Radio Script

Derek Montana – reporter

Professor J Gardener – university of Chicago

Professor Will Harris – university of London

Derek Montana Hello and welcome to another episode of History time with me Derek Montana. We could say today’s subject isn’t very well remembered in history. Yes we are talking about the peasants revolt. Now today’s big question is how historically significant is the peasants revolt?

Now today we have two very special guests. Ladies and gentleman please put your hands together for Professor J Gardener from the University of Chicago and Professor Will Harris from the University of London. So first we will go to Professor J Gardener would you say the peasants revolt is well remembered?

Professor Jacob Well to be honest I don’t think it is very well remembered. Because the peasants didn’t get what they wanted.

Professor Will Actually the word remembered means quite a lot in the peasants revolt because king Richard II said that he didn’t want the revolt to be remembered in case it lead to another revolt.

Professor Jacob What professor Will means that when the peasants got home they would of obviously said what they had done so king Richard II lied sending 50000\60000 home (5/6) because they thought he had given them what they wanted.

Professor Will The 10000 left didn’t think they had got what they wanted. And the kings army slowly killed them off.

Professor Jacob In fact in 1930 in a place called Sudbury a mass grave was found. All these people were probably executed on the spot. What would you say was so remarkable about the revolt Professor Will?

Professor Will Well Derek I think that it was truly a remarkable thing to stand up to a tax collector and say no I will not pay this tax. When he said this it started a whole group of people saying no to a tax collector!

Professor Jacob Yes, I’ll have to agree with you Will it truly was remarkable to stand up to a tax collector and say no but that wasn’t the only remarkable thing that happened…..

Derek Montana So you mean to say someone else did something incredibly remarkable.

Professor Will Yes that’s right priest john ball stood up to the peasants and said when Adam delved and Eve span, who then was the gentleman. Professor Jacob This phrase means that everyone is equal. By saying this it made the peasants even more angry and encouraged them even more.

Derek Montana So the words of John Ball were also remarkable.

Professor Will Well if you were a professor you would know that they were remarkable.

Derek Montans From the book I have read on the revolt I know that it didn’t end in a victory. But did it change anything?

Professor Jacob Well it didn’t change lives strait away but it did later and the tax mattered on how much people earned.

Professor Will It could of resulted as a victory for the peasants if they had all had stayed for a bit later like I had said 50000 had left when the king had tricked them.

Professor Jacob It probably did change our lives today. I mean there has been other protests like it. For example the Tianemen square in 1989.

Derek Montana Wo wo wo wo wo you are getting a step ahead of me so what you mean is there that there has been many other revolts like it.

Professor Jacob Yes there is a classic example like the poll tax riots in 1990. The type of tax was the same where everyone had to pay the same amount as everyone else. In fact I can even remember when I was in year 7 and Mr Mills our history teacher showed us the video of it. We could obviously see there were a lot of people breaking into shops and one women got trampled under a horse which the police were using to calm down the riot.

Derek Montana Well that concludes today’s big question how significant is the peasants revolt? The answer is very significant because it did have a impact in our lives and as been resonant. So its goodbye from me and our special quests Professor Will from the University of London and Professor J Gardener from the University of Chicago. Goodbye.