Title Teaching Venice in schools Author(s) Teddy Sim Y.H. Source HSSE Online, 3(1), 9-20 Published by Humanities and Social Studies Education (HSSE) Academic Group, National Institute of Education, Singapore This document may be used for private study or research purpose only. This document or any part of it may not be duplicated and/or distributed without permission of the copyright owner. The Singapore Copyright Act applies to the use of this document. Copyright © Humanities & Social Studies Education (HSSE) Academic Group 2014 HSSE Online 3(1) 9-20 Teaching Venice in Schools Teddy Sim Y.H. National Institute of Education (Singapore) Introduction of not only the subject of history or social studies, but of one’s role in society. This paper aims to briefly survey advances made in the field of Venice Survey of Venice Studies studies and explore how these can help enhance the teaching of Venice in schools. The field of studies on Venice’s history Focusing on the early modern period, this continues to evolve.ii Even at the turn of essay will discuss issues related to the millennium (at 2000), shifts in the Venetian politics as well as government writing of Venice’s history are already and society. The issues for discussion are obvious in several sub-areas of the field. sub-divided into: 1.) Republicanism and On the general front, the scholarship of the related systems; 2.) Political system and field is “[doing] away with a unilateral corruption as a reason for decline of reading of Venice’s past” (Martin & Venice; and 3.) The wider social / social- Romano, 2000, p. 27). To put it in another political organizations or arrangements as way, historiography is probing beyond the a stabilizing (or destabilizing) force of “myth,” an image of an ideal republic, a Venetian society. The choice and strong maritime empire as well as a clustering of these issues are partly based birthplace of capitalism and economically on the content survey on Venetian studies driven people and society. This meant and partly based on the survey of similar probing beyond the usual reasons issues of concern occurring in advocated for the rise or decline of the contemporary Singapore society.i city-state. Current historiography tends to “highlight fissures, tensions, contradictions This essay makes reference to and is and elements of disorder (in Venice)”; meant to be read hand-in-hand with the there is, to reiterate, “a shift in interest write-up on Venice in the resource from order to disorder, orthodoxy to package produced by Curriculum Planning dissent, from the center of power to the and Development Division of the Ministry broader social context (or periphery)” of Education (CPDD, 2008b). This will (Davidson, 1997, pp. 13-24; Martin & hopefully assist in the content Romano, 2000, pp. 7-8). In contrast, the understanding of the teachers teaching the treatment on Venice in the Social Studies topic in schools. An inquiry and discussion textbook covers the rise and fall of the process in the classroom entailing a fuller city-state and it can be deterministic exploration of an issue (warts and all) can towards human-centered factors and does lead to a better appreciation and conviction not convey enough of the “fissures, iii disorder or the periphery.” May 2014 9 HSSE Online 3(1) 9-20 In terms of participants in a political territories of Venice), the new subjects system, one can move away from the (not citizens) strove in certain places to “mythical” by exploring a version of the yearn for Venetian influence and in others, social reality on the ground. An instructor to be rid of it, in accordance of the benefits teaching the topic has to be reminded that that might reaped in comparison to the MOE materials, not surprisingly, have a previous system of extraction they were value judgment on the “selfish interest” of subjected to (Muir, 2000, pp. 137-67). a participant in a political system. From a more neutral angle, participants in a On the issue of governmental efficacy democracy, whether in positions of power versus checks and balances, Venice or as common folks, embraced the mode of appears to have achieved a certain power governance for a combination of reasons balance and expediency in its political that were self-serving and altruistic. The system. Efficacy in a government and “additional notes” in the teachers’ resource checks and balances in a political system file has stated that the aristocrat republic of have the potential to conflict with each Venice was a rule of limited representation other. This system allowed Venice to from the 8th century (CPDD, 2008b, p. delegate its executive power to a more 112). Durant’s (1968) insightful reflection centralized organ in times of crises and from a long survey of history has revealed subjected decision-making or “legislation” that “from Solon to the Roman conquest of to a more laborious process of going Greece, the conflict of oligarchs and through the councils and senate under democrats was waged with books, plays, more normal circumstances. Lane (1973) orations, votes, ostracism, assassination argues that the hallmark of republicanism and civil war.” The “oligarchs” referred to in Venice, implemented through motley a group of politicians who desired a arrangements, was about how the interests greater concentration of control or power; of domestic power groups were balanced the “democrats” referred to a group of as the system evolved through time.iv At politicians who desired a wider base of the highest level, the inner circle was power sharing as well as checks and comprised of the chiefs of the council of balances (p. 73). Whether desiring for ten, esteemed representatives from the more power or more checks and balance, senate (savii grandi), state inquisitors (with individuals sought to protect their interest their own body of informers and secret to a certain extent. In an article analyzing police) and the doge (and his councilors). the state of republicanism after the Battle The doge made his decision as part of a of Agnadello, the resolve of Venetian team (and members of the “inner group” subjects to uphold the rule of the city-state represented the most dominant families of was severely tested. Agnadello in the War metropolitan Venice). In practice, strong of the League of Cambrai is mentioned in and decisive executive powers were more the textbook as an event of severe setback needed in external affairs in order to react which “tested Venice’s political and effectively to arising crises; diplomatic military capabilities” (CPDD, 2008a, p. courses of action were, hence, often 113). Granted that Venice’s republicanism carried out and informed to the Senate and was not uniformly implemented other councils without debate (Lane, 1973, throughout its empire (especially in its pp. 427-34). terra firma colonies, referring to hinterland May 2014 10 HSSE Online 3(1) 9-20 On many other important matters (such affliction of the political-administrative as law, finances and coinage, as system with incapable leadership (arising highlighted in the textbook), sessions of from a shrinking pool of nobles, in turn the great council were called and the linked to the Black Death) and the senate could set up their committees and associated corruption contributed to the commissions to investigate issues (much decline of Venice. Discussion of the topic like in the present American senate) in class can take place along the line to (CPDD, 2008a, p. 96). The Venetian probe the information offered by the system was “so successful” that the textbook and resource package further. A Austrian Habsburgs who took over the city few issues can be discussed here: 1.) The in the post Napoleonic period considered degree to which the nobility had turned in at one time whether there was a need to on itself after 14th century. 2.) The nature revive the “old system” (Laven, 2007, p. of corruption. 3.) The history of Venice 217). While there was intention by the from a longer time perspective can have a later generation to restore the earlier more neutral effect on the perception of Venetian system, it should be remembered the city-state’s decline. We will discuss the that the history of the city-state’s survival issue of the inward turning of the nobility was dotted with intense conflicts between first. We can examine this by, for instance, power groups as well as other lapses. A examining the degree to which the position case in hand can be seen in Doge P. of the doge was monopolized by noble Gradenigo’s faction in rivalry against the families. If the thesis of the inward turning faction of (a branch of) Querini family of the nobility can be disproven, the over the issue of the war against the Pope importance of the factor on the decline of over the territory of Ferrara in 1310. The Venice may be questioned. We can rivalry became intense enough that plots to analyze the list of doge-elects from 900- revolt were conceived against the doge 1200s and 1500-1700s (in Appendix A) to (Lane, 1973, pp. 114-17). The rivalry was assess if there was a monopoly by certain often joined by foreign groups residing in noble families. A survey of the lists (see Venice. A survey of “Catalogo XXVI” in Appendix A) for the above periods shows the Archivo de Simancas (in Spain) reveals that: The number of families (going by the that the Habsburgs collected intelligence names of the doge elected) which fielded a and kept a close tab of happenings in doge was more in the 15-18th century Venice; most notably, the development of period compared to the 10-13th century factions involving nobles in the city so that period; the families which fielded more they could readily intervene in domestic than one doge was correspondingly but not politics where the occasion benefitted surprisingly more in the 15-18th compared, them.