Share 

 

The Reform Club, London, headquarters of the nineteenth century Liberal Party, which passed the 1832 Reform Act. Could the democracy ushered in by this Act be a mixed blessing in difficult times? See below....

Welcome to InfoBritain, for historical visiting information in the UK. InfoBritain tells you what happened and where it happened. We have articles and visits relating to all historical periods from prehistoric Britain to recent times, and to the lives of major British authors, artists, musicians, scientists, politicians, military and royal figures. You can use our site search, or our various menus to find suggested visits relating to times or people. Alternatively go to the regions menu, find a place to visit in a particular area, and then link back to the history relating to it. We also have a full accommodation booking service for all parts of the mainland UK. We specialise in historic accommodation, but we also have comprehensive lists of hotels of all types and price ranges. See the regional menus on the right. Enjoy!

An alphabetical index is available below.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y

A Personal Note (Archive)

Ever since the nineteenth century democracy has been the watch word for progress. But no political system is perfect, and it could be that we are now seeing the limitations of democracy. In recent Greek and European elections we are seeing that democracy is unlikely to favour difficult measures. Sound financial policy might require discipline. It also might require financial support being redirected abroad. Both of these things have proved to be unpopular with European electorates. Interestingly this situation is not new. We could go back to the earliest days of modern democracy and see similar problems. In 1846, only a decade after the Reform Act which is usually held to mark the birth of democracy in Britain, Liberal Party leader Lord John Russell became prime minister. Russell wanted a more representative, responsive government. This sounded good in theory, but the reality was rather different. In the same year that Russell became prime minister the potato famine began in Ireland. Russell was one of very few English statesmen to believe that rural Irishmen deserved the same level of protection as anyone else living in Britain. Initially he moved decisively to help the worsening Irish situation. Huge amonts of grain were ordered. In 1846 ambitious schemes of public works were organised to provide employment, and by 1847 soup kitchens were keeping people alive. These measures cost around £10 million, which represented by far the biggest relief effort that any government had ever made. But quite soon Lord John's open government began to tell against him. Under pressure from Parliament to cut tax, the prime minister was forced to cut aid. Lord John, following his democratic instincts gave way without much of a fight, and disaster ensued. From now until 1852 one million people were to die of starvation in Ireland, and two million were to emigrate. The population of Ireland was to decline by a quarter. So democracy, a byword for progress became the source of catastrophe, when some old fashioned dictatorial policy by an enlightened minority would have helped. Maybe Lord John Russell would recognise the situation we now find ourselves in.

Best wishes

Martin

Historical news for May

Special evening openings will be taking place at hundreds of libraries, museums and art galleries across the country for the annual Museums at Night event, from18th - 20th May. Telephone 01273 623266

To tie in with the Olympics, the Victoria and Albert Museum is staging an exhibition of British art and design from the 1948 Olympics, to the summer of 2012. Telephone 020 7942 2000

For many centuries the Thames was the main ceremonial route for London. This long tradition will be recalled this summer during the celebration of Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee. An exhibition at the National Maritime Museum brings together almost 400 objects to tell the story of the Thames over the last 500 years. Telephone 020 8858 4422

The tea clipper Cutty Sark reopens on 26th April, following a period of restoration to repair extensive fire damage. There is now an improved visitors centre, which allows visitors to walk beneath the ship for the first time.

Anniversaries for May

1st May 1707 : The Act of Union passed by Parliament during the reign of Queen Anne merges the kingdoms of England and Scotland to form Great Britain.

2nd May 1982: During the Falklands conflict the British submarine HMS Conqueror sinks the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano, with the loss of 323 of the Belgrano's crew. The General Belgrano, the former USS Phoenix was a World War Two veteran that had survived the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbour.

13th May 1912 : The Royal Flying Corps was formed as part of the British Army. The Royal Flying Corp was the forerunner of the RAF.

13th May 1935 : T.E. Lawrence, author of The Seven Pillars of Wisdom - one of the best known literary works to come out of the First World War, dies in a motorbike accident.

16th May 1943: In a raid known as Operation Chastise, Lancaster bombers attack German dams with bouncing bombs designed by Barnes Wallis.

23rd May 1945: The end of World War Two in Europe, following the capture of German leader Karl Donitz.

24th May 1930: Amy Johnson lands her aircraft at Darwin, Australia, to become the first women to fly from England to Australia.

30th May 1593 : Playwright Christopher Marlowe dies in mysterious circumstances, after an afternoon talking to senior members of the English secret service.

 

Enter the InfoBritain Shop via the Royal Opera Arcade, the first shopping arcade built in Britain. Here you will find a range of products and services we've put along side the information offered on InfoBritain.

Click on the image to enter the shop.

Please be aware

We make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our information, but it is always advisable to check details of any visit beforehand using contact details provided. If you spot a mistake please let us know by contacting us.

Almost all photography on InfoBritain is by InfoBritain or by named contributors. All educational use is permitted, but copyright is reserved for commercial uses. Occasionally we have used copyright free stock images which are available for any use. A note will identify these images.

Thank you to photo contributors Danielle Davis, Jean Edwards, Vicky Eagle of Portsmouth Dockyard, Kevin Edwards, Julian Jones, Richard Jones, Jackie Lewis, Debbie Lowless, Judy Mills of the Corinium Museum, and Susan Stuart of Old Spitalfields Market.