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Period: to
MODERN EUROPE
Primary sources from my essay on the exploitation of the poor. -
LETTRE A LOUIS XIV
Archbishop Fenelon's anonymous letter to King Louis XIV of France discusses his problems with the absolutist rule that controlled society. In particular, Fenelon, who was a tutor to one of Louis's sons, spoke of the military focused king and the taxation of the poor that was paying for the massive French army. Fenelon's letter is crucial evidence for the starvation and treatment of the peasants of France. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/13914/pg13914.html -
Royal African Company Records Title Page
The Royal African Company started in 1672, and eventually gained a complete monopoly on the slave trade from West Africa to the Americas until 1698. This title page confirms that despite losing the monopoly, the company operated well into the 18th century before being absorbed into another corporation, and solidifies England's extensive involvement in the sale of people. -
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Dicken's bestselling novel A Christmas Carol serves as a look into the life of the poor in 19th century England after the changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution. In the novel, Dickens discusses the poverty and imbalance seen in cities, highlighting in particular child poverty as a way to send a message and encourage charity in his middle class audiences. The novel is a fictional, but based in the realities of many. https://www.ibiblio.org/ebooks/Dickens/Carol/Dickens_Carol.pdf -
Hungry Ukrainian peasants in search of food during the Holodomor
Alexander Weinerberger was an Austrian chemical engineer working in the Soviet Union during Holodomor when he captured some of the only photos we have of the genocide. Holodomor had been repeatedly denied by the Soviet government, so these photographs are extremely significant in validating the deaths of millions of Ukrainians. This photo shows starving families searching for food after having their farms and subsequently their food taken away from them.