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Description
This is the first of a number of programmes made for this course to place the 1848 revolutions in their social, economic and geographical context. In this programme, the Course Team chairman, Clive... Emsley, (after a brief look at Lille, one of the few- fully industrialized cities in France in 1848) examines the city of Lyons, and the nearby country commune of Bagnols. Lyons, a city based on the traditional silk weaving industry, has been notorious for radical protest from the French revolution of the 1790 's onwa.rds. Cameras visit the warren of buildings in the upper city, containing the houses and workshops of the silk weavers and, as Clive Emsley says, so suitable as the base for an urban insurrection. The silk weavers were independent artisans, always the backbone of revolutions, and under no illusions about their strength, once mobilised, as one song used in the film demonstrates. At Bagnols, little has changed. Population, roughly the same today, is much less dense than Lyons. Life follows the seasons of the year, as types of agriculture follow the contours of the landscape. Peasant farming still survives, with its conservative voting habits. In 1848, radical silk weavers did not even bother to travel the fifteen miles from Lyons to Bagnols to put their points of view to the peasants.
Metadata describing this Open University video programme
Module code and title: A321, The revolutions of 1848
Item code: A321; 03
First transmission date: 07-04-1976
Published: 1976
Rights Statement:
Restrictions on use:
Duration: 00:21:36
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Producer: Nuala O'Faolain
Contributor: Clive Emsley
Publisher: BBC Open University
Keyword(s): Bagnols; Lille; Lyons; Politics
Footage description: The programme opens with film of a French farm. Over a map of France, Emsley gives reasons for studying mid-19th century France outside Paris. Over a map of France, Emsley provides a brief geographical description of France. Over a print of Lille he describes the working conditions of factory workers. Statistics relating to the proletariat are displayed with a print depicting the interior of a factory in Lille. Over a plan of Lyon and aerial views of the city, Emsley briefly describes historical and geographical aspects of the city. He describes the silk-weaving industry over film of the district in Lyon where the work was done. He indicates the influence of the silk weavers on the city's buildings and street plan. Over film of modern silk weavers using the old methods, Emsley describes the weaver's song is sung in French. Over a print of weaver's housing in Lyon, Emsley describes their accommodation and living conditions. He provides a history of silk weavers" militancy in Lyon, particularly the revolts of the 1830s. Prints depicting these are shown. Film of a game of boule in progress. Working class newspapers from mid-19th century Lyonare displayed, and their significance explained. Film of modern French peasant farmers at work. Emsley comments in voice over on the work conditions of peasants in the 1840s. With the help of an animated map of the Rhone Department, Emsley describes the area's soil, agriculture and land ownership. The location of Bagnols is shown. Over film of Bagnols and its environs, Emsley describes the workshops present in the village in the 1840s. Results of the election of 1849 are shown on a map, while Emsley adds explanatory comments. In the studio, Emsley describes the political activity of peasants in the mid-19th century, suggesting reasons for this. The programme ends with shots of a French cafe scene.
Master spool number: 6HT/71988
Production number: 00525_3215
Videofinder number: 3310
Available to public: no