Peterloo 00:16 - Mar 14 with 1422 views | jeera | Forgot this was on tonight but will catch it later. Not that I've seen it before so cannot comment if it's any good. But this incident was in the early days of the Chartist movement of course and the film is about the authorities' response to a peaceful protest. We have come so far in some ways, and yet in others there are still the same underlying themes: https://www.radiotimes.com/film/fqc26y/peterloo/ [Post edited 14 Mar 2021 0:21]
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Peterloo on 01:10 - Mar 14 with 1362 views | factual_blue | Peterloo was twenty years before the Chartist movement emerged, although both were about better parliamentary representation and improved economic conditions. In 1819 the country was broke after the Napoleonic Wars, unemployment was colossal (well over 300,000 men left the various branches of the armed services (including the militias) and the Corn Laws exacerbated poverty. Further, in 1819 the fact that so many men had experience of the armed forces scared the ruling elites. There were widespread reports of ordinary people drilling with weapons, and many of the groups heading to St Peter's Field did so marching in formation. | |
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Peterloo on 03:56 - Mar 14 with 1342 views | jeera |
Peterloo on 01:10 - Mar 14 by factual_blue | Peterloo was twenty years before the Chartist movement emerged, although both were about better parliamentary representation and improved economic conditions. In 1819 the country was broke after the Napoleonic Wars, unemployment was colossal (well over 300,000 men left the various branches of the armed services (including the militias) and the Corn Laws exacerbated poverty. Further, in 1819 the fact that so many men had experience of the armed forces scared the ruling elites. There were widespread reports of ordinary people drilling with weapons, and many of the groups heading to St Peter's Field did so marching in formation. |
I said early days. Like really early. Before it happened early. | |
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Peterloo on 06:59 - Mar 14 with 1299 views | Churchman |
Peterloo on 01:10 - Mar 14 by factual_blue | Peterloo was twenty years before the Chartist movement emerged, although both were about better parliamentary representation and improved economic conditions. In 1819 the country was broke after the Napoleonic Wars, unemployment was colossal (well over 300,000 men left the various branches of the armed services (including the militias) and the Corn Laws exacerbated poverty. Further, in 1819 the fact that so many men had experience of the armed forces scared the ruling elites. There were widespread reports of ordinary people drilling with weapons, and many of the groups heading to St Peter's Field did so marching in formation. |
The Peterloo Massacre took place during a period of great change, four years after Waterloo. the Industrial Revolution was in full swing and given there had been no revolution in Britain, there was a lot of fear in the ruling classes that it could happen here. According to the Peterloo Memorial campaign, the slogans on the banners were Reform, Universal Suffrage, Equal Representation and Touchingly Love. Many of the banner poles were topped with the red cap of liberty - a powerful symbol at the time.’ It was a peaceful protest that the authorities panicked over after they’d read ‘the riot act’ to those that could hear them. Only about 2% had the vote at the time. Rotten Boroughs and all that. It was an important event which sowed the seeds of the Great Reform Bill 1832, the Chartist Movement in the late 1830s and beyond that the Trade Union Movement. The outcome proved to be the opposite of whether the great and the good intended, though there was no Bourbon style Revolution. These events are important to me as they show why our world looks as it does. Eric Hobsbawm’s book The Age of Revolution 1789-1848 is a good read on the period. Also recommended is Peter Ackroyd’s History of England books. [Post edited 14 Mar 2021 7:02]
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Peterloo on 08:04 - Mar 14 with 1254 views | Steve_M | I thought the film was too slow and ,despite great potential, ultimately disappointing. Which is a shame as it’s about an important and largely underrepresented piece of British history. | |
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Peterloo on 08:58 - Mar 14 with 1217 views | factual_blue |
Peterloo on 03:56 - Mar 14 by jeera | I said early days. Like really early. Before it happened early. |
You resisted the temptation of an ageist comment about me having been there, so get an upvote. | |
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Peterloo on 09:02 - Mar 14 with 1214 views | Mullet | The People's History museum up here has a decent exhibition, but there is a feeling that only Manchester remembers it up here. We started teaching it years ago at our place because it didn't feature on any curriculums at the time. It's interesting that in the recent push for "British History for British people" from our government Peterloo was overlooked. | |
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Peterloo on 09:12 - Mar 14 with 1198 views | Guthrum |
Peterloo on 08:04 - Mar 14 by Steve_M | I thought the film was too slow and ,despite great potential, ultimately disappointing. Which is a shame as it’s about an important and largely underrepresented piece of British history. |
My feelings also. Particularly the aftermath geeing very hastily glossed over. Plus the political messages got a bit lost in some of the personal stories they were intent on telling. Including going in rather heavy on Hunt's supposed "difficult" personality and turning several of the "baddies" into mere caricatures. | |
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Peterloo on 09:18 - Mar 14 with 1186 views | factual_blue |
Peterloo on 09:02 - Mar 14 by Mullet | The People's History museum up here has a decent exhibition, but there is a feeling that only Manchester remembers it up here. We started teaching it years ago at our place because it didn't feature on any curriculums at the time. It's interesting that in the recent push for "British History for British people" from our government Peterloo was overlooked. |
I used to live as a student just around the corner from the original Working Class Movement library - a semi-detached house in Kings Road Old Trafford. https://www.wcml.org.uk/about-us/our-founders--ruth-and-eddie-frow/ | |
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Peterloo on 09:22 - Mar 14 with 1183 views | Guthrum |
Peterloo on 09:02 - Mar 14 by Mullet | The People's History museum up here has a decent exhibition, but there is a feeling that only Manchester remembers it up here. We started teaching it years ago at our place because it didn't feature on any curriculums at the time. It's interesting that in the recent push for "British History for British people" from our government Peterloo was overlooked. |
Indeed. Too much concentration upon 20th century history without looking at its roots. | |
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Peterloo on 09:26 - Mar 14 with 1174 views | factual_blue |
Peterloo on 09:22 - Mar 14 by Guthrum | Indeed. Too much concentration upon 20th century history without looking at its roots. |
And indeed every century. | |
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Peterloo on 09:40 - Mar 14 with 1158 views | Steve_M |
Peterloo on 09:12 - Mar 14 by Guthrum | My feelings also. Particularly the aftermath geeing very hastily glossed over. Plus the political messages got a bit lost in some of the personal stories they were intent on telling. Including going in rather heavy on Hunt's supposed "difficult" personality and turning several of the "baddies" into mere caricatures. |
It was a while ago that I watched it but, yes, it was the personal over the political that made it lose its way. | |
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Peterloo on 09:41 - Mar 14 with 1160 views | Steve_M |
Peterloo on 09:02 - Mar 14 by Mullet | The People's History museum up here has a decent exhibition, but there is a feeling that only Manchester remembers it up here. We started teaching it years ago at our place because it didn't feature on any curriculums at the time. It's interesting that in the recent push for "British History for British people" from our government Peterloo was overlooked. |
It was heavily covered when I did Nineteenth Century history at uni but that was in the NW so maybe just local. I think there was passing mention at A Level but then my history teacher went to Manchester Uni. | |
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Peterloo on 10:15 - Mar 14 with 1127 views | Guthrum |
Peterloo on 09:41 - Mar 14 by Steve_M | It was heavily covered when I did Nineteenth Century history at uni but that was in the NW so maybe just local. I think there was passing mention at A Level but then my history teacher went to Manchester Uni. |
I covered it at A-level, but that was Social and Economic History. | |
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Peterloo on 10:48 - Mar 14 with 1110 views | factual_blue |
Peterloo on 09:41 - Mar 14 by Steve_M | It was heavily covered when I did Nineteenth Century history at uni but that was in the NW so maybe just local. I think there was passing mention at A Level but then my history teacher went to Manchester Uni. |
You clearly had a wise and well-educated history teacher. | |
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Peterloo on 11:09 - Mar 14 with 1087 views | solemio |
Peterloo on 10:48 - Mar 14 by factual_blue | You clearly had a wise and well-educated history teacher. |
History teachers who didn't go to Oxford or Cambridge? Pathetic. | | | |
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