The Highland Clearances
In Our Time: History
03/08/18
•51m
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Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss how and why Highlanders and Islanders were cleared from their homes in waves in C18th and C19th, following the break up of the Clans after the Battle of Culloden. Initially, landlords tried to keep people on their estates for money-making schemes, but the end of the Napoleonic Wars brought convulsive changes. Some of the evictions were notorious, with the sudden and fatal burning of townships, to make way for sheep and deer farming. For many, migration brought a new start elsewhere in Britain or in the British colonies, while for some it meant death from disease while in transit. After more than a century of upheaval, the Clearances left an indelible mark on the people and landscape of the Highlands and Western Isles.
The image above is a detail from a print of 'Lochaber No More' by John Watson Nicol 1856-1926
With
Sir Tom Devine Professor Emeritus of Scottish History at the University of Edinburgh
Marjory Harper Professor of History at the University of Aberdeen and Visiting Professor at the University of the Highlands and Islands
And
Murray Pittock Bradley Professor of English Literature and Pro Vice Principal at the University of Glasgow
Producer: Simon Tillotson.
Previous Episode
Sun Tzu and The Art of War
March 1, 2018
•48m
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the ideas attributed to Sun Tzu (544-496BC, according to tradition), a legendary figure from the beginning of the Iron Age in China, around the time of Confucius. He may have been the historical figure Sun Wu, a military adviser at the court of King Helu of Wu (who reigned between about 514 and 496 BC), one of the kings in power in the Warring States period of Chinese history (6th - 5th century BC). Sun Tzu was credited as the author of The Art of War, a work on military strategy that soon became influential in China and then Japan both for its guidance on conducting and avoiding war and for its approach to strategy generally. After The Art of War was translated into European languages in C18th, its influence spread to military academies around the world.
The image above is of a terracotta warrior from the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor, who unified China after the Warring States period.
With
Hilde De Weerdt Professor of Chinese History at Leiden University
Tim Barrett Professor Emeritus of East Asian History at SOAS, University of London
And
Imre Galambos Reader in Chinese Studies at the University of Cambridge
Producer: Simon Tillotson.
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Tocqueville: Democracy in America
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•50m
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