World War One is often portrayed as an inevitable or necessary conflict, which the majority of Britons enthusiastically accepted. This is far from the truth. Remembering the Real World War One is three weeks of events aimed at uncovering hidden histories of resistance to the ‘Great War’ in Bristol from deserters, conchies and pacifists to rebel miners, radical trade unionists and reds. We will also meet those who have been ignored by the official histories, the Indian, African and Asian soldiers who fought and died for the British Empire and later struggled against it for their freedom. Finally we consider how this global war, which was essentially a conflict between imperial powers for land and resources, redrew the maps leaving legacies which still haunt us today.
| Date | Time | Title | Details | With | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| , 2014 | 1914-1918: The War within the War | As we mark the centenary of the First World War, this epochal event is usually remembered as a bloody conflict between rival alliances of nations. But there was another struggle as well: between […] | Adam Hochschild | More | |
| , 2014 | World War One: Arming All Sides | After the First World War many believed the arms trade to be a primary cause of war. The unprecedented scale of death and destruction wrought by modern weaponry led a majority of people to support […] | Arming All Sides | More | |
| , 2014 | |
Echoes of the ‘Great War’ | World War One is often characterised in the popular memory through the narrative of trench warfare on the Western Front. However, it was a global war fought by imperialist powers, ranging from Africa […] | More | |
| , 2014 | |
Hidden Histories of World War One | Bristol Radical History Group are hosting the international History From Below network conference which brings together historian-activists from all over Europe. This is a great opportunity to hear […] | Gee Vaucher | More |
| , 2014 | Women Resisting the Great War | Two talks about women resisting WWI. "The Friends of Alice Wheeldon" (accused of plotting to kill Lloyd George) and "Bristol women campaigning for peace in World War One". | Sheila Rowbotham, June Hannam |
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| , 2014 | |
Opening the Archives | In a long tradition of Opening the Archives events the excellent Central Reference Library staff have done us proud in presenting a collection of primary sources relating to resistance and reaction […] | More | |
| , 2014 | Deserters, Conchies and Reds | Two talks: "The Bristol Deserter – Alfred Jefferies – His War Story" (a Bristolian shot for desertion) and "Freedom of Soul" (Bristol union resistance to the war). | Colin Thomas, Geoff Woolfe |
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| , 2014 | Trade Unions and Resistance to the Great War | Two talks: "Class cohesion and spurious patriotism: trade union internationalism in the First World War" and "Men on one hand, Coal on the other: The Forest of Dean Miners and the First World War 1910 – 1920" | Ian Wright, Kevin Morgan |
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| , 2014 | The World’s War | Documentary, talk and discussion David Olusoga's recent documentary The World's War challenged perceptions of WW1 with the stories of the millions of Indian, African and Asian troops who fought and […] | Dominic Rai | More |
