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Why Study History?(1) The Subject ‘as a whole’

And you may find yourselfLiving in a shotgun shackAnd you may find yourselfIn another part of the worldAnd you may find yourselfBehind the wheel of a large automobileAnd you may find yourself in a beautiful houseWith a beautiful wifeAnd you may ask yourself, wellHow did I get here?

Excerpt from: ‘Once In A Lifetime’ – Talking Heads (1980)

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https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=talking+heads+once+in+a+lifetime

Ever think of what life was like for your parents. Grandparents and ancestors. Ever wondered what life was like during wartime? Ever wondered why everyone thinks the 1960s were great, ‘liberating’ times.

Ever wondered what life was like before machines? Or whether we might at some point in future abandon our technology and return to ‘pre-industrial’ ways of living.

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Well…studying History will give you some of the answers to these questions. Though more important than that, it will make you question the world in which you live; the challenges that people, communities, societies, nations faced in the past and how they managed living in times in which there was very often, great uncertainty in terms of their future lives.

As well as learning about the UK, you’ll have the chance to study other countries and their experience of history and changes in society.

There are a range of reasons for studying history. These include the following

1) It enables us to make connections with our own lives and the world in which we live 2) It gives us a sense of how the past is connected to the present and what similarities and differences exist in relation to the lives that lead now in relation to those that people led in the past. 3) It enables us to build our skills in looking at evidence and reaching conclusions about why certain things happened in a certain way and draw certain conclusions. This is an important skill in relation to Employability.

A couple of videos here to think about in relation to why study history?

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The above video is a basic introduction to History in terms of its main themes and what material you would analyse. This includes documents, newspapers books, pictures, archives, films and diaries. It gives you an idea of the things that make history an interesting subject to study and how learning about the past can makes us wiser, more rounded and able to balance the way that we think about the world.

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This video is taken from an event held at the National World War One Museum USA. It’s a series of ‘talking heads’ in which various academics talk about why History matters?

Its is worth noting that the study of history is not merely about what has gone wrong in the past. Its also about what has gone right and ways that Society has changed for the better as a result of advancements in thinking/ideas, technology, political. Legal, economic and social. One of themes of this video is that history is an enjoyable and interesting subject as well as serving the function of ‘expanding our minds’.

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What would you study?For A Level History, there are four Units that you study:

1. An introduction to History

2. Industrialisation and the people: Britain, c1783–1885

3. Democracy and Nazism: Germany, 1918–1945

4. Historical Investigation

For GCSE History, there are four Units that you study:

1. Introduction to History

2. America, 1840-1895: Expansion and consolidation

3. Conflict and tension: The First World War, 1894-1918

4. Britain: Power and the people, c1170 to the present day

5. Restoration England: 1660-1685

What does the study of History involve?There are different elements to the study of history. These involve for example Chronology. This is really about how history ‘unfolded’ over time – important dates/times and what they signified; as well as how they connected with what had gone before and what happened afterwards. Second, the study of History involves looking at key events – for

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example recent events such as COVID 19 and the various examples of Racism and Racist behaviour that led to ‘Black Lives Matter’ protests as significant in relation to the key events of the 2020s. These can be social, political, environmental, educational, limited to one country or ‘global’ and in todays’ world tend to take place both in real terms though also as online events. As well as the ‘facts’ surrounding events, Historians are interested in how they were recorded by different people – politicians, activists, journalists, writers and scientists as well as everyday people. This is why looking at individual sources written by various different people who were alive at the time is something that we study in History.

It allows a flavour for how different people might have experienced the same event. The idea that how we experience events and situations within in our lives varies enormously was raised by the artist Hans Holbein in a picture entitled ‘The Ambassadors’ (1533). Historians have strongly linked this piece to what has been termed ‘Renaissance Culture’. The Renaissance is a period of historical time dating from the 15th and 17th centuries in which there was a substantial growth in human knowledge and understanding as well modes of ‘representing’ lived experience. This included Art,

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Literature and Philosophy. A brief video introduction can be found here:

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This painting is entitled ‘The Ambassadors’ by Hans Holbein (1533). It can be viewed at the National Gallery, London.

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Have a look at the object in the bottom middle of the picture. What does it look like to you?

It is in fact a picture of a skull though can be viewed in different ways.

You can read about the picture here: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/78681/15-facts-about-hans-holbeins-ambassadors

To bring this back to our current times, a Scientist advising the Government on when to lift the Co-vid ‘lockdown’ would very likely see the situation very differently to the owner of a large hotel chain. The way that they would write about the Coronavirus would be very different as a result. This gives us an indication of how social/economic position, perspective and ways of seeing the world can influence how various people view and experience History.

As we live in an increasingly ‘visual’ culture, the role of images and artists’ recollections are of interest to historians – especially ways in which images and pictures have enabled us to understand more about what life was like for people in the historical past.

Historians rely on visual as well as printed media – here are some historical images of Childhood before and during the Industrial Revolution.

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1) The first picture (top left) is from 19th century Britain (Industrial Revolution) and depicts child workers. Its significant in that shows how difficult life was for poor Victorian children.

2) The second picture (bottom left) is of a school in County Durham (1861) showing working class children and their teacher.

3) The third picture (top right) is of young children operating what would be dangerous industrial machinery, taken in the time of the Industrial Revolution

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4) (bottom right) is a representation of childhood in France 18th century. The picture (children playing outside a school) is a history lesson itself as although it looks quite innocent and ‘Edenic’, it reminds us that only 17th century was the modern concept of child ‘invented’.

What you would be studying?

A Level1) Industrialisation and the people: Britain, c1783–1885

This A Level Unit is broadly focussed on what has been termed ‘The Industrial Revolution’ in the UK which took place through the course of the late 18th and early 19th century. It allows students to study change, continuity, cause and consequence in this period through the following key questions:

• How was Britain governed and how did democracy and political organisations change and develop?

• What pressures did governments face and how did they respond to these?

• How and with what results did the economy develop and change?

• How and with what results did society and social policy develop?

• How important were ideas and ideology?

• How important was the role of individuals and groups and how were they affected by developments?

Sample material

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In early-19th-century Britain very few people had the right to vote. A survey conducted in 1780 revealed that the electorate in England and Wales consisted of just 214,000 people - less than 3% of the total population of approximately 8 million. In Scotland the electorate was even smaller: in 1831 a mere 4,500 men, out of a population of more than 2.6 million people, were entitled to vote in parliamentary elections. Large industrial cities like Leeds, Birmingham and Manchester did not have a single MP between them, whereas 'rotten boroughs' such as Dunwich in Suffolk (which had a population of 32 in 1831) were still sending two MPs to Westminster. The British electoral system was unrepresentative and outdated. This information was taken from the National Archives.

Historians would be interested in these records as they give an indication of how the Political system worked in the UK for the majority of the 19th century. There is a wider significance to these figures – namely what did the absence of Political representation mean for the majority of the urban population of the UK in the 19th century?

And what is the meaning of the term ‘Rotten Boroughs’.

To get an understanding of the above question, here’s a brief video-clip from Steven Franklin, Royal Holloway University, London

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The point of the video is to show how the idea of 19th century Britain being ‘democratic’ as it held frequent elections to represent local areas in Parliament is fictitious, (untrue) for a number of different reasons.

First, MPs were only able to stand in the first place if they had substantial financial resources, meaning that only the wealthiest could stand for election.

Second, certain areas of the country received no political representation whilst others (often minute in comparison) had one or more MPs.

Third, only a very small amount of the population was actually enfranchised (able to vote) and large amounts of Parliamentary seats had MPs who were elected unopposed.

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Fourth, for those who were allowed to vote, they were required to undertake this in full view of their member of Parliament, who may well have been their employer and a member of the ‘landed gentry’. This potentially compromised how they might actually vote.

In terms of the significance of this research, Historians would then ‘devise’ a series of questions. How did the ‘unrepresentative’ nature of ‘Rotten Borough’ politics affect the way Parliament worked? In what ways did the absence of any political representation in cities such as Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester affect the lives of the population. Through researching these questions, Historians are then able to answer another question – what factors led this situation to eventually change. For example, protest, lack of efficiency, civil unrest, changes in education, needs of business, pressure from ‘Reformers’ or maybe a combination of factors.

2) Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-1945

This option provides for the study in depth of a period of German history during which a newly developed democratic form of government gave way to a dictatorial Nazi regime. It explores political concepts such as 'right' and 'left', nationalism and liberalism as well as ideological concepts such as racialism, anti-Semitism and Social Darwinism. It also encourages reflection on how governments work and the problems of democratic states as well as consideration of what creates and sustains a dictatorship

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1) Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-1945

This option provides for the study in depth of a period of German history during which a newly developed democratic form of government gave way to a dictatorial Nazi regime. It explores political concepts such as 'right' and 'left', nationalism and liberalism as well as ideological concepts such as racialism, anti-Semitism and Social Darwinism. It also encourages reflection on how governments work and the problems of democratic states as well as consideration of what creates and sustains a dictatorship

Sample material: Why did Hitler come to Power?

Selected source: Adolf Hitler's rise to power | History - Andrew Marr's History of the World (BBC Learning)

Taken from:

'There are times when the politics of fear become irresistible and nonsense becomes common sense'

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'History is full of nasty surprises; Hitler did his best not to be a surprise'

- Andrew Marr: 'History of the World'

The way that Historians present arguments and historical detail varies quite considerably. Historians would answer this question in terms of different time frames. To demonstrate this, think of the metaphor of using a pair of binoculars - to get an idea of individual events and how they connect to other events sometimes requires looking at something very closely. By contrast, to achieve a historical overview, means sometimes looking at things from a distance, enabling you to take in more factors. In this respect, when analysing 'the reasons' why something took place, Historians tend to answer this question in terms of long and short-term reasons.

As a subject, there are many different 'angles' to history. These include: Political, Economic, Social, Biographical, Chronological, Technological

Andrew Marr's video gives us an overview not only of reasons why Hitler came to Power in post-war Germany though also the different types of historical enquiry that could be drawn upon in order to answer this question.

Have a watch and see if you can identify the different factors that he uses as the basis of his evidence relating to the rise of Hitler.

Biographical factors - Hitler fought in the trenches in World War 1 - was noted to be volatile and a 'loner' by nature. He was also noted to lack 'leadership skills' though as the video demonstrates had quite an extraordinary amount of 'self-certainty'. This extended to envisioning a German Empire focussed in the first instance on conquering Europe.

Hitler’s autobiography ‘Mein Kampf’ set out his vision for how to advance Germany ‘based on the violent creation of a new German Empire in Europe; the destruction of Europe’s Jews which is all laid out in black and white’ (Marr)

Economic factors - Germany was bankrupt following World War 1 causing major political and social disturbances. This is significant as it was a relatively and stable prosperous country prior to its defeat and subsequent humiliation at the end of

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World War I in 1918. The terms of surrender essentially 'beggared' the country which in turn raised a fear of mass starvation and major social upheaval. This arguably left the population vulnerable to extreme politics or especially any individual that offered a 'solution' to these issues.

Social factors - There was a fear within the population relating to the emergence of a possible national Communist uprising – viewed by Marr as more frightening than collapse of Capitalism. Savings and jobs were destroyed in early 1920s – as noted in the video, a loaf of bread cost 1 billion marks. Watching Marr’s video carefully as a historian you get a sense of him painting a picture in ‘broad brush strokes’. To get a sense of what a sense of what German society was like in the years prior to Hitler’s ascent to power, you would need to have a look at some other historical sources.

Political factors – The post-war Social and Economic collapse left a huge void. Hitler was an extremely capable orator and was willing to use violence and take political risks (even that of being arrested). There were attempts at armed uprising though leading to failure in terms of stated aims. It did allow Hitler a wider platform to state his views. Whilst imprisoned, his reputation rose quite markedly as well as attracting other extremists such as Rudolph Hess. Eventually, through Hitler's charismatic power but also the propagandist and authoritarian underpinnings to their rule, enabled the Nazis to win democratic elections.

Historical Investigation

History provokes debate. As this video here demonstrates

One of the real ‘opportunities’ in studying History is that when you have spent some time on the A Level module, you have the chance to carry out your own independent research project centred on a topic of your choice within a 100 year historical period.

This is a great opportunity to develop your own interests in relation to the study of the subject of History. The main point to keep in mind relates to the fact that you can study potentially any topic within World History as long as it covers a 100 year period and is stated as a clear research question.

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This article from ‘The Guardian’ will give you some ideas as to different ‘themes’ and ‘figures’ within Historical study that might interest you:

Your project for this Unit is 3,500 – 4,500 words.

Teaching materials will enable you to develop a skillset as a historical researcher and with it, develop ways of analysing Primary and Secondary Sources in so doing, ‘bringing them to life’. This can be stimulating and exciting – by the end of it, you will have gained authority as an academic researcher. To quote the phrase ‘its like learning a new language’.

You will learn how to structure an argument and draw on a wide variety of different sources in order to historically analyse the material that you are covering.

This can be a really fascinating and interesting project which above all will build your enthusiasm for the subject. It is also great preparation for University study!

To quote the phrase ‘its like learning a new language’. And with it, one that you will be able to speak everyday….

What you would be studying?

GCSE Sample MaterialGCSE Units

America, 1840-1895: Expansion and consolidation

Conflict and tension: The First World War, 1894-1918

Britain: Power and the people, c1170 to the present day

Restoration England: 1660-1685

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The GCSE History content comprises the following elements:

• one period study - Restoration England: 1660-1685

• one thematic study - Britain: Power and the people, c1170 to the present day

• one wider world depth study: America, 1840-1895: Expansion and consolidation

• one British depth study including the historic environment - Conflict and tension: The First World War, 1894-1918

America, 1840-1895: Expansion and consolidation

Even before Donald Trump, the US didn’t get a great Press in other areas of the Global North (or Western world) as it is sometimes referred to. In his travelogue entitled ‘America’, the French philosopher Jean Baudrillard referred to the US ‘the only remaining primitive society’. The Manic Street Preachers song ‘Ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayit’sworldwouldfallapart’ gives a generally unflattering account of contemporary American Society.

That is ‘one side of the story’. In fact, America has a rich, diverse and fascinating history, that is itself brilliantly documented in its music and theatre.

What you would be studying - GCSEThe Unit America: 1840 -1895: Expansion and Consolidation covers a wide range of different elements of this history. These include:

Students will study the political, economic, social and cultural aspects of these two developments and the role ideas played in bringing about change. They will also look at the role of key individuals and groups in shaping change and the impact the developments had on them. Part one: Expansion: opportunities and challenges

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• The geography of North America: attitudes to the Great American Desert; the belief in ‘Manifest Destiny’.

• Why the early settlers went west and the challenges they faced: Brigham Young and the Mormons; the pioneer migrant farmers, the journey west; the miners.

• Dealing with a different culture: the Plains Indians’ way of life; early American Government policy towards the Plains Indians; the Permanent Indian Frontier; a changing relationship with the Plains Indians.

Part two: Conflict across America

Increasing conflict on the Plains: the Fort Laramie Treaty (1851) and the failure of the policy of concentration; the Indian Wars (1862–1867): reasons for and consequences of the Wars;

Sand Creek Massacre; Fetterman's Trap.

The background to the American Civil War: differences between North and South, issues of slavery, westward expansion and free states abolitionism; breakdown of the Missouri Compromise, John Brown, the roles of Lincoln and Jefferson Davis; the social and economic impact of the American Civil War on civilian populations.

Coming to terms with the Mormons: the Mountain Meadow Massacre and its aftermath.

Part three: Consolidation: forging the nation

The aftermath of the American Civil War: the 13th Amendment; Civil Rights Act; reconstruction in the South, 1866–1877; carpetbaggers; the balance of Federal and State powers.

The continued settlement of the west: the Homesteaders, reasons for going west; government actions and laws; land and railroads; farming problems and solutions.

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The resolution of ‘the Indian problem’ after 1865: the small reservations policy; attitudes to the native Americans; Battle of the Little Big Horn; The Dawes Act; Battle of Wounded Knee; the closing of the frontier and its impact on native Americans.

Sample Material

The American War of Independence The Causes of the Peasants RevoltMusicals and History are certainly no strangers to each other. You are very likely to have seen or at least know about landmark theatrical productions such as ‘Les Miserables’ ; ‘The Sound of Music’, ‘Oklahoma’ and even more recent British productions such as ‘Billly Elliot’. All share a significant concern with lived history.

That said, only a relatively small amount of theatre productions/musicals in recent years have had the impact of ‘Hamilton’ in relation to their reception.

‘Hamilton’ re-tells the story of the American ‘founding fathers’ through narrating the life of Alexander Hamilton – a formerly neglected figure within American history.

Its also about the experience of Slavery, its eventual abolition and the American war of independence. In theatrical form, ‘Hamilton’ is history as biography providing a valuable account of a key period within American history. Possibly most interestingly and (to some, controversially), the racial dynamics of American history are explored through the casting of numerous founding fathers through the use of African American/Black actors. You can see a clip of the musical here:

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What does the word ‘founding father’ mean; Who were the ‘founding fathers’ of America?

The ‘founding fathers’ of America were eight Businessmen and Industrialists that were key figures in uniting different geographical areas of the United States. They encouraged people to fight and subsequently win the American War of Independence. The three most famous (and oft cited) were: Benjamin Franklin, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Frankin was a polymath and amongst other things is credited as discovering electricity, whilst Washington and Jefferson both served as Presidents.

This video will give you a brief outline of ‘historical events’ surrounding the war of independence. Events really means certain things happening in a certain sequence, that when put together enable an explanation of how something took place.

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The American War of Independence

This was fought in the late 18th century. At the time the US was ruled as a British colony and the British ‘ran in to trouble’ with the population due to several ill-advised attempts to procure money through taxation. You might have heard of the ‘contemporary’ American ‘Tea Party’ - a branch of the Republican Party that believes in the principle of minimum government involvement in society.

This ten-minute (or so) video will give you an outline of how the American War Independence ‘unfolded’. In terms of historical explanation, it is a straightforward narration of events based around a sequence in time.

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Steven Franklin’s video is an example of how historians ‘construct’ explanations of how different factors that take place over a set period of time combine to create changes – politically, socially, economically. His focus is mainly on economic factors, though others are mentioned.

This can be contrasted with other historical explanations which might be more focussed on factors that were more concerned wth how American people felt about being ruled by a foreign power. This goes back to the earlier point in the unit, that basically history is amongst other things about different ways of looking at events that have taken place in the past. One reason why people enjoy studying history is that it gives you the chance to look at historical events in different ways and from different points of view. And as research is always uncovering new evidence, the notion of ‘historical truth’ issomething that has changed throughout time.

The Causes of the Peasants RevoltDo people really care that much about what happened in Britain in the 14th century? It would seem that in certain instances, this is something that they are interested in. In 1989 when Protestors marched against a tax introduced by the then Conservative Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, they followed the same route as that sketched by a man named Wat Tyler, leader of the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381. Similarly, the (2011) ‘Occupy’ protests in the City of London had certain parallels with Tyler’s movement in the 14th century, though did not go as far in terms of their activities. Tyler’s campaign – a mass protest at taxation levels that were being ‘levied’ at the population principally of the South-East of England was violent and uncompromising, leading to the murder of numerous merchants, lawyers and people who generally were viewed as significant figures in 14th century London. Its source was a series of tax rises that the King had deemed necessary – three in the space of three years.

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Wat Tyler (Leader of the 1381 Peasants’ Revolt)

In terms of his actual biography, not much is known about Tyler, though he is believed to have been a blacksmith and is known to have fought in what was termed the ‘100 Years War’: for King Edward III. He is remembered as a historical figure through being viewed as a the ‘Ringleader’ of the Peasants’ Revolt in 1381. This was basically an uprising against King Richard II. At the time, Richard was an inexperienced monarch aged only 14 and generally in receipt of poor advice from his counsellors. There were various causes, dating back a significant amount of time, though the attempted introduction of a ‘Poll Tax’ by the monarch of the time, alongside existing levels of Poverty amongst the peasantry has been viewed historically as the main factor. The Poll Tax meant that everyone who lived in England was required to pay the King a fixed sum of money, regardless of their wealth. One factor that necessitated increased taxation was the earlier Bubonic Plague, (circa 1348). This reduced the population substantially and hence labour supply of the country was

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reduced by approximately one third. As a consequence, agriculture was interrupted, meaning that food prices were much higher than had been the case placing the rural peasantry under significant pressure.

Although England was not part of the EU in 1381 and knowledge of events in the countries was at the time, more or less non-existent, it’s been discovered that around that time, similar revolts took place in several different European countries. As with historical explanation, there are generally different factors shaping events that took place at the time though the case of the ‘Peasants Revolt’ has generally interested Historians as a case study of economic oppression.

Life for the English peasantry was tough. Under the ‘Feudal System’ in which they lived, aside from a tiny minority of ‘landed gentry’ (who were generally very wealthy), the majority of the rural population lived as subsistence farmers, growing what they could in terms of crops, as well as keeping animals. When the crops failed, food shortages, even starvation would be the result. The male population was continuously drained by frequent wars taking place throughout the 14the century. Life was precarious and when they faced three successive tax rises as part of what was termed the ‘Poll Tax’ in the years leading up to 1381, this stretched people’s patience with the King to the absolute limit. To ferment revolutionary feeling, the Peasants needed a religious figure to inspire them. Its worth remembering that in the 14th century, the world view held by English that people is that of Christianity. This meant that people would attend Church everyday. They also held the belief that God was permanently watching them meaning that for them to follow a leader would invariably involve a person with a religious connection.

In John Ball, they found such a figure. Ball was a preacher who frequently moved around from place to place and earned a reputation for preaching against the taxation rises. His basic argument was about social justice – especially the way that under the Feudal system in which they lived, the ‘landed gentry’ had significant wealth in contrast to the Peasantry. Historians take an interest in ‘key figures’ who influence groups of people through the leadership they provide. John Ball was influential in encouraging an uprising amongst the peasantry. Historians also like to draw on original, sometimes known as ‘Primary’ sources. As an example, you can hear one of his speeches (from the author famed Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen), here Being feared by the authorities, Ball was subsequently imprisoned after Wat Tyler assumed the

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leadership of the rebels. As they moved through South-East England (principally Kent), the rebels looted property and property belonging to the aristocracy. Although the King had ordered for the city gates to be closed in London, sympathisers amongst the London peasantry kept them open.

Portrait of John Ball – one of the key leaders of the Peasants’ Revolt by David Simkin (1981

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An artistic depiction of the Peasants’ revolt – artist unknown

Whilst the rebellion in 1381 was eventually crushed and its ringleaders ‘hung, drawn and quartered’, the Peasants’ revolt has influenced other subsequent protests during British history. The verdict may have been ‘failure’ based on the time period itself though as with many historical events, it depends on what criteria you use to judge them. It set an example

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that has been followed throughout history for rebellion and violent protest and was notable as the first recorded instance of resistance to monarchical power.

The following video gives you an outline of events.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsML7hiTnsY

There are many things that we can learn from even going back as far as Medieval History. As well as getting a sense of how people spoke, we can also learn about what people’s lives were like, who the key historical figures were and why and in what ways they were able to influence others. From events like the Peasants’ Revolt we learn about the origins of mass protest and how this influenced subsequent movements such as the ‘Chartists’ and ‘Levellers’. We also see ways in which even 600/700 years ago there are some similarities between then and societies work now.