Crimean War - Reaction at home Flashcards
1
Q
William Russell
A
- Sent as a correspondent of the The Times newspaper
- Russell went without the permission of the government and army meaning he was not bias in their favour like a modern embedded journalist is
- Russell’s reports have to be taken with some caution as he was vehemently anti-Turk and anti-French
- Russell cannot have witnessed all the events he describes and his informants are unknown so their reliability cannot be verified
- During the awful winter of 1854-1855, Russell spent the worst of it in the luxury of Constantinople before returning
2
Q
Roger Fenton
A
- Roger Fenton was not the official photographer in the Crimea or the first photographer to visit the region
- Fenton went to the Crimea as a commercial photographer working for the publisher Thomas Agnew
- although he was encouraged by Prince Albert as he wanted him to counter some of the negative press
3
Q
Strength of Photographic Sources
A
- Difficult to distort information in a photo
- Seen as more conclusive evidence
- The public could interpret the photos on their own, and come to their own conclusions
4
Q
Weaknesses of Photographic Sources
A
- Some photos could be set up e.g. Roger Fenton’s photo of the Valley of the Shadow of death
- Technology of the time not capture moving things, meaning the movements of battle could not be captured
- Photographic sources by Roger Fenton were captured partly for his own revenue and he was sent with recommendation by the Queen’s husband
- Can selectively capture the best or the worst bits, depending on the story they are trying to tell
5
Q
Strength of Primary Written Sources
A
- Captured the wider scene of what was going on
- Could provide written battle records of what happened
- Can quote orders or accounts given by officers
6
Q
Weaknesses of Primary Written Sources
A
- Reporter could misconstrue what actually happened, perhaps for increased readership
- Reporter’s personal views may alter how they report e.g. William Russell gave especially harsh criticism over the conduct of the war
- Reporter may not fully understand why movements are being made if they are not fully informed
- Can selectively write about the best or the worst bits, depending on the story they are trying to tell
7
Q
Increase in the functionality of newspapers
A
- By the 19th Century newspaper reports were appearing more speedily, compared to the reports that trickled in slowly before in the 18th century, but were still weeks out of date
- Before 1800, reading was a minority skill but by 1850, well over 50% of Britain’s population could read and write
8
Q
New Technology
A
- Reports from the war zone reached Britain quicker due to railway and electric telegraph, compared to the horse-drawn wagons of the Napoleonic Wars
- By 1850s, telegraph allowed brief information to be transmitted in hours e.g. reports of the Battle of the Alma appeared in The Times just over a week after
9
Q
Nature of Fenton’s Photos
A
- Photographs of injury and death would not be welcomed by likely purchasers
- Later photographers felt the duty to show the horrors of war, but Fenton’s only market was the private purchaser as printers did not have the technology to reproduce photos
10
Q
Timing of Fenton’s visit
A
- Fenton did not arrive until March 1855 and returned to England in June 1855, meaning he wasn’t present in any major battles
- Winter 1845-55 was the toughest time, Fenton had not witnessed this
- The pictures he took of the men of the 68th Regiment wearing sheepskin coats, it was actually spring and the conditions were far better than in the winter
11
Q
Impact of Fenton’s photographs
A
- Exhibited his photos around Britain for 8 months, beginning in September 1855
- Showed the public the stark realism of the soldier’s squalid living conditions rather than the idealised paintings they had seen previously
- People began to question not just how the war was being managed, but what it was being fought for
12
Q
Reporting of William Russell
A
- Russell stayed in the Crimea for the beginning of the siege of Sevastopol and the actions at Balaklava and Inkerman
- Russel spent most of December 1854 and January 1855 in Constantinople before returning to the Crimea and eventually seeing the fall of Sevastopol
- He made comparisons between British army medical service and better equipped French
- He was highly critical of the commanders like at Balaklava
13
Q
Political change and the power of the press
A
- Before the Crimean War, the British government had not appreciated the potential of the press
- In January 1855, a motion calling for a committee of enquiry into the conduct of the war passed by a huge majority in the Commons, Prime Minister Lord Aberdeen took this as an obvious vote of no confidence and resigned
14
Q
Press Attack on Raglan
A
The Times’ attack on Raglan and the army’s aristocratic and privileged leadership led to public outcry
- Raglan didn’t help his position by not responding to the press attacks as his main concern was that the correspondents would give information away to the Russians accidently
- He, however, made no effort to get rid of the correspondents and the government did not impose any censorship on the press
15
Q
Palmerston’s modest reforms
A
- Palmerston became PM in January 1855
- A Sanitary Commission was set up
- A special transport department improved supplies to Crimea
Bureaucratic Structure was simplified - War Office was given overall control and the Ordnance Board was abolished and shared responsibilities between secretary of state and the commander-in-chief
