Dean Swift – Page 74 – General History

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About Dean Swift

‘Dean Swift’ is a pen name: the author has been a soldier; he has worked in sales, TV, the making of films, as a teacher of English and history and a journalist. He is married with three grown-up children. They live in Spain.

The Englishman abroad: aspects of the typical British tourist over two centuries

The Englishman abroad: aspects of the typical British tourist over two centuries

In the 18th and 19th centuries, two kinds of Englishman ‘went abroad’, or left Britain for a period. The first of these was the young man on the Grand Tour: He was between 19 and 25 years old, fresh from the University (which was invariably Oxford of Cambridge); rich because he had been born rich, travelling in his own coach with a driver, possibly two grooms and a valet. He may have been accompanied by friends, and a tutor who had befriended him at university. He carried at least two pistols in a case, for protection during long journeys in savage countries like France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Austro-Hungary or Spain. He aimed to stay in Paris, Vienna, Berlin, Venice, Budapest, Madrid and Constantinople. His valet was usually of the same age, better looking, worse-dressed, more intelligent, cunning and always critical of ‘the young master’. He was trusted by the young man’s parents to bring the traveller back alive. (more…)

By | 2012-01-09T11:09:33+00:00 January 9th, 2012|English History, Humour, Today, World History|0 Comments
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Belligerent British India: the Anglo-Afghan Wars & the Anglo-Burmese Wars

 It is a much-noted historical fact (not a notion) that countries seeking empires require violent methods to keep them – once formed. Great Britain has not been backward in this respect. She may have been less violent than the Romans, more tolerant than the Spanish, less deluded than Bonaparte, but her 19th century wars in Afghanistan and Burma were, as a contemporary historian said, ‘a disgrace fraught with understandable reasons’. (more…)

By | 2012-01-04T11:36:47+00:00 January 4th, 2012|History of Afghanistan, Russian history, World History|0 Comments
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Disadvantages of being English and old

One of these (there are many others) is the question of communication if you are British and over fifty-five, with someone equally British but under thirty-five. Multitudes of Brits visit the Atlantic island where I live, tourists mostly. On my ultimate expedition to a favourite seafront restaurant, where the Atlantic actually rolls up and crashes against the seawall below the place, the tables to my right and left were crowded with large English families, an encouraging concept. (more…)

By | 2012-01-01T11:31:48+00:00 January 1st, 2012|Humour, Jewish History, Philosophy, Today|0 Comments
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Piracy

Too late to repel boarders! / en.wikipedia.org

Too late to repel boarders! / en.wikipedia.org

Piracy, or the practice of robbery and murder on the high seas, is in the news again. Merchant ships and even private yachts are being attacked in the Indian Ocean and South China Sea by highly mobile young men and women armed with machine guns, not cutlasses.

Piracy can be traced by the student right back to ancient history. As long as there have been navigable oceans and rivers, and unprotected merchant shipping, there have been pirates. They have been vividly described in classical literature, successful Victorian novels, and a multitude of twentieth century movies. Pirates have helped the Disney Empire to re-instate itself for the nth time, with a vastly successful series called Pirates of the Caribbean. The reverse of the coin happened to poor Roman Polanski though, with a really dreadful film of his made in 1985 starring Walter Matthau called simply, Pirates. (more…)

By | 2011-12-24T16:45:45+00:00 December 24th, 2011|Today, World History|1 Comment
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The U.S.S.R.

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (also known as the Soviet Union) used to occupy all the northern part of Asia, and a substantial part of Eastern Europe. Under that name, what was before, and is now again Russia lasted from 1936 to 1991. It comprised fifteen constituent republics. (more…)

By | 2011-12-22T18:17:06+00:00 December 22nd, 2011|French History, History of Afghanistan, History of Korea, Italian History, Romanian History, Russian history, US History, World History|0 Comments
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The University

A corner of the University of Santiago, Spain, one of the oldest universities in the world / tuhostal.com

A corner of the University of Santiago, Spain, one of the oldest universities in the world / tuhostal.com

It is an institute of higher education, responsible for taking students from the schools and giving them, through teaching, research and studies, an extended education which may lead to a Degree. The difference between a College and a University is that there may be many colleges in one university campus, each teaching different disciplines. (more…)

By | 2011-12-20T09:21:52+00:00 December 20th, 2011|English History, French History, German History, Italian History, Today, US History, World History|0 Comments
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Another Godless Christmas

It is the 17 December, 2011. In seven days virtually all the countries in the world will begin a few days off work (if they have any) on a holiday that will extend to the end of the year on the evening and night of the 31 December. The following day will begin the year 2012, grimly destined by many to be the last Year of the Human in History. (more…)

By | 2011-12-17T17:39:20+00:00 December 17th, 2011|Today, World History|1 Comment
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Spain: the Shadow of a Republic

Iñaki Urdangarin is the King and Queen of Spain’s son-in-law. This retired athlete married the Infanta Cristina, and they have four bright-looking children, three boys and a girl. The media seem determined to destroy him, alleging fraudulent activities. The bemused public is not quite sure what to think, though the newspapers are busy telling them what to think. (more…)

By | 2011-12-16T17:22:25+00:00 December 16th, 2011|Spanish History, Today|1 Comment
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Ronald Reagan

/ es.doblaje,wikia,com

/ es.doblaje,wikia,com

The fortieth President of the United States was born in 1911. He grew up to be a college athlete and a handsome actor in Hollywood movies, westerns in particular. He was by no means a bad actor, just an underrated one. In California, where the peculiar tradition of actors becoming politicians is noted, Reagan became a Republican (conservative) Governor in 1966 when he was fifty-five years old. (more…)

By | 2011-12-15T18:38:40+00:00 December 15th, 2011|US History, World History|0 Comments
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