The History Listen (ABC). The Benalla Experiment looks at the post-war migrant camp at Benalla in Victoria for single mothers (for whatever reason) and their children from countries affected by war. It was not a transit camp: people stayed there for years. It had a factory next door, and the women worked in the factory to pay back the costs of their voyage, and 24 hour child care was provided. Just as much, this story is about the struggle with Heritage Victoria to get the site recognized for its social and cultural importance, even though many of the buildings are now used by community organizations.
History of Rome Episode 132 In This Sign sees the end of Diocletian who just died after a reign that was important in restructuring the empire but marred by the persecutions and his failure to be able to establish the tetrarchy on a long-term basis. Perhaps that was because a four-headed structure in itself was unstable, or perhaps because none of the others were as good as he was. Meanwhile, Constantine -recognized as the first Christian emperor- was playing a long game. It’s not really clear whether he really was a Christian, or whether he was after the absolute power that it conferred. Christianity didn’t become the state religion for 50 years after Constantine’s death. The story of him painting a cross on his soldiers’ shields is probably apocryphal- he had 40,000 soldiers after all- and it wasn’t a cross, it was a Chi-Ro which certainly indicated Christ but also was a symbol for ‘good’. Moreover, there is no sign of a cross or Chi-Ro on his Triumphal Arch, which is strange.
Episode 133 The Milvian Bridge goes slow-motion into the battle that pitted Constantine against Maxentius. Maxentius wasn’t particularly popular because he had levied heavy taxes for his building projects, which he hoped would shore up his position. Constantine had 40,000 well trained loyal soldiers: Maxentius had 100,000 lukewarm ones. They first met in battle outside Verona, where Constantine triumphed. He then turned to Rome and the two sides met in battle on the Milvean Bridge over the Tiber. Maxentius consulted his soothsayers over whether he should mount a battle and they said ‘the enemies of Rome will be defeated’. (They didn’t specify which side was the enemy though). When Maxentius’ troops realized that they were being defeated, they tried to cross back over a small pontoon bridge and many (including Maxentius) ended up in the water. Constantine marched into Rome, although he did not sacrifice to Jupiter, which suggests that he had found a new god. This wasn’t the real victory of Christianity over paganism that is often depicted. If Constantine had made a genuine conversion, he certainly underplayed its significance amongst the Romans who weren’t ready to have it imposed on them.
Episode 134 And Then There Were Only Two returns to the East which was divided up between Maximinus Daia and Licinus. Maximinius Daia recommenced the persecution of the Christians that Galerius had put an end to. He genuinely hated Christians, and saw Christianity as a real threat to the Empire. Licinus was an ally of Constantine, with whom he signed the Edict of Milan which legalized Christianity, and more importantly, returned confiscated property to Christians. Quite apart from any genuine belief in Christianity, this was a way of wedging Maximinius. The Battle of Tzirallum on 30 April 313 saw Licinus triumph, and now there were just two emperors instead of four.
Australia If You’re Listening (ABC) Episode 5: What We Missed While We Were Knifing PMs goes through the political circus where we saw four powerful people lose their jobs six times. I had heard about the failure of the Labor Party to negotiate with the Greens, but I was unaware of the negotiations between Turnbull, Combet/Wong and Ian McFarlane which could have actually eventuated, but everything was upended by Abbott’s ascension. Ross Garnaut had high praise for Gillard’s system, derided by Abbott as being a ‘tax’, and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) only survived because Clive Palmer wanted a photo opportunity with Clive Palmer.
Start the Week (BBC) I haven’t watched Bridgerton, but I know that Regency is having a bit of a moment. The Georgians features Penelope Corfield (author of The Georgians: The Deeds and Misdeeds of 18th Century Britain), Tristram Hunt (author of The Radical Potter: Josiah Wedgwood and the Transformation of Britain) and Professor Philip McCann , the Chair in Urban and Regional Economics at the University of Sheffield. They discuss the change in consciousness during the Georgian era (which actually is the long 18th century) in relation to commercialisation and expertimentalism and ‘can-do’ism (my word, not theirs). Interesting to consider that Australia was colonized within this Georgian/Victorian timespan.
Things Fell Apart (BBC) Episode 4: Believe the Children looks at the spate of satanic child abuse cases in the United States in the 1980s and 1990s, spurred largely by Christian evangelists and the media, and drawing on guilt felt by parents for placing their children in child care. It features an interview with Kelly Michaels, who was sentenced to 47 years imprisonment for sexually abusing children, until her conviction was completely overturned. I found this interesting article about the interviewing techniques used in the McMartin Preschool and Martin cases, compared with a Child Protection Services unit. The satanic child abuse conspiracy of the late 20th century has resurfaced with QAnon today.
How It Happened: Putin’s Invasion Episode 4: The View From Russia challenges the idea that Western sanctions are going to pressure the Russian people into turning against Putin. A Russian commentator points out that 50% of Russians are hard-core Putin supporters. Another 1/3 would be conditional supporters. Only about 20-25% oppose Putin, but they are not necessarily prepared to come out and protest against him. This is largely generational: older people remember much harsher sanctions than the current ones, and younger people have largely fled. Alexei Navalny is Putin’s most prominent opponent, but currently facing charges and imprisonment. His supporters are taking a long view, hoping that in about five years time, when Russia faces an inevitable crisis, they will be ready.
Rear Vision (ABC) The Marcos Revival- from pariahs to the presidency in the Phillipines. Despite his parents embezzling $5-10 billion dollars from the Phillipines, Ferdinand ‘Bong Bong’ Marcos is in a winning position in the Presidential elections this coming week. The outgoing president Rodrigo Duterte is still very popular, despite killing 30,000 Phillipinos, most of whom come from the lower classes. However, his government has spent generously in social welfare programs directly aimed at these same lower classes. Presidents can only serve one six year term, and Duterte had hoped that his daughter Sara would contest the election. However, she decided to run for vice-president in an arrangement with Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, instead, incurring her father’s ire. President Duterte is making lots of insinuations that Marcos is a drug addict. The Marcos family, meanwhile, has had a long-term strategy for decades to rehabilitate the family reputation and entrench its power.
The Resident Judge of Port Phillip 