More Noted Things

by Cliopatria

Tom Holland,"The Obliteration of a Nation," TimesOnLine, 14 January, reviews Martin Goodman's Rome and Jerusalem: The Clash of Ancient Civilizations.

Hieronomo at Blogging the Renaissance wonders how Civil Warriors could have won a Cliopatria Award for Best Group Blog if they can't even get the Civil War in the right century. Hey, they've probably even got it on the wrong land mass! Anyway, there's still time to enter BtR's Woodcut Caption Contest 6.

We are only now learning the depths of the Suez Crisis of 1956. News that France and Great Britain actually discussed the possibility of a merger in September of that year caught everyone by surprise and unseated historians on both sides of the Channel. The BBC reports that"Henri Soutou, professor of contemporary history at Paris's Sorbonne University, almost fell off his chair.""I completely fell off my seat," said Richard Vinen, a French historian at King's College in London."It's such a bizarre thing to propose." Thanks to Sharon Howard at Early Modern Notes for the tip.

Alex Lichtenstein,"Recounting Little Rock via History and Memory," Chicago Tribune, 14 January, reviews Elizabeth Jacoway's Turn Away Thy Son: Little Rock, the Crisis That Shocked the Nation. Whenever I see her at the SHA convention, Betsy reminds me that I gave her a very hard time in graduate school. I like to think that, with this book, she's given me her answer. It is, by any measure, a major contribution to the history of the South and the civil rights movement. Thanks to Alfredo Perez at Political Theory Daily Review for the tips.

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Nathanael D. Robinson - 1/16/2007

When this story started worked its way around H-Net, I anticipated chalking the emphatic surprise to Euroskepticism. The previous ten years featured many talks about issues of joint and overlapping sovereignty, first between Britain and France, than between France and Germany. The ground was, certainly, fertile for an audacious proposal, although I would think that French politicians had already written off Britain as a partner. I'd respond, "read Millward."

But union under Mollet's plan? The prime minister must have severely misread the French public (and the limits of French political culture) if he believed that monarchy would be accepted. Even if the kingship/queenship were accepted, religous and juridical elements would be impossible to square with French constitionalism. It would be hard to believe that intelligentsia would accept the religiosity, symbolic or otherwise, of the monarchy. Moreover, this would produce a profound crisis sorting out relations between Britain, France and their respective empires. Finally, what would Britain have made of the European Coal and Steel Community, to which France had already surrendered some of its sovereignty. Would Britain be forced to join? Would the French public accept unregulated German industry if France withdrew?

Definitely. Mollet was on crack.

Ben W. Brumfield - 1/16/2007

Thanks. I wonder if people get as confused about Grover Cleveland as I do about Churchill's non-consecutive service?

Ralph E. Luker - 1/16/2007

Ben, My comment refers to current news reports of initiative from the French in 1956.

Ben W. Brumfield - 1/16/2007

That doesn't match what Colville reports in Fringes of Power. According to him, Churchill and the cabinet got very excited indeed about the merger proposal in the final few days before the French capitulation. The French regarded the suggestion as absurd.

I can scare up the reference, if you're interested.

Ralph E. Luker - 1/16/2007

As I read the news reports, the initiative for the discussions came from the French side. Eden may have recalled Churchill contemplating it. But the French ended the talks when they concluded that Great Britain was an unreliable partner.

Oscar Chamberlain - 1/16/2007

I don't have a copy handy, but I recall from Churchill's Second World War that Churchill proposed a union with France as part of a last ditch effort to keep them in the war, at least in the colonies.

I wonder if Eden had that on his mind?