INTRODUCTION
When I discovered that I had to write a dissertation as part of a history honours course at the University of North London I naturally turned to the library and archive of my employer: the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain.
The library is a treasure trove of fascinating archives and artefacts recording Quaker history over a period of 300 and more years. Discussions with the Head Librarian, Malcolm Thomas, narrowed the immense range of dissertation possibilities to two: Quaker diplomacy around the building of the Berlin Wall and relief work in Russia during the revolutionary period. These conversations took place before German reunification and it was apparent that many documents held by the governments of Federal …show more content…
Indeed only four books, three almost contemporary, containing any kind of substantial analysis could be found: A Ruth Fry A Quaker Adventure , Michael Asquith Famine- Quaker Work in Russia 1921 - 1923 , Richenda Scott Quakers in Russia and Joseph Burtt Relief Work in Russia (London, Friends War Victims Relief Committee, 1916) . However, At least one romantic novel, The Summer of the Barshinskey’s has been written with the Quaker relief effort as …show more content…
Following this is a discussion of the environment to aid understanding of some of the physical difficulties involved in the relief effort. This chapter includes a major effort in trying to reconstruct a map of the area based on Russian maps of the period. Chapter 3 is a brief description of the political, military and economic events in Russia between 1917 and 1923 to give background to the narrative proper which begins in chapter 4: Sisters and Cousins. An appendix describes something of the history and organisational structure of the Society of Friends to try and make clear the motivation for undertaking the endeavour in the first place and some of the peculiarities of Quaker approaches to decision making and
When I discovered that I had to write a dissertation as part of a history honours course at the University of North London I naturally turned to the library and archive of my employer: the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain.
The library is a treasure trove of fascinating archives and artefacts recording Quaker history over a period of 300 and more years. Discussions with the Head Librarian, Malcolm Thomas, narrowed the immense range of dissertation possibilities to two: Quaker diplomacy around the building of the Berlin Wall and relief work in Russia during the revolutionary period. These conversations took place before German reunification and it was apparent that many documents held by the governments of Federal …show more content…
Indeed only four books, three almost contemporary, containing any kind of substantial analysis could be found: A Ruth Fry A Quaker Adventure , Michael Asquith Famine- Quaker Work in Russia 1921 - 1923 , Richenda Scott Quakers in Russia and Joseph Burtt Relief Work in Russia (London, Friends War Victims Relief Committee, 1916) . However, At least one romantic novel, The Summer of the Barshinskey’s has been written with the Quaker relief effort as …show more content…
Following this is a discussion of the environment to aid understanding of some of the physical difficulties involved in the relief effort. This chapter includes a major effort in trying to reconstruct a map of the area based on Russian maps of the period. Chapter 3 is a brief description of the political, military and economic events in Russia between 1917 and 1923 to give background to the narrative proper which begins in chapter 4: Sisters and Cousins. An appendix describes something of the history and organisational structure of the Society of Friends to try and make clear the motivation for undertaking the endeavour in the first place and some of the peculiarities of Quaker approaches to decision making and