece – the Olympic Games. Perhaps unknown to many people, the Games were as much a religious festival as they were a celebration of athletic strength and power. This great event was Continue Reading

History FC Having reached the dizzy heights of Division 1 following last season’s promotion, coupled with victory in the Alan Mainwaring Shield, History FC set their sights on similar success for the upcoming 2016-17 season. Returning back from a relaxed summer involving no exercise, the 3 remaining players – Scott Doherty, Nick Jeyarajah and Ollie Continue Reading

On 1st September 2016, 1,000,000 people marched on Caracas in the largest demonstration in Venezuelan history. You might ask why, but the answer depends upon who you ask. The protests started in February 2014 following the attempted rape of a student on a university campus in San Cristóbal. However, the roots of this civil conflict Continue Reading