Summer is over, and the chill in the Manchester air is a reminder that winter is imminent. So we have provided you with some fantastic reading material for those long rainy nights as you settle back into academic life.
As the new editors we both thought it was important to bring something new to the magazine, which reflects both of us. We have achieved this by adding in two new sections to the magazine that favours each of our historical interests: war, and feminism. Guess whose is whose? We have paired up to bring you some strategy and tactics, alongside a historical revision from a woman’s point of view.
But the big theme this month is something that you could not miss this summer. 100 years ago, the great powers of Europe took part in one of the most devastating events of history; the First World War. Out of the 65 million combatants (including 8 million from Britain) that fought in World War One, 10 million of these soldiers died. So what better way to begin this year’s Manchester Historian than by marking the centenary of this conflict, and by commemorating all of those who lost their lives? We have covered some areas that are less well known or documented: from the Suffragette Split as a result of the war, to the Battles in the Skies.
2014 also marks 20 years since the Rwandan Genocide, which we have included in the ‘History You Should Know’ section alongside other important historical events such as Magdalene Asylums across the world and the Islamic Revolution. We are also bringing you ‘History Behind the Headlines’, from a history of Scottish Independence to the war on Isis.
Finally, we’ve got the classic new staff interview so you can read all about Eloise Moss’s love of the history of British crime. And for those of you looking for a good TV series or book, you will find a couple of reviews here.
If you have any suggestions for any articles or want to write for us, please get in touch by emailing us at:manchesterhistorian@gmail.com
We hope you enjoy reading Issue 15 of the Manchester Historian!
Zoey and Xan
‘The lamps are going out all over Europe, we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime’. – British foreign secretary, Sir Edward Grey, August 1914