A Review of British History thru an American Lens
As an American who has spent plenty of free time studying US history, beginning to study British history can be an intimidating task - there's just so much there compared to what we're used to. My solution is to divide and conquer, and use the monarchy timeline. This Part 2 essay extends from the death of King George III to death of King Edward VII – 90 years of rich British history, and includes the famed Victorian Era. What I condense to just a few pages is presented in books that take 500 pages to describe. This is, admittedly, a look from 30,000 feet, but from time to time I zoom in to treetop level for a more detailed review.
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As an American who has spent plenty of free time studying US history, beginning to study British history can be an intimidating task - there's just so much there compared to what we're used to. My solution is to divide and conquer, and use the monarchy timeline. This Part 2 essay extends from the death of King George III to death of King Edward VII – 90 years of rich British history, and includes the famed Victorian Era. What I condense to just a few pages is presented in books that take 500 pages to describe. This is, admittedly, a look from 30,000 feet, but from time to time I zoom in to treetop level for a more detailed review.
Read more
A Review of British History thru an American Lens
Part 1: The rise of England to World Power (1485-1820)
I begin down the path of English history with a short-cut to the English Renaissance and Age of Exploration. Thus I skip over centuries of ancient and medieval history to focus on the most relevant, and interesting events that shaped and guided the European migration to North America. There is no denying that the political, economic, scientific and cultural influence of the Mother Country on America is important and significant. My wife and I enjoy watching Hollywood and BBC productions of historical dramas set in Merry Olde England. And that could be the real reason I charged down this rabbit hole. One difficulty in composing a narrative covering a huge time span – over five centuries in this case – is to decide how to present the subject matter. For the sake of clear presentation, and format, I used a Monarchy timeline that divides up the various eras into digestible bites, and provides insight into how much and how often the problem of succession-of-power drives British history. Of course, I also include the non-royal players that are well known and sometimes more powerful than the King or Queen. No matter what sovereign sat on the throne, the Industrial and Scientific Revolutions marched ahead; grandma-slow at the beginning then gradually gaining speed and shifting into high gear. Highlights of these two peaceful revolutions are included for a better understanding of the various time periods. Finally to round out the story of each time period, I included some literature highlights for a glance at the cultural influence.
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The Hollywood History of China And Movie Review of "55 Days at Peking"
55 Days at Peking is the first major film to examine the clash of Western and Chinese cultures, and is still relevant to this day when trade and political tension with China is a prominent, almost daily, American news story. One of my objectives is to determine just how fair and truthful the movie presents the actual events.
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Kitty Hawk to Midway: The Genesis of the Modern Aircraft Carrier Era
Assignment shifted away from the huge Battleships to the aircraft carriers. How did this happen in a brief timespan? In the first place, it is impossible to analyze the development of the aircraft carrier (CV) without a parallel discussion on the evolution of the airplane. What follows below is a unified sea/air chronicle of the key events and people that made the transition from Battleship-first to Aircraft Carrier-first modern Navy that sails the oceans today.
Read more
Part 1: The rise of England to World Power (1485-1820)
I begin down the path of English history with a short-cut to the English Renaissance and Age of Exploration. Thus I skip over centuries of ancient and medieval history to focus on the most relevant, and interesting events that shaped and guided the European migration to North America. There is no denying that the political, economic, scientific and cultural influence of the Mother Country on America is important and significant. My wife and I enjoy watching Hollywood and BBC productions of historical dramas set in Merry Olde England. And that could be the real reason I charged down this rabbit hole. One difficulty in composing a narrative covering a huge time span – over five centuries in this case – is to decide how to present the subject matter. For the sake of clear presentation, and format, I used a Monarchy timeline that divides up the various eras into digestible bites, and provides insight into how much and how often the problem of succession-of-power drives British history. Of course, I also include the non-royal players that are well known and sometimes more powerful than the King or Queen. No matter what sovereign sat on the throne, the Industrial and Scientific Revolutions marched ahead; grandma-slow at the beginning then gradually gaining speed and shifting into high gear. Highlights of these two peaceful revolutions are included for a better understanding of the various time periods. Finally to round out the story of each time period, I included some literature highlights for a glance at the cultural influence.
Read more
The Hollywood History of China And Movie Review of "55 Days at Peking"
55 Days at Peking is the first major film to examine the clash of Western and Chinese cultures, and is still relevant to this day when trade and political tension with China is a prominent, almost daily, American news story. One of my objectives is to determine just how fair and truthful the movie presents the actual events.
Read more
Kitty Hawk to Midway: The Genesis of the Modern Aircraft Carrier Era
Assignment shifted away from the huge Battleships to the aircraft carriers. How did this happen in a brief timespan? In the first place, it is impossible to analyze the development of the aircraft carrier (CV) without a parallel discussion on the evolution of the airplane. What follows below is a unified sea/air chronicle of the key events and people that made the transition from Battleship-first to Aircraft Carrier-first modern Navy that sails the oceans today.
Read more
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