Final Flashcards
(102 cards)
1
Q
Should historians focus on blockbusters or experimental films? (2)
A
- All the films we watched in this course were experimental in some way or another (e.g. Lumumba: Morte de Prophet, Battle of Algiers)
- Experimental films are less concerned with pleasing the audience than blockbusters and therefore are more likely to reflect historical content
2
Q
Are movies essentially about the present? (4)
A
- Historical films are often made during comparable crises as a way of reflecting society’s interests
- May present the filmmaker’s point of view on current events through the analysis of historical events
- Breaker Morant reflects war sentiments, having been released shortly after the end of the war
- Battle of Algiers was released during the peak of anti-war sentiments in the US
3
Q
How can research on Hollywood films move to achieve deeper levels of understanding? (2)
A
- Focus on the elements of motion picture (e.g. composition, actors, lighting, camera angles)
- Study the film’s reception at the time of the release, the background and experiences of the filmmaker
4
Q
Is “cinematic history” essentially a genre? Why? (4)
A
- Yes
- Filmmakers often collapse several historical characters into a few and condense the time sequence of events
- Very obvious villains who represent forces of evil
- Romance plots for the sake of entertainment
5
Q
What is colonialism? (4)
A
- A subset of imperialism which imposes direct political control
- To effect economic exploitation
- For strategic interests
- Often associated with a threat from rival powers
6
Q
What is new imperialism? (6)
A
- Imperialism motivated by economic and political factors
- Significant differences to older imperialism: actors, timing, rationale, scope
7
Q
What are the causes for expansion? (3)
A
Economic, political, socio-cultural/ideological
8
Q
What is involved in the economic cause for expansion? (2)
A
- The over-success of industrialism in Europe meant that they would run out of people to buy commodities
- Colonizing for the sake of new ventures
9
Q
What is involved in the political cause for expansion? (4)
A
- The rise of nation states
- Securing your position on the world stage
- Proxy ways (to maintain power in Europe without it becoming a domestic problem
- Snowballing (taking over one territory to get to another for political rivalry)
- Prestige value (France claiming new territory after losing the war)
10
Q
What is involve in the socio-cultural/ideological cause for expansion? (4)
A
- Acts as an apology rather than a reason
- Rooted in pseudosciences rather than religion
- The white man’s burden: one day inferior peoples will evolve into being perfectly civilized
- Missionaries
11
Q
What does film have the potential to do?
A
Effectively tell the past while raising historical questions in new ways
12
Q
If cinema is going to draw its subjects from history, what does it owe its patrons? (2)
A
- Greater accuracy
- It shouldn’t be offered to the public until a reputable historian has reviewed it
13
Q
How does the dramatic feature film indulge in fabrication and invention? Why? (4)
A
- Characters, incidents, events, moments, dialogue, setting
- It makes it more palatable
- Necessary for the genre and medium
- Time constraints, necessary detail that cannot be known
14
Q
How can filmmakers be honest about the sources of their work? (2)
A
- Listing them in the credits
- Admitting to any uncertainties
15
Q
What was the Cape of Good Hope used for? (2)
A
- White settlement
- Refuelling stations for the Dutch East India Company
16
Q
What was the Cape of Good Hope like? (3)
A
- Good in terms of weather
- Inhabited by locals (San & Khoi Khoi)
- Locals were weakened by diseases brought by Europeans
17
Q
What does Boer mean? What language do the Boers speak?
A
- Dutch for farmer
- Afrikaans
18
Q
What happens during the frontier expansion in South Africa? (2)
A
- The San and Khoi Khoi are squeezed out
- Commando-style defence squads defend white settlers against “hostile” locals
19
Q
What happens during the British occupation of the Cape of Good Hope?
A
They set up a colonial state and encourage settlement of English nationals
20
Q
What do the English nationals settled on the Cape of Good Hope want? (5)
A
- Political representation (which they eventually get)
- To end slavery (a British imperial policy)
- Votes for non-whites (based on their economic status and property ownership)
- English to be the language of law and governance
- Limited eastern expansion and treaty rights
21
Q
What are the two Boer Republics?
A
- Orange Free State
- Transvaal/South African Republic
22
Q
What was found in the Orange Free State? What happened? (3)
A
- Diamonds
- A corporate land grab under the guise of saving people
- Led to a short war
23
Q
What caused the Boer War? (2)
A
- The British reversal of the Pretoria Agreement which recognized the independence of the Boer Republic
- They established a federation to seize mineral wealth and strengthen the empire
24
Q
What are the phases of the Boer War? (2)
A
- Initial conventional warfare
- Guerrilla war and commando units
25
What is conventional warfare?
Conventional armies of men in uniform
26
What is guerrilla warfare? (3)
- Surprise attacks which are to the advantage of the people who know the terrain
- Who is the enemy? All dressed in civilian clothing
- Women and children involved
27
What are "bitter enders" (5)
- Those who fight until the very end of the Boer war
- Concentration camps
- Human shields
- Take no prisoners
- Field Marshall Horatio Kitchener's "scorched earth campaign"
28
Why did Australia get involved in the Boer War? (2)
- They were a self-governing Commonwealth state that coincided with the war
- A way of refining their respectability due to their weird reputation
29
What did Australia do in the Boer war? (2)
- Fought under British command
| - Bushveldt Carbineers (BVC)
30
What are the Bushveldt Carbineers? (2)
- A mounted unit to fight Boer Commandos
| - Made up of mostly Australian volunteers
31
What kind of historical is Breaker Morant (1980)
Based on real events
32
What ideas does Breaker Morant explore? (4)
- Immoral/moral acts during times of conflict (war crimes)
- Lawful orders: should one be held guilty for the actions ordered by a superior
- The death penalty
- Guerrilla warfare
33
Which current event did the release of Breaker Morant coincide with?
The end of the Vietnam War
34
Who are the main subjects in Breaker Morant? (4)
- Lieutenant Harry Harbord Morant
- Lieutenant Peter Handcock
- Lieutenant George Witton
- Major J. F. Thomas
35
Who faced a court martial in Breaker Morant? (3)
- Lieutenant Harry Harbord Morant
- Lieutenant Peter Handcock
- Lieutenant George Witton
36
Why did Morant face a court martial? (2)
- Ordering the execution of 6 Boer prisoners
| - Claims it was an order issues indirectly from Lord Kitchener through Captain Simon Hunt
37
Why did Witton face a court martial? (2)
- Allegedly killing one of the 6 Boer prisoners before their execution
- Claims it was in self-defence
38
Why did Handcock face a court martial? (2)
- Allegedly associated with the killing of a German missionary
- Relies on lack of eyewitnesses
39
Who issued the charges against Morant, Witton, and Handcock? Why? (3)
- Lord Kitchener
- To use them as scapegoats to protect the name of the British army since they aren't British
- Further demonstrated by the prosecutor having 6 weeks to preare and the defence attorney (Major J. F. Thomas) only having one day without trial experience
40
How does Breaker Morant tell its story?
Through flashbacks during the trial
41
How did Australians and British see Morant, Witton, and Handcock? (2)
- Australians saw them as scapegoats
| - British saw them as war criminals
42
What are the "rules of war"? (3)
- Guidelines used to disguise the immoral actions of war
- Make those directly involved with warfare feel more confident in their actions
- Have little to no impact on the type of actions that occur
43
What does Le Grand Blanc de Lambaréné explore? (3)
- The experience of culture contact and (mis)communication between colonizers and the colonized
- French colonialism in Gabon/French Equatorial Africa
- The life of Albert Schweizter
44
Why did the French colonize Gabon? (2)
- They explored up the Ogowe River for economic sources
| - Forestry: okoume and mahogany
45
What happened to the Galwa people of Gabon when France colonize? (8)
- They were subject to the côde indigénat (customary law):
* Forced labour
* No voting rights
* No freedom to organize
* Arbitrary detention
* Military service
* Ability to speak and understand French
* Must follow French civil law (abandon multiple wives)
46
How did the colonizers keep the Galwa people working for them? (6)
- Introducing them to new foreign products
- Creating demand
- Textiles, alcohol, tabacco, technologies
47
How did assimilation happen in Gabon?
First cultural then political
48
What is missionary work? (3)
- Cultural assimilation and religious conversion
- The result of protestant revivalism
- They were to go and win converts
49
How did missionaries win converts? (3)
- Pick someone and befriend them, ideally a leader and woo them
- Also appeal to outcasts
- Give gifts (Western education, biomedical care)
50
What is the Paris Evangelical Missionary Society? (5)
- A mission in Gabon
- Exposed them to biomedical care and persuaded them to explore Christianity
- Paternalistic ethic
- Lambaréné was one of their mission stations
- The missionary society Schweitzer worked with
51
What was the climate like in Lambaréné? What was the result? (2)
- Hot and humid
| - Conductive to parasites and bacteria that natives were resistant to but Europeans were likely to get sick
52
Who was Albert Schweitzer? (7)
- A missionary doctor in Gabon
- Son of a Lutheran pastor
- An academic
- Went to medical school after reading Equatorial Africa needed doctors
- PEMS turned him down fearing he was too clever
- His raised funds with his wife and returned to the missionaries who allowed him to go
- Won the Nobel Peace Prize (was viewed as progressive in the West)
- Discusses his experiences in On The Edge of the Primeval Forest (1922) which exemplify his paternalistic views
53
What kind of a historical is Le Grand Blanc de Lambaéné? (2)
- Mostly based on real events but there were some fictional aspects (e.g. Koumba)
- A biopic of Albert Schweitzer
54
What does Le Grand Blanc de Lambaréné explore? (4)
- Making sense of the colonial experience
- Tries to rewrite history from the point of view of the colonized
- Culture contact and clash
- The complexity of paternalism
55
How is Schweitzer paternalistic? (5)
- Wants to control his environment
- Doesn't trust blacks (according to On the Edge of the Primeval Forest)
- Top down approach to helping
- White man's burden
- Gives but doesn't share (never learning an African language despite being multilingual)
- He treats the locals like animals
56
How was Schweitzer's death treated?
A celebration of his life by the people of Lambaréné, they respected him
57
Who was Patrice Lumumba?
The first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo
58
When and why did Lumumba die? (2)
- 36 of "mysterious circumstances"
| - He was murdered but it's unclear why
59
How was Lumumba seen?
As a martyr for a nationalist cause and failed decolonization efforts in Africa and the rest of the world
60
What did King Leopold II do in association with Belgian Congo and the Congo Free State?
- He personally sponsored expeditions in African to find the source of the Congo river in a competition with France
- Attended a conference to determine how Africa will be divided among colonizers
* He can have Congo but must agree to leave slave trade as it was found
61
How does King Leopold II take advantage of the resources in Congo? (2)
- Uses company rule to administer
| - Abir and Katanga for natural resources (e.g. hardwoods, cotton, rubber)
62
Why was Congo forced to rely on the West?
Inequalities of wealth, despite turning a profit
63
Belgian paternalism on Congo
- Considered the Congolese to be incapable of politics
- Roman Catholic and Protestant churches were responsible for the:
*education
* social welfare
* medical care
of the Congolese
64
Education of Congolese (4)
- Mainly vocational and technical
- Created a workforce that was educated only to a certain point
- Most post-primary education was clerical
- If Congolese left, they couldn't return (fear of educated people
65
How did Belgium try to stop the impending uprising in Congo? (3)
- Trying to get Congolese to assimilate with Western culture
- Freedom of movement and political participation for those who assimilated
- Congolese-led government was allowed in municipalities
66
What happened with the Congolese-led governments in municipalities?
Forced them to rush into political parties with a political case rooted in ethnicity
67
What are the 3 political parties in Congo?
1) Mouvement Nationale Congolais (MNC) - multi-ethnic, pan-African, left-leaning and non-ethnic
2) Alliance de la Bakongo (ABAKO)
3) Confederation des Associations Tribales du Katanga (CONAKAT)
68
What kind of historical is Lumumba?
- A dramatic feature based on real events
69
What is Lumumba doing before becoming prime minister? (3)
- A beer salesman which helped him develop a talent for speaking and leadership
- The beer company's rival is owned by Joseph Kasa-Vubu who later becomes president (and orders Lumumba's arrest that leads to his murder)
- He meets Joseph Mobutu who becomes his friend and ally
70
What happens when Lumumba becomes the leader of the MNC? (3)
- It scares the Belgians after seeing his power
| - He is jailed, beaten, released to Brussels for a conference granting Congo its freedom
71
What happens when Lumumba takes office? (3)
- He learns the army is still commanded by the white officers who tortured him
- When he tries to replace them he is targeted by the CIA, Belgians, and white residents as a dangerous man
- He tries to do what's right but doesn't see it that way
72
What happens when Lumumba tries to hold onto the natural resources of Katanga? (2)
- When the US refused to help him he asked the Russian government for support
- This had him labelled as a communist
73
What do we learn about Lumumba in the film? (6)
- Not a whole lot
- He's stubborn
- Good at speeches
- Otherwise unskilled
- Makes decisions that put him in danger
- Speeches about European tyranny and a cry for hope for the future
74
What happened during Lumumba's dismemberment? (3)
- The two who carried out the act had to drink whiskey in order to build up the nerve to do it
- They are unsure of how to do this and it gets messy
- They take gold teeth and fingers as evidence or trophies
75
What was Algeria in terms of colonization? (2)
- A settler colony with political assimilation
- Administered as part of France
- 1959: 1 million European settlers and 9 million Africans
76
Religion in Algeria (4)
- Mostly muslim
- Big obstacle for natives when trying to get political and civil rights
- You couldn't be a French citizen if you were muslim
- Used to block natives from gaining power
77
Why did the French colonize Algeria? (3)
- Improve their position on the world stage
- Agriculture: wheat, olives, wine for the French market
* Natives were used as farmers and were considered alien and inferior
78
What was the "Friends of the Manifesto of Liberty"? (3)
- A group that called for a modest revolution in Algeria
- Demanded equality and respect
- Radical enough to have one of the leaders arrested
79
What happened in Algeria on VE Day? (3)
- Demonstrations and riots in Stétif
- Parade celebrating the liberation of France from German occupation
- 1000s of deaths of both French and natives causing a sudden outbreak of civil war
80
What is the Organisation Spécial?
- A paramilitary formed after the VE Day riots
- The result of Algerians believing that peaceful protest would be pointless (guerrilla warfare)
- Eventually leads to the formation of the Front de Libération National (FLN)
81
When did the coordinated attacks in Algiers begin? What happened? (3)
- 3 months after the French disaster in Indochina which harmed the French prestige
- The strategic targeting shocks the French and continues to harm their prestige
82
What is involved in the Battle of Algiers? (5)
- Bombing of the Kasbah
- Urban guerrilla warfare
- Civil targets
- Radio propaganda: "the voice of fighting Algeria
- Everyone was involved: women hid bombs under their clothes, children delivered messages
83
What happens when Charles DeGaulle calls a coup d'état on the Battle of Algiers? (3)
- There a referendum on self-determination
- Algeria gains independence with the FLN as leader
- Most French leave slowly
84
What is the legacy of the Battle of Algiers? (4)
- Loss of life on both sides
- Destabilization of other
- Economy in disarray
- Still dependent on strong ties to France
85
What kind of historical is Battle of Algiers (1966)?
Based on real events with some fictional characters (e.g. Colonel Mathieu)
86
What current events were happening when Battle of Algiers was released?
The peak of anti-war sentiments in the US
87
Pontecorvo's film style (2)
- Italian neoliberalism school
| - Attempts to manipulate viewers into believing what they see is real
88
How does Pontecorvo implement neoliberalism? (4)
- Filmed on location
- Black and white, grainy film to mimic wartime clips
- Shot with a handheld camera, jump cuts
- Unknown actors, one even plays himself
89
What does the Battle of Algiers explore? (3)
- A balance view between heart and logic
- Follows the Algerian War of Independence
- Both the colonizers and the colonized commit atrocities against civilians
90
Whose point of view does the Battle of Algiers take? (3)
- Ali la Pointe
- A petty criminal who is political radicalized in prison
- Recruited by the FLN commander (El-hadi Jafar)
91
Who is Colonel Mathieu? (3)
- A paratrooper commander
- A composite of an Indochina war veteran and a commander of the paratroopers
- Shows the suffering of both sides
92
Ali having to shoot the police officer (3)
- He receives instructions from a small boy who has to read it to him because he can't read to shoot a policeman who meets with an Algerian informer, a woman outside will hand him a gun
- When Ali pulls the trigger the gun isn't loaded
- He feels betrayed by the FLN
- When he learns that it was a trust test from the FLN, he symbolically enters the FLN
93
Women with bombs (4)
- 3 muslim women who pass a French with a change of clothes and a haircut carry bombs in their purses past the checkpoints
- One plants a bomb in a cafe
- Watches customers eating, drinking, talking, a child eating ice cream
- She knows they will soon be dead
94
What does Letter to a Frenchman explain? (2)
- The "essential ignorance" that the French had towards native Algerians
- Generally dismissed as helpless beasts and never formed close relationships with
95
What does Disappointments and Illusions of French Colonialism explore? (2)
Torture, violence, etc
96
What does Algeria Face to Face with French Torturers explore?
Torture as an expression and a means of the occupant-occupied relationship
97
Can we do history on film? (3)
- Yes, but alterations must be made in order to maintain time constraints and keep the audience engaged
- This doesn’t mean that the historical (i.e. factual past events) aspect of the film is obsolete, as long as the general message from the events remains the same
- Historical films are commonly compared to history books, but they are two different media that require different approaches and have different results, we shouldn’t expect them to be the same.
98
What kind of historicals are the films we viewed in class?
- Mostly based on real events but some aspects such as composite characters are added for ease of understanding and fictional characters are sometimes added to further express the film’s message through the creation of human connection
- And one documentary
99
How do we read film? As artefacts or as interpretations?
It’s important to read film as a secondary source since historical films tell the story of historical events through the eyes of the filmmaker. When viewing a historical film we are seeing the story as an interpretation that has been mediated by the filmmaker, even in documentaries
100
What might influence a filmmaker's interpretation of a historical event? (3)
- their identity (age, gender, ethnocultural background)
- their intent: is it to entertain, make a political statement, monetary value, propaganda
- who is the audience?
101
Entertainment aspect vs. historical texts (who is the film for? connection to the audience)
- reliance on fiction: creating a dialogue of what’s been said, etc
- characterization
- playing with time
- turning historical events into entertainment
102
Define torture
The action or practice of inflicting severe pain on someone as a punishment or to force them to do or say something, or for the pleasure of the person inflicting the pain.
