Superwomen of yesteryears: Benazir Bhutto

25 years ago on the 16th November, a woman became the first female prime minister of the Islamic state of Pakistan. That woman was none other than Bhutto, yes, Benazir Bhutto. The daughter of the eminent politician: Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Bhutto lived out her formative years in Karachi, Pakistan and was fortunate enough to be sent to Harvard University in the USA. After studying for a politics degree, Benazir had come to Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, as a postgraduate student. Of course, by then she was known as the Pakistani prime minister’s daughter, so she didn’t go unnoticed by any means. She was known around Oxford for driving her then-fashionable MGB through the streets. Her open-top sports car became her signature item and before you know it, she was elected as president of the reputable Oxford Union Society. She was already showing signs of following her father’s footsteps! But she wasn’t to bask in her luxuries for too long.

In 1977, her father was hanged as part of a military coup and after her returning to Pakistan; Bhutto was placed under house arrest subsequently. Benazir Bhutto’s life had taken a massive turn and from then on she devoted her life to her father’s memory. However, simultaneously she had manifested her first political achievement, by becoming the leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) - slowly eroding the image of the subservient Pakistani woman in Muslim societies. She spent seven whole years in exile in London, and only returned to her country to stand as a candidate for the Pakistan elections. Despite the patriarchal Islamic society, Bhutto proved herself by winning the general elections and garnering the votes of Pakistani men.

This was a milestone for her and a certain reason for why she stands as one of the most notable Muslim women of history. She held the office for two terms: one from 1988 to 1990 and the other from 1993 to 1996. At this point, to neighbouring India she was the ‘Iron Lady’: resilient and still standing for yet another term in the office. Nevertheless, Bhutto’s political career wasn’t all sun and roses, and to be honest, who’s political career is? Bhutto achieving the highest office in a Muslim country was undoubtedly a turning stone in history, but she failed to impress the people of her country. Under her lead, Pakistan was associated with vast foreign debts and her government was soon dismissed by Pakistan’s president with labels such as ‘incompetence’ and even ‘corruption’. It also didn’t help that her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, was accused of corruption. Her second attempt in the office was again unsuccessful, and it was dismissed again due to several renewed allegations of corruption.

Despite facing countless charges of corruption, in exile in Dubai, she continued leading the PPP with Western governments for support. She has achieved a heroic status to every Western feminist, in her trials and her tribulations. In 2007, President Musharraf allowed her to return to Pakistan, though she was greeted with a detonation of two bombs, finishing 140 of her supporters. She didn’t relent and instead held election rallies to fight back. But this wouldn’t stop her fate addressing her. On the 27th December, she was assassinated by a suicide bomber in Rawalpindi- ceasing her political comeback in Pakistan. Some may say she was a failing political figure, but I believe she fought for the natural rights of everyday Pakistanis, and is an inspiration to women across the globe for surviving in a man’s world. And just maybe, that is why now a Pakistani woman is able to vote in the Pakistan elections today. By MD

Nonsuch is 75!

Nonsuch: a science and language specialist school; an all-girls school; and the only place in the world where multiple lanyard jokes can be made in almost every assembly. Established in 1938 under the name 'Nonsuch County School for Girls', Nonsuch has survived World War Two and evolved to see its 75th Anniversary. The first students arrived on the 3rd May with the school being officially opened by James Stanhope- the 7th Earl of Stanhope- on the 20th June. However, in the lead up to this long-awaited moment, the idea of putting a school in the middle of a park with historic links caused a lot of controversy. Our very own Nonsuch was mentioned in ‘The Times’ and was gradually becoming known in Surrey with its newspaper fame in the borough and local council. Eventually, after questions about the scheme had been raised in Parliament, the first turf was cut on the 30th December 1936. Nonsuch was actually planned a century ago, and without those 25 years of planning, Nonsuch might just have been a vast patch of green land. The school aimed to have around 490 girls, just over a third of the amount which is here today. Nevertheless, in a similar way to the students of today, the former students had to take an 11+ exam to enter. On the other hand, the uniforms are another matter. Every modern-day Nonsuch girl (and teacher) has heard about the numerous uniform complaints among which are: the style of the skirt which flaps open in the wind; the length of the skirts which many students must roll up as high as they can; and let's not forget everyone's favourite school coat. This is a vast contrast to the original Nonsuch girls. They were thrilled to be part of a school which had such a fashionable uniform- including brown shoes and a pinafore. On speaking with Ms Jeanne Paramor (who was a student in 1938) and Ms Ruby Smith (a student in 1941), it soon became evident that these were not the only differences. An example is the fact that the school hall used to be used as a canteen. Every day at lunchtime, the hall would be filled with girls eating stewed cabbage, potatoes and mince meat. At the end of each table would be a teacher craning their necks to ensure that all the girls were behaving themselves. On the stage at the front of the hall sat the headmistress (Miss Marion Dickie, succeeded by Miss Mathews in 1964) accompanied by the remainder of the teachers. Ms Paramor recalls that once she found a slug in her lettuce and was put off eating school dinners. After that, she and a friend decided to sneak out and eat at a restaurant until they were caught by a teacher and forced to have packed lunches at school, thus preventing them from sneaking out again. So in effect, lunchtimes at Nonsuch were slightly like a scene from a school feast in the Harry Potter movies! However, the actual building is still very similar to the one made 75 years ago, only with a few differences. The exams office that we know today was actually the ground floor, and the room 301 was originally an art room! Moreover, the quad hasn’t changed at all- it really still is exactly how everyone remembers it. Overall, listening to the stories of these two women was very enlightening and entertaining and we would just like to take this opportunity to thank them for their time. Furthermore, Sports days were grand occasions, and Nonsuch held its first one on 6th July 1938. Events included: skipping relays, ball team games and hoop team games as well as three-legged races. Additionally, in the late 1940s the war period affected the school. The school had periods where it was closed and in 1948 there were food shortages. In the same year, Nonsuch received food parcels from the USA, and the pupils with the help of the teachers grew potatoes on the premises of the school. Nonsuch continues to be a leading grammar school for girls and is a school that has been long missed by former pupils. It’s not long now before Nonsuch celebrates its 100th anniversary, making a century of existence... Taken as a whole, Nonsuch has seen many students come and go. Although fashions may change and technology may improve, this school is fundamentally a place where teenage girls can come to get an education while making fond memories. It is unique in many ways and generally a place close to each Nonsuch girl's heart. Ultimately, our time at Nonsuch is an important milestone in our lives with the 75th Anniversary being a reminder that we should treasure every moment. By JG and MD

Margaret Thatcher - Hero or Villain?

Following a series of Year 8 lessons on Oliver Cromwell where Margaret Thatcher was compared with Cromwell for her ability to divide opinion, it was clear that there were many people interested in her, so here are a few articles & assessments which illustrate her ability to The Telegraph calls her 'not only Britain’s first woman Prime Minister, she was also the outstanding peacetime leader of the 20th century'. In the Daily Mail, William Hague (previous Conservative Leader and current Foreign Secretary) cited tributes ranging from former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to the leaders of Kuwait and Estonia and 'hailed her ‘moral clarity’, saying governments around the world could learn from her example'. However, a very different perspective is given in the Guardian and other more left wing newspapers and media outlets. A more balanced view is given by the BBC, despite criticism of their handling of the Wizard of Oz song in the charts.

The tenth anniversary of the War in Iraq

The War in Iraq which began 10 years ago tomorrow cost 179 British soldiers' lives, over 100,000 Iraqi and nearly 4,500 American lives and caused one of the UK's biggest ever demonstrations against it in London. Why did it happen? What was involved? Was it worth it? As a result of the anniversary there is a wealth of information on the conflict. The BBC have a wide range of interviews with the people involved particularly Tony Blair , John Simpson and Panorama have done a special programme on the intelligence involved in the decision to go to war. The Daily Telegraph also has some interesting interviews especially one with Andrew Gilligan, the journalist who was accused of lying about the government's intelligence dossier just after the war started. Also interesting to look at the USA's coverage of the anniversary, here in USA Today Obama pays tribute to the troops involved and the Washington Post suggests 10 great books, fiction and non-fiction, to read on the event.

Elizabeth Stuart - Valentine's Day Bride

Today is the 400th anniversary of the wedding of Elizabeth Stuart to Frederick V, Count Palatine of the Rhine. Elizabeth was the eldest daughter of James VI of Scotland, who of course went on to become James I of England. Her father was of course keen to marry her off to create the best possible political advantage, and eventually settled on Frederick as he was the leader of a group of Protestant rulers in Germany, despite being only 16 years old (as was Elizabeth - who would have had the portrait above painted at around this time).

After their first tricky meeting Elizabeth and Frederick found that they were genuinely attracted to each other, and got to know each other better by watching 6 of Shakespeare's plays. The wedding was a happy (and extravagant!) affair, complete with fireworks, dances and a mock sea battle (which got rather out of hand leading to several injuries amongst the sailors...). Elizabeth had 13 bridesmaids and John Donne wrote a special Valentine's Day poem for them.

Elizabeth then moved to Heidelberg with her husband and they had 13 children together. In 1619 the couple became king and queen of Bohemia but shortly afterwards they were thrown out and fled to Holland. Elizabeth remained fully engaged in European politics, keen to support Protestants under threat across the continent. She returned to England with her brother, Charles II, in time to see him restored to the throne before her death in 1662.

Elizabeth is particularly important because the royal line continued through her after Charles II died without any (legitimate) heirs. Her grandson was George I, who would establish the House of Hannover on the throne.

You can read more about Elizabeth in the most recent edition of History Today, as well as here (Wikipedia), and also here for more information about her extensive correspondence. Elizabeth also appears in this slightly eccentric blog article about other "Queens of Hearts".

Pope Benedict and St Valentine

Here are two interesting articles from History Today, on Papal resignations, and the "real" St Valentine. St Valentine was a Roman priest who blessed illegal Christian marriages and was beaten to death in 269 AD on the orders of Emperor Claudius II in AD 269, supposedly on 14 February.

Belgium Trip 2013

Here is the powerpoint that was shared at the Belgium Battlefields Trip Information Evening on 11 February. If you have any further questions please contact the Nonsuch History Department.


You can also download the powerpoint here using this link. Please let us know if you are having any problems accessing this.

Electoral Reform Society

Useful link for researching different voting systems

http://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/voting-systems

Russian Civil War Poster

GCSE Year 10 classes may find this poster of use for their source analysis. It says (in Russian) "Wrangel hits again, finish him off without mercy."

You can find the poster and lots of other ones at this excellent blog which looks at the history of graphic design.

Richard III updates

There have been many articles and discussions since Richard's body was formally identified by Leicester University on Monday. Here are a few of them:

• There has been some debate between academics over the value of the find. Neville Morley from Bristol University argues that Richard's celebrity has overshadowed research by others into more "ordinary" people from the time and Caroline Fletcher from Sheffield University questions the decision to announce the discovery through a press conference and television programme rather than more rigourous academic channels. 
• Here Paul Lay from History Today discusses how the find will affect Richard's reputation and considers why he has been able to inspire such dedicated supporters such as the Richard III Society.
• Richard III's face has been reconstructed based on the skeletal remains. You can read more about it here and see a video here.
• Here is some discussion about how Richard might have acquired his injuries at the Battle of Bosworth.
• Here is an article on whether Richard was responsible for the deaths of the Princes in the Tower and whether there are any other suspects. Meanwhile this article suggests that the bodies in Westminster Abbey believed to be the princes will not be re-examined in the light of Richard's discovery.
• And finally...here are some of the many Richard III jokes currently doing the rounds on Twitter. Our favourite is "Richard III officially announced 1485 Hide and Seek Champion". There are many more!