Rebel Footprints: A Guide to Uncovering London's Radical History

by David Rosenberg

The radical response to conservative heritage tours and banal day-tripper guides, Rebel Footprints brings to life the history of social movements in the capital. Transporting readers from well-known landmarks to history-making hidden corners, David Rosenberg tells the story of protest and struggle in London from the early nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century.

From the suffragettes to the socialists, from the Chartists to the trade unionists, the book invites us to step into the footprints of a diverse cast of dedicated fighters for social justice.

Self-directed walks pair with narratives that seamlessly blend history, politics and geography, and beautifully illustrated maps immerse the reader in the story of the city. Whether you are visiting it for the first time, or born and raised in it, Rosenberg invites you to see London as you never have before: the nation’s capital as its radical centre.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics

389 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 20, 2019

About the author

David Rosenberg is an American poet, biblical translator, editor, and educator. He is best known for The Book of J (with Harold Bloom) and A Poet's Bible, which earned PEN Translation Prize in 1992. The Book of J stayed on The New York Times bestseller list for many weeks.

Reviews

[Nic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easily one of the most fascinating books I have ever read. It’s so important to engage with less popular/well-known stories from the past that have shaped where we are today. London’s suffragettes, socialists, unionists, and immigrants in the 1800s/early 1900s have given us much to be grateful for. May the lessons from their selfless activism guide and inspire us through the challenges of the 21st century.

[Sean O'Donoghue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Splendid book by comrade, fellow member of JVL (Jewish Voice for Labour) and flaneur of London’s streets, back alleys and lanes. He is also, like myself, a former Labour Party member, having left the party in disgust, for a number of reasons, perhaps the biggest one is the Party’s adoption of the IHRA definition of anti-semitism which it has used liberally to silence the voice of JVL and other left wing Jewish members. Reading the book does not leave the reader with any uncertaintly as to where the author’s politics lie.

I lived in London for 40 years without knowing much of what this book covers. On an overview, his coverage of the matchmakers strike in 1888 and the dockers in 1889 bring to light a couple of magnificent victories for workers, one of women and one for men, putting an end to the degrading conditions experienced by the women, and the humiliation of the men, who turned up every morning hoping they’d get a shift…those lucky enough to do so, may have had as little as 2 hours work, miles from home. Perhaps the gains by trade unionism today, for the first time in over 40 years, is a reprise of the events in trade unionism 135 years ago.

What the book also highlights is how effective localism was, by way of local authorities like Poplar, Bermondsay and Battersea taking responsibility for the causes of much of the poverty experienced by their residents, such as slum housing, and lack of sanitation that accompanied it. Without having the commanding heights of the state to back the, they just went ahead and got on with the job of demolishing slums and providing new homes, health centres, and new sewage systems. This was municipal socialism, which saved far more lives than the medical profession, indeed took much of the pressure on the medical trade away from them.

Today we have Preston leading the way in municipal socialism – from what I read it is doing a great job of it. I am sure there are more local authorities doing similar but I am not aware of them.
Some fascinating snippets. When cholera was rampaging through our cities, 9000 died within a month in Paris. The government declared it “proof of the judgement of God”….despite the fact that the symptoms resembled severe food poisoning. The government solution….a National Fast day on 21st March 1831, as a breaker on the disease. Obviously people were more inclined to look to ways to blame people, especially the poor for disease…until John Snow discovered the source of the disease where he lived in Soho as the pump that provide water to the local community. The solution was to remove the handle of the pump. Thus was the cause of cholera discovered.
The response of the National Union of Working classes to the “day of fasting” was to organise a “farce day” and organised a march through all the fashionable areas of London – in the event, 40,000 people turned up.

There is a fascinating quote from Engels on the divisions within the working classes…describing the New unionists as “rough, neglected toilers”, looked down by the working class aristocricty…but with added advantage that their minds “were virgin soil, entirely free from the inherited “respectable” bourgeois prejudices which hampered the brains of the better situated old unionists.”
Not only were the lumpen proletariat (a term, surprisingly, not used in the book) looked down on by their own but demonised by one and all…which appears to be some kind of natural trait in humanity, always looking to belittle those below them, despite the fact many of those looking down on others are but beggars on horseback.

Interesting also is the divisions in Labour movement back in 1924, when the Party forbade branches supporting to support the Communist Party’s incumbent MP, Shakpurji Saklatvala. Battersea LP party was shortly afterwards disaffiliated after it overwhelmingly agreed to support Saklatvala. Saklatvala. Saklatvala, being Indian, received much racist abuse, on being questioned about his knowledge of Britain, seeing he had only lived in his constituency for 20 years responded….that he had “too good a knowledge of the British Ruling class and their politics ….much more than he considers it good for an Indian to know. Difficult to argue with that.

Excellent chapter on the Cable Street revolt, with the Jews on West Cable Street and the Irish on the West side, all coming together despite attempts by the British Union of Fascism (BUF) to divide them, assuming that Irish would side with them. The established Jewish organisations, like the British Board of Deputies ( of Rabbis), did all in their power to get the working class East End Jews, the majority of whom were immigrants, to stay at home and keep their heads down in response to Mosley’s planned march through their territory. That they ignored the advice of the “betters” and fronted the fascists up on the day, was one of the main reasons why the BUF went into immediate terminal decline.

Much is made of the role that women played in all struggles, for trade unionism, political emancipation and anti-poverty campaigns. Throughout the book, they get equal coverage with the menfolk, a history (herstory) that is often unreported. I was particularly informed in the chasms in the suffragette movement between the well-off socialites branches and the working-class East end women, both of which had different demands. Credit to the ladies of the East End for not deferring to the highly educated socialites and creating their own manifesto .
The author teaches at London’s City Lit on subjects which are raised in this book. He also leads walks around the areas covered and complements each chapter with a guided map with highlights of the area.

Great read…from an author who lives his subject

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Rosenberg’s Rebel Footprints describes a series of rebellions, revolts, and protests throughout London which have shaped the city as well as being pivotal in achieving social justice, suffrage, and workers’ rights. A hybrid between collection of history essays and guided walking tours, it’s a fascinating dive into many aspects of the capital and its foundations which are becoming increasingly forgotten about.

As the subtitle suggests – a guide to uncovering London’s radical history – the book aims to reveal the vibrant, intense, and sometimes bloody past that, despite being obscured by modern developments and the ever-changing city, are still very evident in the capital. Each chapter is accompanied by a suggested walk, complete with a map, that details the historic details you can find at each stop along the route. This includes a range of highlights such as more explanation into some of the blue plaques you can spot in the city, and pointing out which revolutionaries attended a pub you might walk past.

Particularly focused on the century between the 1830s and 1930s, when so much political and social change impacted the city, each chapter of Rebel Footprints hones in on one movement and area of London. This takes us from Clerkenwell and Spitalfields to Battersea and Bermondsey, narrating the actions of many characters who protested, striked, and fought to upturn social order for good.

Read my full review here - https://digitalburrow.com/review-rebe...