History124:Britainsince1688
Spring2014
Lectures:TuesdayandThursday,4:00‐5:15
1121MosseHumanitiesBuilding
ProfessorDanielUssishkin
Officehours:Thursday,,1:00‐3:00,5112Mosse
Phone:(608)263‐1839
Email:[email protected]
TeachingAssistants:
JenniferGramer
Officehours:Wednesday11:00‐12:00andThursday,2:45‐3:45,4266Mosse.
Email:[email protected]
SarahMesser
Officehours:Monday1:00‐2:00andWednesday1:30‐2:30,4268Mosse
Email:[email protected]
Thecourseintroducesstudentstothemajorthemesinthehistoryofmodern
imperialBritainandtosomeofthewayshistorianshavetriedtomakesenseofitall.
Suchthemesinclude(butnotlimitedto)thechangingpatternsoflifeduringthose
centuries,thedevelopmentofmodernidentitiesandnotionsoftheself,the
emergenceofamodern,commercialcivilsociety,theriseofindustrialcapitalism,
liberalism,themodernstate,andimperialandtotalwar(formoredetailsseethe
lectureschedulebelow).Wewillpayparticularattentiontogenderintermsofboth
“livedexperience”andrepresentationsofpower(anditscritique),andtothe
transnationalnatureofmodernBritishhistory,largely,butnotonly,throughthe
historyoftheeconomic,political,andculturalfoundationsofthemodernBritish
empire.
Thecourseconsistsoftwolecturesperweekandonediscussionsection.Attendance
tobothisrequired.Thetextbookismerelyateachingaidandisnotasubstitutefor
lectures(mostofthematerialcoveredinthelecturesdoesnotappearinthe
textbook).
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RequiredBooks:
1.OlaudahEquiano,TheInterestingNarrativeoftheLifeofOlaudahEquiano
(ModernLibraryedition2004,ISBN0‐375‐76115‐2)
2.GeorgeOrwell,TheRoadtoWiganPier(Penguinedition,ISBN0‐14‐118529‐5)
3.SamuelSelvon,TheLonelyLondoners(Longman,ISBN978‐0‐582‐64264‐5)
Textbook:
4.EllisWasson,ModernBritain:1714tothePresent(Wiley‐Blackwell,2010).
Allbooksareavailableatthebookstore.However,arenotrequiredtopurchase
theseparticulareditions.Therearemanyothereditionsofthebooksavailablefor
purchaseataverylowprice.WileysellselectroniceditionsofWassonthroughtheir
website.
Inadditiontothebookstherearenumerousprimarysources.Mostoftheseare
availableontheweb(andarehyperlinkedonthissyllabus).Othersareavailablein
PDFformat.LinkstoallsourcesareavailableatLearn@UWMaterialsContent.
Youarerequiredtoprintthesourcesandbringthehardcopytodiscussionsection.
Important:Thereadingsforeachweekwillbediscussedinsectionduringthe
followingweek.Forinstance,readingsforWeekIwillbediscussed01/27and
01/29.
AssignmentsandGrading:
3‐4‐pp.paper:10% (due02/18)
Midterm:
20% (03/13,inclass)
5‐pp.paper: 25% (due05/01)
Final: 30% (05/16,2:45pm‐4:45pm,locationTBA)
Section:
15%
*Papersshouldbesubmittedinbothahardcopyaswellaselectronically
(Learn@UWAssignmentsDropbox).Noadditionalreadingwillberequiredfor
eitherpaper.
*YourTAwilldiscussthecomponentsofyoursectiongradeingreaterdetail.Please
notethatactiveandenthusiasticparticipationinsection,andhardworkoverall,will
berewarded!
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WeekI
01/21
WhyBritain?
01/23
RestorationBritain
Read:
*GregoryKing’s“SocialTable”for1688(1696).
*RichardBaxteronoppressionofhusbandmen(fromAnnHughes,
SeventeenthCenturyEngland).
‐Wasson,15‐36
WeekII
01/28
GuestLecture
01/30
TheGloriousRevolution
Read:
*JohnLocke,SecondTreatiseonGovernment(1690)(chaptersIIandVII)
*RichardPriceontheGloriousRevolution,fromStevenPincus,England’s
GloriousRevolution:ABriefHistorywithDocuments(2006).
*EdmundBurkeontheGloriousRevolution,fromPincus(2006).
‐OntheGloriousRevolution,readtherelevantpartsonlinefromWasson,
Chapter0.
WeekIII
02/04
War,Finance,andTrade
Read:
*BernardMandeville,"TheGrumblingHive"(1705)(entire)
*AddisonontheBankofEnglandandtheAllegoryofLadyCredit,The
Spectator(1711),fromErinMackie,TheCommerceofEverydayLife:
SelectionsfromtheTatlerandtheSpectator(Bedford,1998)
*Addison’sAllegoryofLuxuryandAvarice,Spectator(1711),fromMackie,
1998
‐Wasson,9‐14,39‐47.
02/06
AnEnlightenedPublicSphere?
Read:
*TheFirstEnglishCoffeeHouses(1670s)
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WeekIV
02/11
CommerceandPoliteness
02/13
TheAmericanandFrenchRevolutions–inBritain
Read:
*EdmundBurke,ReflectionsontheRevolutioninFrance(1791)
*MaryWollstonecraft,AVindicationoftheRightsofWoman(1792)
*ThomasPaine,TheRightsofMan(1791)
‐Wasson,chapter3.
WeekV
02/18
TheAbolitionofSlavery
Read:
*OlaudahEquiano,TheInterestingNarrative(entire).
**1stpaperdueinclass02/18**
02/20
TheIndustrialRevolution
Read:
*P.Gaskell,TheManufacturingPopulationofEngland(1833)
‐Wasson,94‐105.
WeekVI
02/25
ThePoliticsofClass
Read:
*SamuelBamford,PassagesintheLifeofaRadical(1893[1840])
*SamuelSmiles,SelfHelp(1882)
‐Wasson,94‐108.
02/27
PoliticalEconomyandthePovertyQuestion
Read:
*AdamSmith,“DigressionConcerningtheCornTradeandCornLaws,”from
hisWealthofNations(1776),vol.2bookv.
*ThomasR.Malthus,AnEssayonthePrincipleofPopulation(1798),chapters
1,2.
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WeekVII
03/04
LiberalismandReform
Read:
*T.B.Macaulay'sSpeechontheReformBill(1832)
‐Wasson,130‐138,
03/06
“Liberal”Imperialism
Read:
*EdmundBurke,SpeechinCommonsonIndia(1783) *WilliamBentinckonRitualMurderinIndia(1829)
*ThomasBabingtonMacaulay,MinuteonIndianEducation(1835)
‐Wasson,169‐180.
Note:ReadingsforWeekVIIwillbediscussedon03/24and03/26;
discussionsectionson03/10and03/12willbedevotedtomidtermreview
WeekVIII
03/11
TheTriumphofFreeTrade
Read:
*LeadEditorialontheIrishFamine,LondonTimes,February10,1846
‐Wasson,152‐157.
03/13
MIDTERM
**SPRINGBREAK**
WeekIX
03/25
ImperialNation
Read:
*ElisaGreathedontheopeningoftheIndianMutiny(1857)
*JohnA.Hobson,Imperialism(1902).
*RudyardKipling,WhiteMan'sBurden(1899)
*GeorgeOrwell,"ShootinganElephant"(1936)
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03/27
TheStrangeDeathofLiberalEngland
Read:
*BleaseonNewLiberalism(1913)
*EmmelinePankhurstonMilitantSuffragists(1913)
‐Wasson,189‐196,199‐203(endofpage),208‐221,225‐228,
WeekX
04/01
TheGreatWar
Read:
*WilfredOwen,"DulceetDecorumEst"(1918)
*Letterfromthefrontdescribingtheexperienceinthetrenches(fromSusan
Grayzel,TheFirstWorldWar:ABriefHistorywithDocuments(Boston,2013).
*LetterfromaBritishofficer,describingtheBattleoftheSomme,from
Grayzel,2013.
*LetterfromasoldierintheBritishIndianArmy,fromDavidOmissi,Indian
VoicesoftheGreatWar(London,1999).
‐Wasson,241‐253.
04/03
Reconstruction
Read:
*MarieStopes,MarriedLove(1918)(Author’sIntroductiononly)
WeekXI
04/08
DepressionandUnemployment
Read:
GeorgeOrwell,TheRoadtoWiganPier(entire)
‐Wasson,253‐264,267‐281.
Watch:
LoveontheDole(d.JohnBaxter,1941);streamingavailablethrough
Learn@UW.
04/10
ThePeople’sWar
Read:
‐Wasson,267‐281.
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WeekXII
04/15
TheQuestforConsensus
Read:
*TheBeveridgeReport(1940)(firsttwosectionsonly)
*Contemporaryreflectionsonthecoronation.
*"LetUsFacetheFuture,"LabourParty’sManifesto(1945)
04/17
Consumerism,Youth,andPermissiveness
Read:
*GayLiberationFront,Manifesto(1971)
*PhilipLarkin,"AnnusMirabilis"
‐Wasson,281‐295.
WeekXIII
04/22
Decolonization
Read:
*StatuteofWestminster(1931)
*TestimoniesfromtheMauMauUprising
‐Wasson,295‐301.
04/24
Troubles
Read:
*ProclamationoftheIrishRepublic(1916)
*JohnConroy,BelfastDiaries(1995)
‐Wasson,295‐301,315‐320.
WritingWorkshop:sectionswillbedevotedtowritingskillsandpeerreviewof
roughdrafts.
WeekXIV
04/29
ImmigrationandRace
Read:
*SamuelSelvon,TheLonelyLondoners(entire).
*EnochPowell,RiversofBloodSpeech(1968)
‐Wasson,295‐315
05/01
Thatcher’sBritain
‐5pp.paperdue05/01‐
7
WeekXV
05/06
Neo‐LiberalismandGlobalization
Read:
‐Wasson,320‐333.
05/08
FinalReview
‐Finalexam:05/162:45pm‐4:45pm‐
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