The Revolting Peasants of 1381

Images like this were very common in the Arab Spring of 2011

Today, we are quite used to seeing uprisings, protests and revolutions. In fact, there probably aren't many people who have never protested about something. If we are upset about a foreign war, government policy or other injustices, we can always make ourselves a placard, go to London and make the point clear. Ultimately, we can change the way we vote or even (the strongest possible form of English protest) write a strongly worded letter. 

One of the most interesting things about history is realising that things weren't the same in the past. Now, this might seem like an obvious thing to say but to understand what life was like before the fourteenth century, you must appreciate that there were fewer ways of getting your feelings heard.

Rasputin: The strange story of the mad monk

Often in History, famous people seem destined for greatness from a young age. By the very nature of their birth, any less than a notable life would be quite exceptional. Think about Churchill who was essentially nobility. However, every now and again, the past throws up a character who seems to come from no-where. Like Cromwell, de Gaulle and Napoleon, Rasputin had a humble beginning but in an odd type of Cinderella story he ended up in the company of the nobility of the Russian Empire.

He was born the son of Russian peasants, as many millions were in the course of that country's history. His early life appears to have been reasonably unexceptional if you discount the decision not to become a monk and the scandal of fathering illegitimate children (I'm not sure which decision came first!).

The exceptional thing about Rasputin was his claim to have mystical healing powers. It is at this point that the story begins to feel unreal. It's sometimes like teaching a fairy tale.

(Once upon a time...) Rasputin caught the attention of the Tsar and Tsarina (Russian royal family) and they showed particular interest in his ability to heal their son, Alexis who had haemophilia, a disease where blood does not clot. This mystical ability ensured Rasputin's place at court and he continued to have influence over the affairs of government. This increased when the Tsar took charge of the Russian war effort.

Good cartoons and the causes of the Second World War

As my year 10s know, I love cartoons. I show them one almost every lesson. This is partly due to the fact that every GCSE exam has a cartoon in it but also because they are a fascinating, ironic and often cynical view on the past. They also shape our views of that past which puts the cartoonist in a really powerful position.

The period between the world wars is probably the best case study for the amazing power of cartoons. Some of them poke fun, some would offer criticism against anyone and others are chillingly accurate.

For those unfamiliar with the period, following the First World War, the world sat down and decided that war was not a good idea and vowed never to do it again (hence, the war to end all wars). 20 years later the Second World War broke out. The spooky thing about this cartoon (right) is the accuracy with which jokes predicted the future. The cartoonist is making the point that decision-makers at the Treaty of Versailles (the treaty which set out the terms for German defeat) were sowing the seeds for a future in which the 1940 class (only a few months off the reality) would be fighting. Whilst this is an interesting coincidence, it also ties into the academic debate, many historians trace the start of the Second World War to the poor decisions made at Versailles.

How the Black Death changed the world

Take a look at the picture (below). I like to start some of my classes with an impossible task such as working out what these series of squiggles is all about. Surprisingly, if my pupils are given the topic they can come very close to guessing what these mystery pictures are all about. This particular medieval drawing is the beginning of a study of the Black Death.

Can you work out what it is? Pause for wild guesswork

The picture actually shows graffiti from the Middle Ages and gives a fascinating look into what people might have been thinking as the Black Death swept across Europe between 1348-51. The meaning is "A wretched, terrible, destructive year. The remnants of the people alone remain". It's taken from a medieval church in Hertfordshire where almost the entire population died. We can only guess what happened to the author.

Two great men: Churchill and Gandhi

If you were holding a dinner party for historical figures, who would you invite?

*Pause for thought*

Churchill and Gandhi are quite likely to feature in this imaginary feast and both personalities were great men in their own right. In fact, I admire them both and you might be hard pressed to find someone who didn't. In India, Gandhi's face is still all over their money (ironic given his own poverty and humility) and Churchill is still considered to be the classic representation of British greatness.

However, it can be difficult to get away from these accepted versions of people's personalities. Whilst studying Gandhi at university it felt odd to accept many of his shortcomings as leader and a man (perhaps I'll make it the topic of a future blog post). In the same way, my sixth formers are finding it difficult to get away from their interpretation of Churchill as one of the greatest Britain's who ever lived. Most want to keep their rose-tinted view of him despite my efforts to convince them that at times he was a complete plonker.

This became an easier task when comparing him with Gandhi. Despite both being in some ways great men, if you invited Churchill and Gandhi to your dinner party, they would not get on.

Gandhi is best known for his impassioned appeals for the independence of India from British Imperial rule. He dismissed the use of violence and was willing to take non-violent protest to the extreme. He fasted on a number of occasions to near starvation to try to stop conflicts.

The controversial Creation of Israel

The land of Israel/Palestine has been fiercely disputed throughout the last 3,000 years. Through the Roman occupation, Crusades and the most recently the Arab-Israeli conflict, this small strip of land has a continuous history of conquest, war and bloodshed.

When I talk to friends about teaching this, their knowledge is often good and they have heard a lot about the problem. But, many also say that they don't know enough about it to have a full viewpoint on the issues.

It's difficult to fully understand all of these issues but there are many aspects to find fascinating (and deeply distressing) about the study of this area but the deep feelings expressed by either side are perhaps some of the most hard-hitting.

This was recited by Palestinian school children at the beginning of their school day:

Palestine is our country

Our aim is to return

Death does not frighten us

Palestine is ours

We shall never forget her

Another homeland we shall never accept.

The second is one (probably very popular) Jewish view from the 1940s:

There is no room for both peoples in this country. If the Arabs leave the country, it will be broad and wide-open for us. If the Arabs stay, the country will remain narrow and miserable. The only solution is Israel without Arabs.

The question is: How did the two sides end up so divided and will there ever be a solution?

The mind control of Nazi propaganda

Ideas are a powerful thing. Throughout History (as well as the world today) people have tried to influence the decisions which people make and the thoughts which they have about the world. Sometimes this is done subtly (think about which brands you automatically pick up in the supermarket) and sometimes less subtly.

One of the hardest things to get your head around in History is that people in the past thought in fundamentally different ways to the way in which we think today. There are lots of examples of this but Nazi Germany is possibly one of the best.

To illustrate the point, take a look at the two pictures to the left. They were banned by the Nazi party and a member of the public would not have seen them. In one, the man is obviously Adolf Hitler and the other man (the one in the hat) is Joseph Goebbels; the head of Nazi propaganda. Try to work out why these would have been banned before you read on.

Pause for thought...!