As Colin Thomas described in his review for BRHG, this is an important - but also deeply flawed book. Despite the intriguing revelations and approaches explored, the basic flaw in my opinion is a need to take aim at a straw man which is simply an expression of the authors’ disdain for anything smacking of ‘materialism’, and their expressed scorn for a whole field of anthropology and archaeology that just happens to fall prior to their own designated era of study. There is also a lack of clarity […]
Not A BRHG Event
This talk considers, from a Bristol perspective, the huge wave of strikes involving tens, if not hundreds of thousands of personnel in the British Armed forces at the end of World War One. Mass insubordination, refusals and in some cases mutiny swept through army, navy and air force personnel in January 1919. Driven by the desire for immediate demobilisation and fears that politicians and military leaders might commit them to the ongoing invasion of revolutionary Russia and other colonial […]
We are delighted to announce the 7th annual Bristol Radical History Festival The festival is held over two days at two main venues: Saturday 26th April at Bristol's social history museum on the city’s historic harbourside, M Shed and Sunday 27th April at the volunteer-run arts centre and cinema the Cube Microplex. Across two days and four themes, we can promise history talks, walks, exhibitions, stalls, two film screenings and a pre-festival trip to the Bristol Archives. We warmly invite you to […]
During the 1930’s militant anti-fascist responses to Oswald Mosley’s Blackshirts were established amongst the Bristolian working-class. Discouraged by their defeats in the inner-city districts of Bristol, the British Union of Fascists (BUF) turned their attention to south Bristol, Bedminster and the new garden suburbs springing up on the outskirts of the city. This illustrated talk traces the migration of pre WWII physical resistance to fascism in Bristol from the smoky and overcrowded slums to […]
Not A BRHG Event
A very special screening of Cyrchfan Cyfiawnder, the 1988 S4C drama-documentary commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Newport Rising. This remarkable production included a large-scale community opera featuring schools and choirs from across the South East Wales Valleys. It was directed by Colin Thomas and presented by the late Professor Gwyn Alf Williams, a key figure in the groundbreaking television history of Wales. We’re delighted to announce that Colin Thomas and members of the […]
In October 1831, the refusal of the House of Lords to pass new legislation for the reform of parliament plunged the whole country into a deep political crisis. Rioting broke out in a number of towns, leaving local authorities hard pressed to restore order. One such town was Blandford Forum in Dorset. Here, protesting crowds attacked the property of anti-reformers, defied the orders of local magistrates to disperse, and fought with an armed cavalry regiment sent out to tackle them. In the […]
Not A BRHG Event
The Bristol Anarchist Bookfair Collective (BABC) has been reformed after a hiatus of several years. They return with this mini-Bookfair event at The Exchange, 72-73 Old Market Street, Bristol BS2 0EJ, from 10.30 to 3.30pm...and are promising a mega-Bookfair in 2025. BRHG's book stall will be out and about at The Exchange - so come by and say hello! From the FB Event, the Collective state: Inspired by Active Distro's Radical Bookfairs we're hosting an event at Exchange this winter. A chance to […]
