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Monday, November 30, 2009

SNP reveals vision for independence referendum - UK Politics, UK - The Independent

SNP reveals vision for independence referendum - UK Politics, UK - The Independent


The Scottish national Party would like Scotland to become independent from England... is it possible ?

BBC - BBC Radio 4 Programmes - Saturday Play, A Family Affair

BBC - BBC Radio 4 Programmes - Saturday Play, A Family Affair

This week on BBC Radio, the radio play is about the last few days of Margaret Thatcher's time as Prime Minister. This is not a documentary, but an imaginative reconstruction. Click on the link above to listen to it.

L2 Civilisation britannique "Britain since 1900" Urgent : danger

As I mentioned to you, the first test was a catastrophe.
Because I don't want 28 out of 30 students taking the exam for a second time in June, I would like you to read some books! Reading parts of the following four books is absolutely indispensable to begin with. All of them are available in the CMC university library.


L’Angleterre de 1945 à nos jours / Roland Marx

La Grande-Bretagne contemporaine : 1890-1973 / Roland Marx


Le pouvoir politique en Grande-Bretagne / Monica Charlot,...

I will recommend some more in a few weeks time

Margaret Thatcher : Biography

Margaret Thatcher : Biography

Very short introduction to Margaret Thatcher, with video clips.

Current affairs "Britain faces return to Victorian levels of inequality" - UK Politics, UK - The Independent

Britain faces return to Victorian levels of poverty - UK Politics, UK - The Independent

Monday, November 23, 2009

L2 Britain since 1900 DST Text commentary. Some more elements.

Remember the questions you must look at.

WHO wrote the document?

[NB : "a member of the Labour party" is not good enough]
Clement Attlee, ex-prime minister of Britain, one of the Labour ministers responsible for major social reform, and a number of nationalisations immediately after the war.

WHEN did he write it?
[NB : "A few years after the second world war" is not good enough.]
In 1954. The Conservative government defeated Labour in 1951, so Attlee has lived through a major defeat. Nevertheless, the new Conservative government did not dare reverse the social reforms made by Labour, so one can imagine that Attlee is still rather proud of his achievement.

WHY did he write it ?
Politicians write autobiographies to justify their past decisions and also to explain history for people who have a political or intellectual interest in it.

WHAT does he say?
As the ex-prime minister of one of the most successful Labour governments, Attlee criticizes harshly Ramsay Macdonald, one of the least successful Labour governments, who was seen as a traitor because he chose to lead a new "national government" with a Conservative majority, rather than decide not to cut social benefits.


These are just a few notes to begin with...

Britain since 1900 : YouTube - Enoch Powell

YouTube - Enoch Powell

An extract from Enoch Powell's famous racist speech from 1968.

YouTube - Harold Wilson, Prime Minister, 1964-1970

YouTube - Harold Wilson, Prime Minister, 1964-1970

A journalist's view of Harold Wilson.

CM Bloc 2 identités - évaluation

Le CM "Identités et conflits sociaux et ethniques" sera évalué de la façon suivant.
- Un test en cours le 4 décembre
- Un travail à la maison pendant les vacances de Noël
- UN contrôle final de 2 heures en cours la première semaine de janvier.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

L2 Civilisation Britain since 1900 YouTube - Conservative Leader Edward Heath campaigning and winning, General Election 1970

YouTube - Conservative Leader Edward Heath campaigning and winning, General Election 1970

L2 Civilization DST commentaire de texte

Quelques éléments :


Clement Attlee

Extract from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clement_Attlee

Prime Minister


Attlee meeting King George VI after his election victory
Now Prime Minister, Attlee appointed Ernest Bevin as Foreign Secretary; Hugh Dalton was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer (it had widely been expected to be the other way around). Stafford Cripps became President of the Board of Trade, while Herbert Morrison was given the post of Deputy Prime Minister and given overall control of Labour's nationalisation programme. Aneurin Bevan became Minister of Health, whilst Ellen Wilkinson, the only woman to serve in Attlee's government, became Minister of Education.
[modifier] Domestic policy
[modifier] Health and Welfare reforms
In domestic policy, the party had clear aims. Attlee's first Health Secretary, Aneurin Bevan, fought against the general disapproval of the medical establishment in creating the British National Health Service. Although there are often disputes about its organisation and funding, British parties to this day must still voice their general support for the NHS in order to remain electable[8].
The government set about implementing William Beveridge's plans for the creation of a 'cradle to grave' welfare state, and set in place an entirely new system of social security. Among the most important pieces of legislation was the National Insurance Act 1946, in which, people in work paid a flat rate of national insurance. In return, they (and the wives of male contributors) were eligible for flat-rate pensions, sickness benefit, unemployment benefit, and funeral benefit. Various other pieces of legislation provided for child benefit and support for people with no other source of income.[9]
[modifier] Nationalisation
Attlee's government also carried out their manifesto commitment for nationalisation of basic industries and public utillities. The Bank of England and civil aviation were nationalised in 1946. Coal mining, the railways, road haulage, canals and cable and wireless were nationalised in 1947, electricity and gas followed in 1948. The steel industry was finally nationalised in 1951. By 1951 about 20% of the British economy had been taken into public ownership.[9] Other changes included the creation of a National Parks system, the introduction of the Town and Country Planning system, and the repeal of the Trades Disputes Act 1927.
[modifier] The Economy
Nevertheless, the most significant problem remained the economy; the war effort had left Britain nearly bankrupt. The war had cost Britain about a quarter of its national wealth. Overseas investments had been wound up to pay for the war. The transition to a peacetime economy, and the maintaining of strategic military commitments abroad led to continuous and severe problems with the balance of trade. This meant that strict rationing of food and other essential goods were continued in the post war period, to force a reduction in consumption in an effort to limit imports, boost exports and stabilise the Pound Sterling so that Britain could trade its way out of its crisis.
The abrupt ending of the American Lend-Lease program in August 1945 almost caused a crisis. This was mitigated by the Anglo-American loan negotiated in December 1945 by John Maynard Keynes, which provided some respite. The conditions attached to the loan included making the pound fully convertible to the dollar. When this was introduced in July 1947, it led to a currency crisis and convertibility had to be suspended after just five weeks.[9] Britain benefited from the American Marshall Aid program from 1948, and the economic situation improved significantly. However another balance of payments crisis in 1949 forced Chancellor of the Exchequer Stafford Cripps into devaluation of the pound.[9]
Despite these problems, one of the main achievements of Attlee's government was the maintenance of near full employment. The government maintained most of the wartime controls over the economy, including control over the allocation of materials and manpower, and unemployment rarely rose above 500,000, or 3% of the total workforce.[9] In fact labour shortages proved to be more of a problem. One area where the government was not quite as successful was in housing, which was also the responsibility of Aneurin Bevan. The government had a target to build 400,000 new houses a year to replace those which had been destroyed in the war, but shortages of materials and manpower meant that less than half this number were built.
[modifier] 1947 crisis
1947 proved to be a particularly difficult year for the government; an exceptionally cold winter that year caused coal mines to freeze and cease production, creating widespread power cuts and food shortages. The crisis led to an unsuccessful plot by Hugh Dalton to replace Attlee as Prime Minister with Ernest Bevin. Later that year Stafford Cripps tried to persuade Attlee to stand aside for Bevin. However these plots petered out after Bevin refused to co-operate.[3] Later that year, Hugh Dalton resigned as Chancellor after inadvertently leaking details of the budget to a journalist, he was replaced by Cripps.



Ramsay Macdonald
Extract from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramsay_Macdonald#1931_general_election
Second government (1929-1931)
Main article: Labour Government 1929–1931


MacDonald at Tomb of Unknown Soldier, 9 October 1929
The strong majority enjoyed by Baldwin’s party allowed him to preside over a government that would serve a full term during which it would have to deal with the General Strike and miners’ strike of 1926. Unemployment in the UK during this period remained high but relatively stable at just over 10% and, apart from 1926, strikes were at a low level.[54] At the May 1929 election, Labour won 288 seats to the Conservatives' 260, with 59 Liberals under Lloyd George holding the balance of power. (At this election MacDonald moved from Aberavon to the seat of Seaham Harbour in County Durham.) Baldwin resigned and MacDonald again formed a minority government, at first with Lloyd George's cordial support.
This time MacDonald knew he had to concentrate on domestic matters. Arthur Henderson became Foreign Secretary, with Snowden again at the Exchequer. J.H. Thomas became Lord Privy Seal with a mandate to tackle unemployment, assisted by the young radical Oswald Mosley. MacDonald appointed the first ever woman cabinet minister Margaret Bondfield as Minister of Labour.
MacDonald's second government was in a stronger parliamentary position than his first, and in 1930 he was able to raise unemployment pay, pass an act to improve wages and conditions in the coal industry (i.e. the issues behind the General Strike) and pass a housing act which focused on slum clearances. However an attempt by the Education Minister Charles Trevelyan to introduce an act to raise the school leaving age to 15, was defeated by opposition from Roman Catholic Labour MPs who feared that the costs would lead to increasing local authority control over faith schools.[40]
In international affairs, he also convened a conference in London with the leaders of the Indian National Congress, at which he offered responsible government, but not independence, to India. In April 1930 he negotiated a treaty limiting naval armaments with the United States and Japan.[40]


Macdonald, c.1929
[modifier] The Great Depression
Main article: Great Depression in the United Kingdom
MacDonald's government had no effective response to the economic crisis which followed the Stock Market Crash of 1929. Phillip Snowden was a rigid exponent of orthodox finance and would not permit any deficit spending to stimulate the economy, despite the urgings of Oswald Mosley, David Lloyd George and the economist John Maynard Keynes.
By the end of 1930 the unemployment rate had doubled to over two and a half million[55]. The government struggled to cope with the crisis and found itself attempting to reconcile two contradictory aims; achieving a balanced budget in order to maintain the pound on the Gold Standard, whilst also trying to maintain assistance to the poor and unemployed. All of this whilst tax revenues were falling.
During 1931 the economic situation deteriorated, and pressure from orthodox economists for sharp cuts in government spending increased. Under pressure from its Liberal allies as well as the Conservative opposition who feared that the budget was unbalanced. Snowden appointed a committee headed by Sir George May to review the state of public finances. The May Report of July 1931 urged large public-sector wage cuts and large cuts in public spending (notably in payments to the unemployed) in order to avoid a budget deficit.[40]
Keynes, though, urged MacDonald to devalue the pound by 25% and abandon the existing economic policy of a balanced budget. Oswald Mosley, put forward a memorandum in January 1930, calling for the public control of imports and banking as well as an increase in pensions to boost spending power. When this was repeatedly turned down, Mosley resigned from the government in February 1931 and went on to form the New Party, and later the British Union of Fascists after he converted to Fascism.
MacDonald, Snowden and Thomas, however, supported such measures as necessary to maintain a balanced budget and to prevent a run on the Pound sterling, but the proposed cuts split the Cabinet down the middle and the trade unions bitterly opposed them.
[modifier] Formation of the National Government
Although there was a narrow majority in the Cabinet for drastic reductions in spending, the minority included senior ministers such as Arthur Henderson who made it clear they would resign rather than acquiesce to the cuts. With this unworkable split, on 24 August 1931 MacDonald submitted his resignation and then agreed, on the urging of King George V to form a National Government with the Conservatives and Liberals.
MacDonald, Snowden and Thomas were quickly expelled from the Labour Party and subsequently formed a new National Labour group, but this had little support in the country or the unions.
Great anger in the labour movement greeted MacDonald's move. Mass riots by unemployed people took place in protest in Glasgow and Manchester. Many in the Labour Party viewed this as a cynical move by MacDonald to rescue his career, and accused him of 'betrayal'. MacDonald however, argued that he was sacrificing it for the common good.[40]

The red letter

The "Zinoviev Letter" refers to a controversial document published by the British press in 1924, allegedly sent from the Communist International in Moscow to the Communist Party of Great Britain. The letter, later revealed to be a forgery, purported to be a directive from Moscow calling for intensified Communist agitation in Britain and helped ensure the fall of the Labour government of Ramsay MacDonald in the October elections. The letter took its name from Bolshevik revolutionary Grigory Zinoviev.

University World News - GERMANY: Nationwide Bologna protests

University World News - GERMANY: Nationwide Bologna protests

News about German universities, in English on the University World News site.

Civilisation britannique Sikh Cyber Museum - History

Sikh Cyber Museum - History

Suivez le lien pour visiter le "cyber musée sikh". Il s'agit d'un site web qui explore la présence des immigrés sikhs au Royaume Uni depuis 300 ans.

YouTube - Goodness Gracious Me!

YouTube - Goodness Gracious Me!

Cet extrait de l'émission comique anglaise "Goodness Gracious Me" montre une soirée où un groupe d'anglo-indiens vont à un restaurant anglais. Les convives traitent le serveur mal, font des commentaires sur la sexualité des anglais, et des commentaires anti-anglais. Le sketch est une parodie de groupes de blancs qui vont à un restaurant indien...

L'émission est extrêmement populaire.

Bloc 2 Identités BBC - Asian Network

BBC - Asian Network

La BBC a une chaine de radio spécialisée dans la musique et la culture d'Asie du Sud Est. On peut y écouter de la musique Banghra, mais égalment lire les infos concernant la communauté indo-pakistanais en Grande Bretagne. Suivez le lien.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

L2 Civilization WILL FYFFE FILM CLIP OF 1933 94 TODAY

YouTube - WILL FYFFE FILM CLIP OF 1933 94 TODAY

From 1900-1925, the Music Hall remained by far the most popular way to spend a night out for the working class. Here on Youtube you can see a film from the 1930s of a singer, Will Fyffe, whoc was mostly popular between 1900 and 1918.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

L2 Civilisation - Skiffle music - Lonnie Donegan ::: Hang Down Your Head Tom Dooley (with original lyrics)

YouTube - Lonnie Donegan ::: Hang Down Your Head Tom Dooley (with original lyrics)

CM identités - Question

Une devinette. Quand a été ouvert le tout premier restaurant indien en Grande Bretagne?

CM identités - Punjabi Wedding Song

YouTube - Punjabi Wedding Song

Extrait d'une comédie musicale récente "Bride and Prejudice" (Coup de foudre à Bollywood)

CM identités - Jago, Bhangra in the streets of london, UK

YouTube - Jago, Bhangra in the streets of london, UK

Musique Banghra à Londres.

CM Identités - David Rudder - I'D Rather be in Trinidad

YouTube - David Rudder - I'D Rather be in Trinidad

Un des grands tubes de la musiques Soca, des Caraïbes. David Rudder chante "I'd rather be in Trinidad" (Je préférerais être au Trinidad).

CM identités : - Steel Drum - Trafalgar Square - London - Sep 2006

YouTube - Steel Drum - Trafalgar Square - London - Sep 2006

La musique venue des Caraïbes est très présente en Angleterre. Voir ici un "steel band" venu de Trinidad.

Seminar on history of Kenya

Le séminaire franco-britannique d'histoire de Paris 4-Sorbonne, en
partenariat avec l'université de Londres, accueillera,
Jeudi 19 novembre 2009 de 17h30 à 19h30 :
David Anderson (St Cross College, University of Oxford) :
"Kenya's colonial legacies: courtroom or confessional?"

à la Maison de la Recherche de l'université Paris IV-Sorbonne (28 rue
Serpente, Paris 6e, salle S 002).
Discutante : Claire Médard (Institut de recherche pour le développement)

Un texte de travail sera disponible dans quelques jours sur simple demande.
Entrée libre

BBC - Podcasts - Making History

BBC - Podcasts - Making History

Learn about British history and practise your listening skills at the same time. Every week BBc radio produces this porgramme on history and historians. You can download it as an MP3 file and listen to it on an MP3 player (right click and choose "enregistrer la cible sous"), or you can listen directly on the website.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

CM Bloc 2 Identités- Dave Allen - Giving up smoking

YouTube - Dave Allen - Giving up smoking

Cette semaine on va regarder l'histoire des immigrés irlandais en Angleterre. Voici sur Youtube, un des célèbres de ces immigrés - un comique, Dave Allen.

Cour du jeudi 19 novembre

Le jeudi 19 novembre je n'assurerai pas mes cours à Créteil, car je serai aux journées d'étude "Contester en Chansons" ici.

Mais le vendredi 20 novembre, cours comme d'habitude.

Monday, November 09, 2009

L2 Civilisation - where was Malaya ? Federation of Malaya - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Federation of Malaya - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

L2 Civilization GB Marking scheme

Your mark for the module of L2 civilization is made up of four separate marks:

The classroom test we will have on the 20th November - you will have to comment on a document from before 1945.

The oral commentary that three of you are doing each week.

The "Final test" the first week in January (though it may be the second week, I have to think this out).

The research report you will hand in at the beginning of January.

And that's all!

Kingsmead Eyes at the V&A Museum of Childhood | Life and style | guardian.co.uk

Kingsmead Eyes at the V&A Museum of Childhood | Life and style | guardian.co.uk

Saturday, November 07, 2009

and another example

YouTube - JEWISH WEDDING MUSIC

L2 identités YouTube - The Klezmer Fiddle...

YouTube - The Klezmer Fiddle...

Like all immigrant groups, the Jews brought musical traditions to England. Here is an example on you tube

L2 Writing a bibliography

Writing a bibliography

There are different ways of writing a bibliography or a footnote for university work, but normal practice is that you must include all the following information :

Author's surname
Author's first name
Title
Date of publication
Place of publication
Name of publisher

Follow the link above for more information.

L2 civilisation britannique - Classroom test

Your classroom test will be on the 20th of November. You will be asked to wtie a commentary on a document which will be from the years 1900-1945

Friday, November 06, 2009

L2 Phonetics - classroom test

Your classroom test will be on the 3rd of December. It will only last half an hour. The first part will be a dictation for phonetic transcription. The second part will be articulatory description of short words.

L2 thème - classroom test

Your classroom test will be on the 26th of November. You will have an hour and a half to translate a passage in class. In preparation, you need to re-read your grammar book : especially the section on BE + ING and on HAVE + EN.

Monday, November 02, 2009

Britain since 1900 - YouTube - NHS - Marr's Modern Britain

YouTube - NHS - Marr's Modern Britain

This youtube video lasts six minutes, and explains, with archive images, the founding of the National Health Service.

Bloc 2 Identités - YouTube - A Nation Once Again - The Radical Belfast Brigade

YouTube - A Nation Once Again - The Radical Belfast Brigade

Ce vidéo Youtube d'une chanson nationaliste irlandaise, qui rêve du jour où l'Irlande sera "à nouveau une nation".

Vous trouverez les paroles ici.