17th - 19th Century History
When: 1st Wednesday of each month in the afternoon at 2.30 p.m.
Where: Home meetings with members abroad joining by Zoom
NEW MEMBERS WELCOME
Three Hundred of Fascinating Years
The 19th Century History group has successfully gone back in time to become the 17th to 19th Centuries Group. Originally it began with the 17th Century, later concentrating on the 19th, when countries on the fringes of Europe, such as Britain, became superpowers and empire builders. It was an exciting time with the start of modern industry, farming, and the growth of cities like Paris and London, while countries such as Russia had millions of people in serfdom, wishing for freedom.
Knowing about the past helps us understand more. Look at what happened in the former Yugoslavia in the past 30 years. The problems of the region date back to the 19th century and beyond. One of the first acts of the then Foreign Secretary, William Hague, was to create a section devoted to history in the Foreign Office so the past could enlighten the present.
The group has always attracted people with wide-ranging interests but not necessarily prior knowledge. We look at any country or topic because that is what members have chosen to study. We have had members keen on the history of European royalty, social history, South Asia, Africa, Australasia and art history. As one member said: ‘I joined the 19th century group to broaden the context of my rather specialised knowledge’.
What do members like about being in the group? One explains: ‘I joined the u3a History Group nearly 20 years ago, and I have gained much pleasure from my membership. There are three great benefits'.
‘The first is the pleasure in researching some aspect of history, that you did not know much about and sorting your ideas into a coherent whole in order to pass them on to the group. The second pleasure is learning from the research of others with different approaches and ideas. The third pleasure is getting to know the other group members and making new friends. All three help to keep one happy and interested and delay many of the effects of ageing’.
A member added, ‘It is the width of knowledge on so many different topics that stimulates interest. Recently we have covered several presentations on the Far East (India, Singapore and Japan), on African history (Belgium/ the Congo and South Africa), on inventions and inventors and the decorative arts, on the history of the post-civil war period in the USA as well as various topics in British and European history in the 19th century.
Another member agreed. ‘I enjoyed history at school and have retained an interest ever since. Joining this friendly and supportive group encouraged me to explore new areas and I have found the presentations and discussions both informative and stimulating. When I retired and joined the group, I had not had the time to open a history book in years. At first I was a little daunted by the knowledge of other members of the group but I soon caught up. I dug out my old books and re-read them'.
It need not be difficult to get the books as many are in libraries, while online second hand booksellers are a great source, as are the many websites devoted to history such as The Victorian Web which is written by experts, in plain English.
For anyone thinking of looking at this fascinating period, the main need is the desire to enjoy learning how people lived and what they did. It does not require lots of prior knowledge but it does need a lively mind.
Interested? Please contact Richard Offer, the group leader.
