The GCSE History Revision Podcast

1800s: New Model Unions and New Unionism

How did the Trades Union movement develop after the Tolpuddle Martyrs?

1834: The Tolpuddle Martyrs

"You don't get me, I'm part of the Union..."

The first in our mini sequence of podcasts on the development of the Trades Union movement and its place in the development of democracy starts small; focused on one small village in Dorset and six men who swear an oath to found a Union to bargain for better pay and conditions...

1800s: The Chartists II

The Chartists were a huge political movement, able to mobilise a lot of public support; born out of unhappiness with the Great Reform Act, their demands were simple and clearly designed to improve the representation of the working class in Parliament. But the movement collapsed by the 1850s, ending in abject failure.

Or did it...?

1800s: The Chartists I - Peterloo and the Great Reform Act

What was the problem with elections in the 1800s? How did a meeting at St Peter's Field lead to the Great Reform Act? And how Great was it anyway?

This is background to the Chartist movement which will be covered in the next episode. 

1776 The American Revolution

After the Civil Wars, the question of who ruled - Parliament or the King - was settled. The next phase of power shifting to the people would be about who was represented in Parliament. The first skirmish of this fight would be a war across the sea, when colonists declared that there should be no representation without taxation and, in their Declaration of Independence, wrote down some self-evident truths. 

2018 Exam Technique

In our final episode of the class of 2018, we talk through with an AQA Lead Examiner how to answer each of the questions on the new paper. 

For the last time, 2018 - good luck in your exams!

 

Good-BYEEEEE-EEEEEEE. 

1642: The World Turned Upside Down

England is at war with itself; the King versus Parliament. This confilct gave rise to new radical politics which would inform the rest of British political history. But not only that - hovering in the background is the biggest unanswered question of all - what do you do with the King?

 

Probably the most important turning point in the development of Power and the People is covered in this episode. 

1642: What were the causes of the English Revolution?

In August 1642 King Charles I raised his standard at Nottingham, declaring war on his own Parliament. The most serious challenge to royal authority in English history was about to begin - British history, actually, as the mid-1600s saw war engulf the three kingdoms of the British isles. How did it come to this? In this episode we talk through the steps to 1642 and what brought Parliament and the King to the brink of war....

1536: What was the Impact of the Pilgrimage of Grace?

Henry VIII had to deal with the challenge to his authority, but how? This episode wraps up the events of 1536 and looks at the impact it had for the people who rebelled, Henry and Thomas Cromwell.

1536: What were the causes of the Pilgrimage of Grace?

In 1536 Henry VIII faced the most serious challenge to his power - the most serious challenge to any monarch since 1381. Why did nobles, commons and peasants alike join together to rise up against the Tudor king?

1381: What was the impact of the Peasants' Revolt?

This is the second of the two episodes on the Peasants' Revolt; here we discuss the events and consequences of the revolt. We also discuss the differing interpretations of the revolt depending on the different point of view of different historians.

1381: What were the Causes of the Peasants' Revolt?

This is another episode for the Power and the People Theme Study.

In the summer of 1381, peasants from the south east of England rampaged through towns and cities. They murdered merchants and tax collectors and even the Archbishop of Canterbury. What caused this sudden outburst of violence? This episode looks at the social, politcial and economic causes of the revolt while the next one looks at the events and consequences.

The book mentioned in the podcast is available here: Summer of Blood

 

1264: The Origins of Parliament

How important was Simon de Montfort and what was the significance of his Parliament? This episode looks at the next major challenge to royal authority after Magna Carta and considers whether Simon de Monfort's meeting deserves the title of 'The First Parliament'.

1215: Why does Magna Carta matter?

Welcome to the second episode on Magna Carta with a new microphone cable. In this episode we cover the key clauses of the Great Charter and why they matter today.

1215: Why was Magna Carta necessary?

Apologies for the sound quality on this episode - the microphone cable was damaged and I didn't have a spare.

This is the first episode of the Power to the People Theme Study and it looks at where it all began: in 1215 witrh the document held by some to be the cornerstone of all modern democracy - the Magna Carta.

But why did the Magna Carta come about?

Durham Cathedral - Norman England Historic Site

Cathedrals were an important part of the organisation and structure of the Church, and Durham Cathedral was the one that established the pattern for all other Norman Cathedrals.

This episode will prepare you for the 16-mark Historic Site question on Paper 2.

Norman England Part VI: How did life change?

1066 is seen as a cataclysmic event, a moment that changed England forever: but how much actually changed for the peasant in the field? This summary episode looks at all the aspects of Norman England we've discussed so far and considers how life chnaged in the Norman period and, perhaps more importantly, for who.

Norman England Part V: The Growth of Towns

The Domesday book paints a picture of the grown of towns in the Norman period; over 200 hundred of them in the reign of William alone. Why did towns grow - and perhaps more importantly, how did they grow?

Summer 2017 - Exam Tips

In the final episode for the Class of 2017, we run through how to answer each of the questions on both of the AQA GCSE History B papers.

So for us on Paper 1 that's:

• Origins of WW1
• Peacemaking and the League of Nations
• Hitler's Foreign policy, Appeasement and the Origins of WW2

 

and, on Paper 2;

• USA in the 1920s
• Germany 1933-45
• Vietnam 1954-75

For the last time - and we really do mean it:

Thank you for listening - and good luck in your exams.

 

Vietnam Part IV: Peace With Honour?

The USA lost. One of the two great superpowers lost. It can be argued that America never got over their defeat in Vietnam. So why did they leeave?

 

In this episode we consider the factors that led towards Nixon claiming that they had peace with honour while the world watched the last chopper flee from the American Embassy in Saigon, leaving screaming crowd to their fate.

 

This is the last episode for the 2017 Year 11s, so let's just say good luck with your exams!