Let’s take a step back into the sixteenth century, into a world where religious tensions between Catholic and Protestant nations are at the forefront of European life. The relationship between Elizabeth I and Philip II of Spain was cordial for the early years of their respective reigns, but by the late 1570s that cordiality began […]
In Episode 2, we spoke to Mollie Ramos, head of the Online Team about her article on ‘The Life of Rachel Carson’, featuring in Issue 32: Religion, Culture and Environment. Described as the “essence of gentle scholarship”, Rachel Carson’s most notable contribution ‘Silent Spring’ revolutionised the role of environmental protection and conservation, and as we […]
The transatlantic slave trade, also known as the Euro-American slave trade, was the process by which slave traders transported enslaved Africans to the Americas, mostly through the Caribbean. Between the 16th and 19th centuries, there was a regular slave trade that used the triangular trade route and its Middle Passage, which lasted until the end […]
The war in East-Africa was a war on far away soil. The large distance to Europe made communications hard so there was no clear direction or aim. Colonial rulers largely had to improvise their actions of war. Local troops could not expect any reinforcements from the motherland, as the European fronts claimed most of the […]
During the early to mid-20th century, five million African-Americans made the passage from the former slave-holding south to the industrialised cities of the north and west United States. Cruel Jim Crow laws and tough financial situations forced families to move hundreds of miles to states such as New York, Illinois and Michigan, where demand for […]
On the 10th September 2009, the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, issued an apology to Alan Turing, culminating with the words “we’re sorry, you deserved so much better”. This apology came over 60 years after Turing’s ingenious cracking of the German Enigma code, which explicitly led to many British victories in WW2, such as the […]
“I may be a wage slave on Monday / But I am a free man on Sunday.” The final, defiant lines of Ewan MacColl’s The Manchester Rambler are set to a jovial tune that has become a standard for English folk singers; yet one could be forgiven for not having heard it. The song, and […]
As you sit at a desk trying to recall a mountain of information learnt in three hours each week for the last few months, it’s tempting to dream about pastures sunny. In this issue, we’ve provided you with the perfect fodder for those forgetful exam moments, though we’d recommend saving it for after you’ve walked […]
In 1990, the inmates of Strangeways prison began the longest riot in British penal history. Once revered as a “last bastion of discipline,” the prison stood as the largest penitentiary in England, holding around 900 men at full capacity. By 1990, a peak of over 1,600 prisoners had been confined within its walls, becoming a […]
In 1989 the First Liberian Civil War erupted. In 1980, Samuel Doe headed a coup d’état to overthrow the government. The war began in 1989 because Charles Taylor, a former government minister, moved from a neighbouring country with the intention of starting an uprising meant to topple the government headed by Doe. Those who supported […]
Manchester in the 19th and 20th century was a hub of activism, a city which witnessed the mobilisation of marginalised groups who were striving for better lives. The National Society for Women’s Suffrage (NUWSS) was founded in 1867 by Manchester-born Lydia Becker; as the first national organisation dedicated to women’s suffrage, the society was fundamental […]
Now that Dr. Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has announced his impending retirement, there’s been a whole lot of speculation over his successor. But Christians really needn’t worry. Whoever gets the job can’t be nearly as brilliantly bonkers as some of Williams’ predecessors. Take Archbishop George Abbot for example. In 1621 he straight-up killed […]
These were the final words of William of Orange, nicknamed Father of the Fatherland, after being shot in 1584. These words encapsulated the dire circumstances faced by the Dutch at that moment, embroiled in a war of independence after enduring decades of oppression from their Hapsburg overlords. Classically, gin should be served with cubes of […]
It is hard to overstate the significance of the September Campaign, the Nazi-Soviet invasion of Poland, in catalysing the eruption of global warfare in 1939-45. Within two days of the invasion, Great Britain and France had declared war on Nazi Germany with the Commonwealth of Nations following suit. The invasion was diplomatically catastrophic for Neville […]
