Reporting the Crimean War

Question 1

was there censorship in the Crimea

Answer 1

• no
• everything was been printed in full in newspapers
• the Government also couldn’t introduce it half way through or it would look shady
• Russel was v transparent

Question 2

why was a lack of censorship a negative

Answer 2

• mass hysteria and fear
• but it also meant British tactics could potentially be leaked to the enemy
• potential cynicism and sensationalised - not always true
• Russel maybe more focused on promoting his own success and skill then telling the truth
• people critical of the government and put pressure on them

Question 3

discuss the revolutions in communications that meant news travelled quicker

Answer 3

• steamships carried reports and letters from Crimea to Britain in 2-3 weeks
• Railways distributed newspapers from the big cities all over the UK
• electric telegraph network transmitted short reports quickly from the Crimea - real time - electric cables under the sea tapped signals - latest short updates and dispatches
• national not just local news

Question 4

discuss the increasing circulation of newspapers

Answer 4

• huge readership
• The Times increased circulation from 5000 in Nap wars to 40,000 in 1850s
• those that can read tell others that can’t

Question 5

discuss letters to newspapers from the war

Answer 5

• frequent letters to newspapers from officers fighting in the Crimea
• letters home from individual soldiers coincided with newspaper coverage and provided corroboration of reporting
• individual concern
• makes it all more real
• evokes sympathy

Question 6

discuss the impact of photos BRIEFLY

Answer 6

• allowed the public to form a visual image of events greatly enhancing the emotional impact of the written reports
• invention of photography and lithograph technology meant reports could be illustrated quickly and cheaply
• Fenton and Robertson

Question 7

why can a lack of censorship be a positive

Answer 7

• push the Government into action
• transience meant those on the home front felt connected
• it significantly boosted the sales of newspapers and periodicals which in turn brought the war into many homes and pubs allowing the public to be actively involved in debates about how the campaign should be fought
• it allowed the newspapers to increase their profits because people wanted to read it

Question 8

discuss who Russell worked for and him arriving in the Crimea

Answer 8

• he came to the attention of Delane, editor of The Times
• by 1843 he was employed full time
• Delane sent him to Crimea
• left in Feb 1854
• after spending time with the army in Gallipoli and Varna he reported on the battles of the Crimea and siege of Sevastopol
• wide experience and knowledge

Question 9

why was Russell’s background so important

Answer 9

• His Anglo-Irish background gave his writings a critical detachment from the English establishment whose incompetence he never hesitated to condemn.
• it meant his loyalties and sympathy lay with the ordinary soldiers, a third of whom were Irish
• Ireland had always been troubled with English

Question 10

what is a limitation of Russel despite his reports been eagerly awaited and avidly read by almost the entire literate population of London

Answer 10

• he didn’t cover the entirety of the period as he didn’t arrive till 1954
• in winter he stayed in luxury in Constantinople
• left War in Nov 1855
• he was still there for a lot of the significant bits tho including all the battles

Question 11

discuss the ‘sensibilities’ of Fenton’s photographs

Answer 11

• see pictures of soldiers looking good don’t see dead bodies

Question 12

discuss how one of Chenery’s reports criticised planning for Scutari

Answer 12

• mentioned that Britain had plenty of time when in Varna to plan
• it was the talk of all for four months
• lack of planning inexcusable
• scathing report for middle class readership and the Gov were not used to this deep scrutiny as not really experienced such intense war reporting before

Question 13

discuss the relationship between Raglan and Russell

Answer 13

• Raglan complained that Russell had revealed military info that was potentially useful to the enemy
• he advised his officers not to speak to Russell claiming he was a danger to security
• Tsar Nicholas read The Times everyday so Raglan did have a point
• raglan thought Russell below him
• Raglan was under increasing pressure due to his reports - thinks he’s disloyal to British
• Raglan felt the military could fix their problems without extra pressure from the Gov but clearly they couldn’t

Question 14

what did most of Russell’s reports focus on

Answer 14

the sufferings of the British army during the winter of 1854-55
reported the epidemics of cholera and malaria - within a few weeks some 8000 men were suffering from them - led to public outcry and the government were forced to act

Question 15

what did Queen Victoria and Prince Albert think about Russell’s reports

Answer 15

• Queen Vic was upset and described them as infamous attacks against the army which have disgraced our newspapers
• Prince Albert commented that the pen and ink of one miserable scribbler was despoiling the army

Question 16

why were Queen Victoria and Prince Albert so critical of Russell

Answer 16

• Vic in favour of aristocracy/loyalty

- Albert didn’t want the pressure on the establishment

Question 17

discuss the Cholera and Malaria epidemic and death rate

Answer 17

• some 8000
• led to public outcry and Gov pressure
• a higher death rate from disease than battle is normal but it was far higher than it should have been in Crimea especially compared with the French who had a much lower death rate
• John Snow was also sorting Cholera in London at this time and his info should have got through to Crimea
• but new ideas are hard to accept right away and communication was still slow at this time

Question 18

what was Crimea the first time of

Answer 18

the first time the power of the media was exposed and exploited to put pressure on the Gov and influence the public

Question 19

discuss how Aberdeen’s government came down in January 1855

Answer 19

• The Times campaign of Nov 54 increased pressure
• 2 months later he resigned due to a vote of no confidence
• the media exposed weaknesses and it was unprecedented for the media to be able to have such power as to bring down the PM!
• John Roebuck did an enquiry into the conduct of the war
• 305 MPs voted against Aberdeen in the vote of no confidence

Question 20

what did the Duke of Newcastle (S.O.S for war) say about the collapse of the Aberdeen government

Answer 20

• it was you who turned out the government

- referring to Russell

Question 21

discuss the Committee of Enquiry ran by Roebuck into the Aberdeen Government and condition of the army

Answer 21

• Jan 29th, 2/3s of the House of Commons voted for a motion by the radical MP John Roebuck calling for the appointment of a select Committee to investigate the condition of the army
• Roebuck claimed that due to ill health, the British army had 23,000 men unfit and only 9000 fit for duty
• Aberdeen lost the vote of 305 to 148 and resigned the following day

Question 22

who replaced Aberdeen and PM, what was he like and what task was he left with

Answer 22

• Palmerston
• loved by the public but loathed by Queen Vic
• he hated aristocrats despite being one himself - parliament hate him for this - precarious position
• given the task of clearing up the mess that had according to the press and influenced public, been caused by Aberdeen’s Government

Question 23

discuss Fenton’s journey to the Crimea and who was he supported by and how did this affect his role

Answer 23

• sent in 1855 as the first official war photographer
• endorsed by Duke of Newcastle (S.O.S for war), Prince Albert and Queen Victoria
• take photos to counter balance the criticism in the media and portray a more ordered Crimean experience

Question 24

discuss the type of technology used by Fenton and the limitations of this

Answer 24

• used large format glass plate cameras and the collodion process which required long exposure times of up to 20 seconds
• meant he can’t get pics of action/people in pain
• each plate had t be sensitised immediately before exposure and developed immediately which meant he needed a mobile darkroom

Question 25

discuss the horse drawn mobile darkroom Fenton worked in

Answer 25

• was a very tempting target for Russian artillery - risking his life - not a safe job
• his assistants were alcoholics
• don’t discount the challenges Fenton faced
• hot in the van - Fenton nearly died from the fumes of the developing and fixing chemicals

Question 26

discuss the focus of a lot of Fenton’s photographs

Answer 26

• individual soldiers

- dressed well and in full coats etc.. to detract from reports of a lack of resources

Question 27

discuss the accuracy of Fenton’s photographs

Answer 27

• official Gov pics - impression from pics didn’t align with the reality
• coordinated and planned for a (+) public response to the conduct of the war
• or is just tech limits and not necessarily propaganda
• there is a mix of Gov and tech pressure
• he wasn’t there till March 1855 when a lot of problems had been solved - inaccurate representation

Question 28

how long did Fenton spend in Crimea and how many photographs did he produce

Answer 28

• four months
• 8th March 1855 - 26th June 1855
• 360 pics despite difficult conditions - impressive
• photos were to be converted into woodblocks and published in the less critical illustrated London news

Question 29

legacy of Fenton

Answer 29

• set the tone of war photography
• he was the first extensive example of reporting of war using photo journalism
• how did Fenton do it?
• in the Boer and FWW the government capitalised far more on staged war propaganda
• an exhibition of his prints were on show in London but sales were not as good as expected possibly because the war had ended

Question 30

compare Fenton and Russel

Answer 30

• despite their differences both Russell and Fenton gave the public a perception of war more accurate than any previous population
• even tho Russell critical and Fenton much more propaganda

Question 31

what did Fenton’s pics do for the soldiers

Answer 31

humanised them

Question 32

what is the most iconic photo to talk about in an exam and why

Answer 32

• The Valley of the Shadow of Death

- showed the valley which the Light brigade charged down

Question 33

discuss lithographs and sketches

Answer 33

• newspapers in the 1850s lacked the tech to print pics
• but the illustrated London News sent artists to Crimea to sketch events which where then converted to engravings for the paper
• give impression not accurate portrayal
• you can sketch everything one shot tho if you want which you can’t get in a pic
• portray message and elements but inaccurate
• lithographs were cheap and quick to produce in periodicals like the illustrated London news
• draw things in height of battle - Fenton can’t take pics in height of a battle

Question 34

give one reason why readership had increased since the Nap war

Answer 34

industrial revolution

Question 35

who was james simpson

Answer 35

• new S.O.S for war under Palmerston, Lord Panmure, sent him to join Raglan’s staff
• his reports back to the Government said army’s leaders were doing a good job