Campaigning for change: can we learn from history?
There have been some amazing campaigns in the past, including the anti-slavery movement, the suffragettes, and the campaign for homosexual equality. Modern day campaigners can draw inspiration from these, but can we learn lessons? After all the 21st Century is so different to the 19th and 20th centuries.
Friends of the Earth thinks we can: drawing on 9 case studies written by historians from the History & Policy network – and after discussing these with the historians and with campaigners from other NGOs – we’ve identified what we think the main lessons are.
But just as historians will continue to argue about the interpretations of different campaigns in the past, so campaigners will argue about the veracity of these lessons.
You can download the case studies here, and draw your own conclusions.
“Unless we understand our history, we have no hope of making sense of the present. These case studies help us to see where we have come from and where we are going.”
George Monbiot
Introduction to the case studies by historian Richard Huzzey
Britain’s Anti-slavery campaigns, 1787 to 1838
The campaign against the Contagious Diseases Act
Fighting for the franchise: the campaign for Women to Obtain the Vote
Opposition to Irish Home Rule, 1885-1922
Campaigning for homosexual rights in 20th century Britain
Mary Whitehouse, the National Viewers and Listeners’ Association and social movement campaigning
The Miner’s Strike in Britain, 1984-85.
If after reading these case studies we have whet your appetite for more history, the Institute for Government has published case studies of more modern day campaigns, including Friends of the Earth’s successful Big Ask Campaign for a Climate Change Act.
As 19th century Russian Historian Vasily Klyuchevsky said, “History teaches us nothing, but only punishes [us] for not learning its lessons”.
Post written by Mike Childs, 22th September 2016
Big Ideas Change the World is a Friends of the Earth project. It seizes the biggest ideas out there for enhancing our lives, preventing the mass-extinction of species and looking after the planet.
