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Renga

Renga (連歌, linked poem) is a genre of Japanese collaborative poetry in which alternating stanzas, or ku (句), of 5-7-5 and 7-7 mora (sound units, not to be confused with syllables) per line are linked in succession by multiple poets. Known as tsukuba no michi (筑波の道 The Way of Tsukuba) after the famous Tsukuba Mountain in the Kantō region, the form of poetry is said to have originated in a two-verse poetry exchange by Yamato Takeru and later gave birth to the genres haikai (俳諧) and haiku (俳句).

The genre was elevated to a literary art by Nijō Yoshimoto (二条良基, 1320–1388), who compiled the first imperial renga anthology Tsukubashū (菟玖波集) in 1356. The most famous renga master was Sōgi (宗祇, 1421–1502), and Matsuo Bashō (松尾芭蕉, 1644–1694) after him became the most famous haikai master. Renga sequences were typically composed live during gatherings of poets, transcribed oral sessions known as rengakai (連歌会), but could also be composed by single poets as mainly textual works.

Classical and early medieval
The "origin" of renga is traditionally associated with a passage in the Kojiki, wherein Prince Yamato Takeru speaks to an old man and inquires, by way of a katauta poem, how many nights he had slept since passing Nabari and Tsukuba, to which the old man responds by way of another kata-uta poem, which combined form a single sedōka. Later medieval renga poets, out of reverence for this exchange, would refer to their art as "the Way of Tsukuba", and the first imperial renga anthology, the Tsukubashū, alludes to it in the title.

The earliest extant renga appears in the Manyoshu (万葉集), with its 5-7-5 mora jōku (上句 first stanza) written by Ōtomo no Yakamochi (大伴家持, 718-785) and its 7-7 mora geku (下句 last stanza) written by a Buddhist nun (尼 ama) in an exchange of poems. This two-stanza form is now called tanrenga (短連歌) to differentiate it from chōrenga (長連歌), the hyakuin renga (百韻連歌 100-stanza renga) to which the general term renga refers.

The tanrenga form was popular from the beginning of the Heian Period until the end of cloistered rule (院政 insei) and would sometimes appear in imperial anthologies of waka, which it closely resembled at a glance. It was during the insei period that the form began take shape and evolve into chōrenga. The Kin'yōshū (金葉集) was the first imperial waka anthology to include an explicit section on renga thanks to its compiler Minamoto no Toshiyori (源俊頼, also Minamoto no Shunrai; ~1055–1129), who was the first to write about renga theory in his poetic treatise Toshiyori Zuinō (俊頼髄脳).

As tanrenga gained traction and began to feature more intricate and technically complex links between its two stanzas, the genre gained popularity as a game, and events were held to create the best links. Participants began going beyond the original two stanzas of tanrenga, leading to the creation of a chōrenga form more formal than games like iroha renga, in which 47 stanzas beginning with each of the 47 characters of the hiragana writing system were linked. Around the same time, a more straightforward style of linking developed, which also helped to spur the lengthening of the form. Eventually, this 100-stanza renga, which alternated 5-7-5 and 7-7 mora verses (known as tanku 短句 and chōku 長句 respectively), became the basis for what we know as renga today.

The vocabulary of hyakuin renga was largely limited to the standard poetic diction (歌言葉) that had been established in the Kokinshū. At this time, poets considered the use of utakotoba as the essence of creating a perfect waka, and use of any other words was considered to be unbecoming of true poetry.

A comparable, though less evolved, tradition of 'linked verse' (lián jù 連句—the same characters as 'renku')—evolved in Qin-dynasty China, and this Chinese form may have influenced Japanese renga during its formative period. However, there are major differences between the two, the Chinese having a unity of subject and a general lightheartedness of tone, neither of which characteristic is present in Japanese renga; furthermore, the history of Japanese poetry shows renga as an apparently natural evolution.

Around the time of the Shin Kokin Wakashū (新古今和歌集, 1205) during the rule of Emperor Go-Tōba, hyakuin renga developed enough to gain its first real independence from waka. In the courts, ushin mushin renga (有心無心連歌) sessions were held in which poets and non-poets were divided into ushin and mushin respectively to link stanzas. The ushin side would offer orthodox elegant stanzas while the mushin side would offer comical or aesthetically "wilder" stanzas (狂歌 kyōka), and while submissions from both sides were accepted as appropriate links, the ushin were favored. While this practice ended with the Jōkyū Disturbance (1221), it served as an important foundation for the further development of hyakuin renga, which placed more emphasis on the skill of poets, and stanzas by many major renga participants of the Go-Tōba court such as Fujiwara no Teika (1162–1241) were later anthologized in the Tsukubashū.

After the Jōkyū Disturbance, renga moved out of the courts. In the popular hana no moto renga (花の下連歌 "renga under flowers"), commoners would gather for renga sessions under the flowering trees in spring, a tradition that is estimated to have been around for about 100 years by the start of the Nanboku-chō Period. Some of the later resulting works were anthologized in the Tsukubashū. Jige renga (地下連歌 "underground renga") was born out of hana no moto renga and was pervasive through the Mongol invasions of Japan (1274–1281) and after. The jige renga poets were led by Priest Zen’a (善阿法師, ??–1312), who built upon the rules of hana no moto renga but also deviated from them, creating new versions of forms such as 1-day 1000-stanza renga (一日千句連歌 ichi nichi senku renga)—telling of the genre's wide scale. Renga continued to flourish in the courts as well, and the era saw splendid renga gatherings of even 10,000 verses a day, as well as prominent women poets such as the Buddhist nun Nijō (二条尼 nijō no ama).

It was during the Kamakura Period that the rules (式目 shikimoku) of renga began to develop. At the time, one of the most important rules was fushimono (賦物), titular prompts that had to be followed by every stanza in the entire sequence. For instance, a white-black fushimono would call for each verse to alternate between including a white object and a black object. Others fushimono might be more linguistic, such as requiring odd verses to include three-mora phrases that became a different word upon removal of the middle mora, and even verses to include four-mora phrases that became a different word upon removal of the first and last mora.

Late medieval
In the Nanboku-cho Period, renga began to take form and establish itself as a literary genre, largely owing to the efforts of Nijō Yoshimoto (二条良基, 1320–1388), who compiled the first imperial renga anthology Tsukubashū (菟玖波集) in 1356. As reflected in the collection, aesthetic and linguistically polished hyakuin renga that embodied the spirit of the renga session became the foundation for the genre as it is known today.

Yoshimoto was a disciple of Gusai (救済, also Kyūsei or Kyūzei; 1281–1376), who was taught by Zen’a. Gusai, a commoner priest, was a leading jige renga poet and key collaborator in the compilation of the Tsukubashū. Yoshimoto was an aristocrat who served in the Northern Court of the Ashikaga Shogunate. He was originally a waka poet, and his relationship with Gusai, who also had training in courtly literature, brought together common and courtly renga traditions. Yoshimoto was the first to write extensively on renga theory, creating many works laying out the genre’s structure, aesthetic standards, shikimoku, and more. One major change he made was to the fushimono, which remained part of the title but now only applied to the first verse rather than the whole sequence. Other important rules delineated the maximum numbers of stanzas in which certain topics could appear in a row, and maximum numbers of stanzas in which certain topics could appear across the whole sequence. Many of his aesthetic treatises became important pedagogical artifacts for future renga poets. Through his theoretical work and compilation of the Tsukubashū, Yoshimoto elevated renga to the status of an independent literary genre, setting a crucial foundation for its golden age.

The golden age of renga is widely regarded as the Muromachi Period, during which many of the greatest renga masters were active. The era is epitomized by the poet Sōgi (宗祇, 1421–1502) and his compilation of the renga anthology Shintsukubashū (新菟玖波集, lit. "New Tsukubashū).

Prior to Sōgi, Ichijō Kaneyoshi (一条兼良, also Kanera; 1402–1481) aimed to succeed his grandfather Nijō Yoshimoto with his compilation of the Aratamashū (新玉集), which he worked on with the priest Sōzei (宗砌). However, the anthology was lost and the creation of the next major anthology was completed instead by Sozei’s disciple, Sōgi. Sōzei was one of the "seven sages," a group of poets all active around that time. They consisted of Priest Chiun (智蘊法師, 1448–1471), Priest Sōzei (宗砌法師, ??–1455), High Priest Gyōjo (法印行助, 1405–1469), Priest Nōa (能阿法師, 1397–1471), Clergyman Shinkei (権大僧都心敬; 1406–1475), High Priest Senjun (法眼専順 1411–1476), and Priest Sōi (宗伊法師, 1418–1485). Their work was later anthologized by Sōgi in his anthology Chikurinshō (竹林抄), for which Kaneyoshi wrote the preface.

Sōgi, a commoner priest, studied literature extensively, learning renga from Sōzei and classical literature from Kaneyoshi among others. He spent much time travelling the country as a professional renga poet despite the tumultuous political context of his era. His works often feature the relationship between humans and nature. His anthology Shintsukubashū became the successor to the Tsukubashū, and he also composed many other major works, the two most famous being "Three Poets at Minase" (水無瀬三吟百韻 Minase Sangin Hyakuin) and "Three Poets at Yuyama" (湯山三吟百韻 Yuyama Sangin Hyakuin). Both sequences were composed by Sōgi and two of his disciples, the priests Shōhaku (肖柏, 1143–1527) and Sōchō (宗長, 1448–1532), in 1488 and 1491 respectively. The former was created as an offering for Emperor Go-Toba, the compiler of the Shinkokinshū, making it a formal piece with ceremonial grandeur. "Three Poets at Yuyama," on the other hand, was created in a more relaxed setting and enjoyed greater popularity in its time. It did, however, maintain also many conventions of renga despite its greater flexibility. The two are now considered the most canonical renga sequences and were widely used pedagogically as standards for the genre.

Sōgi’s death in 1502 was followed by a peak in popularity and then decline of renga as the new genre haikai developed. Sōgi’s lineage of disciples continued the renga tradition that ended with the death of Jōha (紹巴, 1524–1602), who is considered to be the final major renga poet.

One of Sōgi’s final disciples and also a previous disciple of Sōchō, the priest Sōseki (宗碩, 1474–1533), continued the Sōgi line of disciples after the poet’s death. Sōhoku (宗牧, ??–1545) was a disciple of Sōchō and Sōseki, and after their deaths rose to the forefront of the renga world. Like his predecessors, he spent much of his time travelling and wrote many works on renga theory in addition to his compositions. His son Sōyō (宗養, 1526–1563) was raised renga poet as well and continued the tradition of travel. He became the top renga master after the death of all of the previous generation. His own death marked the end of the Sōgi tradition of renga, and his contemporary Satomura Jōha rose by default to the top position in the renga world.

Jōha came from another branch of the Sōgi lineage; he studied under Sōseki’s disciple Shūkei (周桂, 1470–1544), and then Shūkei’s disciple Satomura Shōkyū (里村昌休, 1511–1552) after Shūkei’s death, taking Satomura as his family name. Jōha was heavily involved with major political figures of his time, establishing connections with important people from various factions. His renga moved toward easy understandability and away from the depth and aesthetic standards of the previous tradition. After his death, renga’s period of widespread popularity ended as it was overtaken by haikai, its child genre. Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694) became the most prominent haikai poet and was later also famous for his haiku.

Renga was a popular form of poetry even in the confusion of Azuchi–Momoyama period. Yet by the end of this era, the shikimoku had become so complicated and systematic that they stifled the active imagination that had been a part of the renga's appeal. During the medieval and Edo periods, renga was a part of the cultural knowledge required for high society.

Edo–Meiji
In the Edo period, as more and more ordinary citizens became familiar with renga, shikimoku were greatly simplified. The 36-verse Kasen became the most popular form of renga, and commonly spoken words as well as slang and Chinese words were allowed. With this relaxation of the rules, renga were able to express broader humor and wit. This style of renga came to be called haikai no renga ("comical linked verse") or simply haikai, and Matsuo Bashō is known as the greatest haikai poet.

The most favored form of renga in the Edo period was the kasen (歌仙), a chain consisting of 36 verses. As a rule, kasen must refer to flowers (usually cherry blossoms) twice, and three times to the moon. These references are termed hana no za (花の座) and tsuki no za (月の座).

The first stanza of the renga chain, the hokku, is the forebear of the modern haiku. The stand-alone hokku was renamed haiku in the Meiji period by the great Japanese poet and critic Masaoka Shiki. Shiki proposed haiku as an abbreviation of the phrase "haikai no ku" meaning a verse of haikai.

For almost 700 years, renga was a popular form of poetry, but its popularity was greatly diminished in the Meiji period. Masaoka Shiki, although himself a participant in several renga, claimed that "(Renga is) not literature" (「文学に非ず」). The renga's appeal of working as a group to make a complete work was not compatible with the European style of poetry gaining popularity in Japan, where a single poet writes the entire poem.

Structure of and conventions of Hyakuin renga
The hyakuin renga sequence begins with the hokku (発句), a 5-7-5 mora verse which was the origin of the late haiku genre. Unlike the following verses, the hokku in a renga session was expected to reflect the reality of the ba—its geographical location, season, etc.—and was also the only verse expected to be able to stand independently as a poem. The composition of the hokku was usually left to a skilled poet, and professional renga poets would sometimes be commissioned to write them during their travels. Often, the hokku would be written by the guest of the session, with the host responding with the second verse. Two technical conventions that carried over to haiku were the seasonal word kigo (季語) and a "cutting word" kireji (切字). The hokku was followed by the wakiku (脇句), daisan (第三), the names for the second and third verses respectively. Including these two, the rest of the linked verses were called tsukeku (付句), and verses 4-99 together were called the hiraku (平句). The final verse was called the ageku (挙句).

During a renga session, the verses were transcribed onto a paper known as kaishi (懐紙), using four sheets, or eight sides of paper, total. The first side (初折 sho-ori) and last side (名残折 nagori-no-ori) contained 8 verses each, and the rest of the sides contained 14 verses each. There were various structural rules based on the paper layout, the most important being the "four blossoms eight moons" rule (四花八月). Each sheet should include one verse that used the word hana (花), or blossoms, and each side should include one verse that used the word tsuki (月) to mean moon specifically (as opposed to "month"). Sometimes the "moon" on the last page would be omitted, leaving seven "moons," making that half of rule more flexible than the number of "blossom" verses, which were considered more important and were usually composed by senior poets or those of higher social status.

In addition to the "four blossoms eight moons" rule, which served as a major structural pillar for the sequence, there were many other rules regarding topics or lexical categories and their usage in the context of the whole verse. As the vocabulary of renga largely followed the lexicon of waka, which used a limited number of words, there was a complex but clear system of what words fell under what category. For instance, ikkumono (一句物) was a category of specific phrases could only be used once in the entire sequence due to their particularly strong impression, or because they were considered unrefined. Some of the most important topics were the four seasons, love, reminiscence (述懐 jukkai; included topics like grief and nostalgia), travel, and Buddhism. Topics like these had to follow the rules of rinne (輪廻 recurrence), which dictated the maximum and/or minimum number of verses each topic could appear in a row. For instance, spring and autumn verses must repeat for at least three and at most five verses in a row. Love originally followed the same rule, but by Sōgi’s era the minimum had dropped to two, and a single verse was allowed by the Edo Period. Summer, winter, travel, and Buddhism, among many others, could repeat for a maximum of three verses and no minimum, as could reminiscence—here, the subtopic of transiency fell under reminiscence, although it did not for other rules.

There were also many conventions governing the flow of movement throughout the sequence. The term for the proper flow of rhythm, which was also used in other art forms such as Noh theatre, was jōhakyū (序破急), or "prelude, development, presto" in the manner of music. The jō contained the first ten verses, which should be graceful, smooth, and subtle. The ha encompassed the 11th to 78th verses, which should be dynamic and exciting. The last 22 verses were the kyū, which should move quickly and easily, particularly the final 8 verses for a clean-cut finish. Another convention regarding the flow of the sequence was the alternation of mon (紋 "pattern") and ji (地 "background") verses. Mon verses contained more striking imagery that drew the audience’s attention, while ji verses were relatively plainer and inconspicuous verses serving to bring out the vividness of the mon. A good flow required skilled but subtle control of the pattern of the two types of verses.

Because in renga each verse is only related to its immediate neighbors, the sequence as a whole does not have very much semantic, stylistic, or thematic unity. Thus, what held the sequence together was the link between each verse, or tsukeai (付合). The most important rule of linking was that links could only exist between two adjacent verses, i.e. a verse could not be connected with any verses aside from the one it was being linked to. There was a wide range of types of links, from linguistic to semantic and direct to indirect; Nijō Yoshimoto listed thirteen types in his poetic treatise on renga, Renri Hishō (連理秘抄).

The renga session
Renga was typically composed in sessions attended by a group of poets known as the renju (連衆, also renjū)—usually 7-8, though the number could range widely—, a scribe (執筆 shuhitsu), and a master (宗匠 sōshō). The setting of the session was called the ba (場), and was an integral part of the poetic sequence, providing aesthetic inspiration and often serving as the basis for the hokku. These sessions could take the form of more literary pedagogical events or more informal competitions that drew crowds of spectators.

The scribe sat at a low writing desk (文台 bundai), with the poets sitting facing the desk and the master beside it. The role of the scribe was not only to transcribe the renga sequence, but also to act as an enforcer of the rules of the genre. Once a poet was ready to offer a verse, he would make eye contact with and recite it to the scribe, who would then check to make sure that there were no infractions and write it down. The scribe was usually a younger, aspiring renga poet who would be able to gather experience and recognition through the session. The job required a remarkable memory, as he was required to not only remember all of the rules, but also to instantly recall all the previous verses in order to check the newest verse against them without wasting time looking through the transcription. In addition, the scribe needed both poetic and social skills in order to maintain the pace of the session. He had to decide when to enforce the rules and when to let infractions go for artistic or social reasons. Because renga sessions often gathered people from different social statuses, the scribe needed to facilitate the social dynamic and reject or accommodate verses without offending those of higher standing.

Unlike the scribe, the master was mainly in charge of the aesthetic progression of the sequence, maintaining the jōhakyū tempo, ji and mon pattern, the yukiyō, and other aspects of the flow by both judging verses and offering his own. He served as the senior poet who contributed many verses and helped other poets refine theirs, exercising a certain amount of authority over their compositions. Professional renga poets (連歌師 rengashi) such as Sōgi and his disciples would often be in high demand as masters during their travels.

At the start of the session, the scribe would receive the hokku and write it alongside the fushimono to its right. Then he would continue to receive verses; a poet would recite his verse, the scribe would recite it back, and each verse approved by the master and him would be written and recited again. Once the scribe wrote the final verse, he would count the number of verses each participant had contributed and write the tallies at the end of the last page. Finally, he bound the four pages with a string.

Many treatises and handbooks delineated the proper etiquette and conventions for renga sessions, covering everything from behavior and preparation of individual poets to the setup and dynamic of the ba. There was some variation between time periods and treatises regarding the ideal conditions of a renga session, and there were no doubt many amateur sessions across the country that did not adhere to the strict rules. As a whole, however, the renga session and its conventions played a crucial role in renga composition, and many extant renga today are products of those sessions where sequences were carefully recorded and preserved.

Outside Japan
An early attempt at renga in English appeared in 1968 in Haiku Magazine, and the same magazine published an issue in 1976 devoted to renga and haibun. Since then, many English-language haiku journals have published renga, renku, and other linked poetry.

Formats
Here follows a list of the most common formats in which renga have been written, both ushin (orthodox) renga, and mushin (renku)

Terminology

 * hokku (発句): The first stanza of renga with a 5-7-5 mora (sound unit) count. This stanza should be created by a special guest when present, and is considered a part of the greeting in a renga gathering.  It must include a kigo (季語), as well as a kireji (切字). The kigo usually references the season the renga was created in. Hokku, removed from the context of renga, eventually became the haiku poetry form.
 * waki (脇): The second stanza of a renga with a 7-7 mora count. The person who helped to organize the gathering is honored with creating it.

 * daisan (第三): The third stanza of a renga with a 5-7-5 mora count. It must end with the -te form of a verb to allow the next poet greater freedom in creating the stanza.
 * hiraku (平句): Refers to all verses other than the hokku, waki, daisan, and ageku.
 * ageku (挙句): The last stanza of a renga. Care should be taken to wrap up the renga.
 * kuage (句上げ): A note made after the ageku to indicate how many ku each poet read.
 * kōgyō (興行): To hold a renga gathering. May also be called chōgyō (張行).
 * wakiokori (脇起り): To start with the hokku of a famous poet such as Bashō and make a new waki verse to follow on from there.
 * tsukeai (付合): May also be called tsukekata (付け方) or tsukeaji (付け味). Refers to the mixing and matching of unlikely word combinations to spur imagination or evoke an image.  One of the interesting features of renga.
 * maeku (前句): The verse in which tsukeai happens.
 * uchikoshi (打越): The verse before the maeku.
 * shikimoku (式目): A set of rules to lay out the stylistic requirements for change throughout the poem and to prevent a renga from falling apart.
 * renku (連句): Modern renga in Bashō's style.
 * kukazu (句数): Literally, "the number of verses". When the theme of a section is a popular topic such as "Love", "Spring", or "Fall", the renga must continue on that theme for at least two verses but not more than five verses.  This theme may then be dropped with one verse on any other topic.
 * sarikirai (去嫌): A rule to prevent loops repeating the same image or a similar verse.
 * rinne (輪廻): The name for a loop where the same theme, image, or word is repeated. Term taken from Buddhism.
 * kannonbiraki (観音開き): A type of loop where the uchikoshi and tsukeku have an identical image or theme.
 * haramiku (孕み句): A stanza prepared beforehand. Should be avoided as stanzas should be created on the spot.
 * asaru (求食る): To make two stanzas in a row. Happens frequently when the degachi rule is used.  Should be avoided to let others join.
 * degachi (出勝ち): A rule to use the stanza of the first poet to create one.
 * hizaokuri (膝送り): A rule whereby each poet takes a turn to make a stanza.
 * renju (連衆): The members of a renga or haikai gathering. The members of a renga gathering are also called kaishū (会衆).
 * ichiza (一座): Literally, "one seating". Describes the group when the renju are seated and the renga has begun.
 * sōshō (宗匠): May also be called sabaki (捌き). The coordinator of an ichiza, he or she is responsible for the completion of a renga.  Has the authority to dismiss an improper verse.  The most experienced of the renju should be the sōshō to keep the renga interesting.
 * kyaku (客): The main guest of the ichiza and responsible for creating the hokku.
 * teishu (亭主): The patron of a renga gathering, who provides the place.
 * shuhitsu (執筆): The "secretary" of the renga, as it were, who is responsible for writing down renga verses and for the proceedings of the renga.
 * bunnin (文音): Using letters (i.e. the post), telegraph, telephone, or even fax machines for making a renga. Using the internet is also considered a form of bunnin.
 * yukiyō (行様): The flow of the sequence created by the patterns of links and the shifting of the verses.

title: Renga


text:
Talk:Renga

This article is part of WikiProject Poetry. Please read the guidelines set out there before editing the page.

 * Nobody needs to read any guidelines before editing this, or any other, page. Everyone should feel free to edit the page as they see fit. --Camembert

Nobody's saying the guidelines have to be adhered to, just asking for them to be read. Bmills 14:10, 15 Dec 2003 (UTC)

 * I know it's just a request, but it sounds a bit like an order, and I just want to make it clear that it isn't. --Camembert

I wrote out History and Terms, and will try to make a section "How to make a Renga" by taking previously written parts apart. Revth 16:13, 15 Jul 2004 (UTC)

This article is mostly about Japanese renga. Should there also be mention added about the English-language six verse derivative of the renga called the rengay, created by Garry Gay? see:

http://www.baymoon.com/~ariadne/form/rengay.htm

gK 9 October 2004

No, gK. Despite its name, Mr. Gay's rengay cannot be described as a derivative of the renga. The sine qua non of renga is shift from the uchikoshi, while the rengay, by contrast, is themed.Yumegusa (talk) 22:44, 15 April 2008 (UTC)

number of errs
This artical is getting better but it still contains many errs.

—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 128.59.26.165 (talk • contribs) 04:16, 11 March 2006 (UTC).
 * 1) "A Renga consists of at least three ku"-- many eraly renga are tsukeku, or 2 ku renga.
 * 2) "the opening stanza of the Renga chain (the hokku), later became the basis for the modern Haiku style of poetry."  Very missleading
 * 3) "As the Renga was a popular poetry form,"  WHEN???
 * 4) "The most favored form of Renga is Kasen"  This is only true in the Edo period.
 * 5) "Kasen means Great Waka Composers."  True but this need to mention the import of the number 36.
 * 6) "The earliest recorded Renga appeared in the late of Heian period."  Yoshitomo cites the songs of Izanami and Izanagi from the Kojiki.
 * 7) "Two of the most famous masters of Renga were the Buddhist Priest Sogi (1421 - 1502) and Matsuo Basho (1644 - 1694)."  neither man was truly a Buddhist Priest

 * I've reworked the article primarily to clean up the rather untidy writing, but I'm no renga expert. I've done what I can to incorporate your points, as follows:

 * Changed, now reads "two ku"
 * Not really sure how this is misleading, and actually the article text appears to be correct given what I've read -- the first renga stanza, i.e. the 5-7-5 hokku, is what has become the modern haiku. If you can add or edit the text to read more clearly based on your own understanding, then be bold and do so.
 * Judging from the long span of dates simply between the lives of Sogi and Bashō, I don't think we can easily say precisely when renga were popular, so I fudged and simply added "for many centuries".
 * Kasen now noted as popular during the Edo period.
 * The bit about kasen also meaning "the great poetic sages" struck me as largely irrelevant, so I deleted it. If you think it's important enough to merit inclusion, please go ahead and add it.
 * I added bit about Izanami / Izanagi song, but who's Yoshitomo here? And can you add a citation?
 * The text reads to me as only indicating that Sogi was a priest, but not Bashō. Given that the Wikipedia article on Sogi does actually say he was a priest, I left the article text here as-is.

 * If I've goofed anywhere, by all means edit as you see fit. Cheers, Eiríkr Útlendi | Tala við mig 17:50, 17 May 2006 (UTC)

This article is really very 'organic' - i.e. all over the place. One day when I have time I'll start from scratch. But for the moment, some errors/proposals:

Yumegusa 22:12, 6 October 2007 (UTC)
 * 1) "As the renga was a popular poetry form..." This para is at best peripheral, and probably entirely irrelevant. Certainly out of place in its current position. Should be moved to end, or better, deleted.
 * 2) (History) "The number of stanzas was reduced to 36". No, the 36-verse Kasen became the most popular form of renga. The Hyakuin continued to be written up into the Meiji period.
 * 3) (History) "Masaoka Shiki claimed that" -> "Masaoka Shiki, although himself a participant in several renga, claimed that"
 * 4) (History) "particularly in the UK" -> "including in the UK". Live renga are also growing in popularity in other countries such as USA, Ireland, etc.
 * 5) (How to write a renga) "Three to four is the minimum number for a renga". No; solo renga have been and continue to be written. Three or four (or more) participants is usually considered better.
 * 6) (Renga terms) "waki (脇)" -> "waki (脇)/wakiku (脇句)". The two terms are synonymous.

Most of the above done. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Yumegusa (talk • contribs) 13:38, 19 October 2007 (UTC)

Clean-up
Looks like we might need an expert on Japanese poetry now to make sure this is on the level. I've done all I can for copy-editing. See the above and the article source for further details on items I'm aware of that need help. Cheers, Eiríkr Útlendi | Tala við mig 17:56, 17 May 2006 (UTC)

How to write a renga (or not?)
This section appears to be inappropriate to the project. See WP:NOTGUIDE: "While Wikipedia has descriptions of people, places, and things, a Wikipedia article should not read like a how-to style manual of instructions, advice (legal, medical, or otherwise) or suggestions, or contain how-tos." I think a lot of the info in the section could be re-cast into a less prescriptive description of how a renga typically is/was written. Thoughts? --Yumegusa (talk) 15:37, 20 August 2008 (UTC)

Reference needed for this paragraph:

The essence of renga is in the idea of "change" (変化 henka?). Bashō described this as "newness (新み atarashimi?), and as "refraining from stepping back". The fun is in the change, the new, the different, and the interesting verses of others.

Observer999 (talk) 05:34, 8 October 2011 (UTC)

Overlap with renku - proposal
There is a good deal of overlap between this article and the one on renku. In its most usual sense, 'renga' is used in contradistinction to 'renku' to describe the classical courtly ('ushin') linked verse as practised by Sogi, Socho etc. and does not normally include haikai no renga or renku. My proposal is to revise this article so as to avoid the overlap referred to above, confining it to classical renga and moving any appropriate sections to the renku article. All input with regard to this proposal gratefully received. --Yumegusa (talk) 22:32, 4 April 2009 (UTC)

Reversion of removal of an EL
With this edit User:Bagworm has reverted my removal of an external link. My reasoning for removing it was that it was an old link to the (defunct) personal website of some guy named Sean Price, who claims to have translated four renga sequences, but its relevance to an article on renga in general is questionable. He himself does not appear to be notable, and we have no indication within the article of the significance of these for renga in particular. He included the Japanese, but for some reason it is formatted so that the 10th/11th/12th/13th/14th characters of each link are separated, making it difficult to read. He also admits that his translation is "rough", and while he promised almost 6 years ago to continue updates once he settles into his new job, he does not seem to have kept it up. This link's relevance to the article is extremely questionable -- if it is meant solely to provide a limited set of examples, we can do that in the article itself, since these works are all in the public domain, and quoting published (not self-published) translations qualifies as fair use (individual poems never form more than maybe 1% of a published work). elvenscout742 (talk) 00:53, 21 December 2012 (UTC)
 * You raise a number of points, some relevant, some not.

 * Whether a url where something first appeared subsequently became defunct is obviously irrelevant, since the EL in question is to the Wayback machine, not the original url. Your description of the EL you removed as 'dead' here is therefore simply incorrect.
 * Price's translations (including revisions of those in question here) have appeared in print, so your claim that he is not notable is baseless.
 * Your suggestion that the translation of four Shomon renga is irrelevant to an article on renga does not even merit a response.
 * Of course the Japanese texts are in the public domain, but since most readers of this article would be unable to read them, that is irrelevant. Afaik there are no English translations that are in the public domain, but if you are aware of any then please let us know.
 * (Purely out of curiosity, how many hours did your "self-imposed topic ban" on poetry articles last? :) ) --gråb whåt you cån (talk) 15:31, 21 December 2012 (UTC)
 * I'll address your last point first, since it's the most important for my posting here at all. My activity on poetry articles has massively decreased over the last 2 weeks. I have not made any significant attempt to improve my pet project since then. I have limited myself to simple, open-shut edits like this.

 * "Dead" was a poor choice of words on my part, and I apologize for that, but the fact is that links to personal websites are inappropriate for Wikipedia. See WP:ELNO, point 11: this link is explicitly banned on Wikipedia unless Mr. Price meets the GNG, and if he does, please make an article on him and post a link to his personal website there.
 * His translations having appeared in print are not evidence of notability. MY translations have appeared in print, but I'm not interested in my personal website being promoted on Wikipedia.
 * The translations are irrelevant until proven otherwise. Basho and several of his followers already have Wikipedia articles, and links to their poems belong there, not in a general article on the genre they wrote in (a genre that predates Basho by several centuries).
 * The Japanese texts are in the public domain, and quoting of individual copyrighted poems (with appropriate citation/attribution) is acceptable under WP:NFC. Please see Renku for an example. If the poems are indeed relevant in demonstrating the history or other aspects of renga itself, and they compromise only a small portion of the published text, then they should be considered fair use.
 * In light of Wikipedia's fair use and public domain rules, it is fair to say that Mr. Price's website violates point 1 of WP:ELNO as well, since the lack of any extensive body of content that can't be incorporated into the article is obvious.
 * (Mr. Price's personal website, however, is not a reliable source from which to quote the poems, and so print sources or peer-reviewed journals should be used instead.)
 * elvenscout742 (talk) 08:03, 22 December 2012 (UTC)

 * As to whether Mr. Price's translations having appeared in print make him a notable, reliable source in this area: Google Scholar and Google Books and Amazon indicate absolutely no serious credentials on Mr. Price's part. Does he have an undergraduate degree in Japanese and translation studies and then go on to translate this stuff in his free time? Because I do that, but I'm still not a reliable source for Wikipedia. General Google search seems to bring up little other than this page, other Wikipedia mirror sites' versions of this page, and other archived versions of Mr. Price's personal homepage. Who exactly published his translations, and when?? elvenscout742 (talk) 00:48, 23 December 2012 (UTC)
 * Just remembered that famous quote: that his personal website featured self-published translations is in fact evidence that he is not someone whose translations of Japanese poetry have been widely published and read in print. elvenscout742 (talk) 00:51, 23 December 2012 (UTC)

Source for date for jūnichō
The article currently cites Mr. Higgison's personal homepage. WP:RS is pretty clear that links to such self-published sources are unacceptable except when produced by an established expert on the topic of the article whose work in the relevant field has previously been published by reliable third-party publications. While an Amazon search did indeed indicate that Higginson's books have been published by third-party publisher's, all of those works have "haiku" in the title and do not seem to cover renga in detail. While he may know something about renga (I have no doubt that he does), his published works clearly are not in the relevant field (Wikipedia's emphasis) unless we take that field to be the (probably too broad) "Japanese poetry". The published books also seem to be focused mostly on poetic composition rather than historical or literary criticism.

Can someone provide more objective evidence that Mr. Higginson is an established expert in the field of renga? Otherwise, can we get a better source than his personal website?

elvenscout742 (talk) 13:55, 4 January 2013 (UTC)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Talk:Renga


text:
Josep Tarradellas

Josep Tarradellas i Joan, 1st Marquess of Tarradellas (19 February 1899 – 10 June 1988) was a Catalonian politician known for his role as the first president of the Government of Catalonia (Generalitat de Catalunya), after its re-establishment in 1977 under the new Spanish Constitution and the end of the Francoist Dictatorship. He was appointed the role of 125th President of Catalonia in 1954 but spent 23 years in exile until 1977 when he was officially recognised as the President of Catalonia by the Spanish Government.

Biography
In 1931, Tarradellas became general secretary of the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC). He also was deputy at the Cortes that year, Governance and Health councillor when Francesc Macià was President of the Generalitat of Catalonia as well as Public Services, Economy and Culture councillor during the Spanish Civil War.

Exiled to France since 1939, he became President of the Generalitat of Catalonia when Josep Irla resigned, in 1954.

On 23 October 1977, two years after Francisco Franco's death, the President of the Spanish Government Adolfo Suárez met him to negotiate the reestablishment of the Government of Catalonia, an event which occurred. The sentence pronounced at his arrival has become famous as a symbol: "Ciutadans de Catalunya, ja sóc aquí!" (Catalan for "Citizens of Catalonia, I am here at last!").

He was welcomed solemnly in Barcelona and set up a unity government. He finished his work with the elections for the Catalan Parliament (March 1980), and Jordi Pujol was elected in April.

On 24 July 1986 Tarradellas received the hereditary title marqués de Tarradellas (English: Marquess of Tarradellas) from King Juan Carlos I. Tarradellas died in Barcelona in 1988. The hereditary marquessate is now held by his son, who became the second marquess.

On 21 December 2018 the Government of Spain announced that Barcelona–El Prat Airport would be renamed after Tarradellas.

title: Josep Tarradellas


text:
Chicago style

Chicago style may refer to several things:

 * The Chicago Manual of Style, a guideline for writing documents and news reports
 * Chicago school (architecture), a style of commercial buildings
 * Chicago school of economics, a school of thought among economists and academics
 * Chicago blues, a genre of blues music
 * Chicago-style dixieland, a genre of jazz music
 * Chicago-style pizza, several varieties of pizza
 * Chicago-style hot dog, an ingredient-laden variety of hot dog

title: Chicago style


text:
Ernest Bevin

Ernest Bevin (9 March 1881 – 14 April 1951) was a British statesman, trade union leader and Labour Party politician. He cofounded and served as General Secretary of the powerful Transport and General Workers' Union from 1922 to 1940 and served as Minister of Labour and National Service in the wartime coalition government. He succeeded in maximising the British labour supply for both the armed services and domestic industrial production with a minimum of strikes and disruption.

His most important role came as Foreign Secretary in the post-war Labour government, 1945–1951. He secured Marshall Aid, strongly opposed communism and aided in the creation of NATO. Bevin was also instrumental to the founding of the Information Research Department (IRD), a secret propaganda wing of the British Foreign Office, which specialised in disinformation, anti-communism and pro-colonial propaganda. Bevin's tenure also saw the end of British rule in India and the independence of India and East and West Pakistan (Bangladesh and Pakistan), as well as the end of the Mandate of Palestine and the creation of the State of Israel. His biographer Alan Bullock said that Bevin "stands as the last of the line of foreign secretaries in the tradition created by Castlereagh, Canning and Palmerston in the first half of the 19th century".

Early life
Bevin was born in the village of Winsford in Somerset, England, to Diana Bevin, who since 1877 had described herself as a widow. His father is unknown. After his mother's death in 1889, the young Bevin lived with his half-sister's family and moved to Copplestone in Devon. He had little formal education; he had briefly attended two village schools and then Hayward's School, Crediton, starting in 1890 and leaving in 1892.

He later recalled being asked as a child to read the newspaper aloud for the benefit of adults in his family who were illiterate. At the age of eleven, he went to work as a labourer, then as a lorry driver in Bristol, where he joined the Bristol Socialist Society. In 1910 he became secretary of the Bristol branch of the Dock, Wharf, Riverside and General Labourers' Union, and in 1914 he became a national organiser for the union.

Bevin was a large, strong man, and by the time of his political prominence, he was very heavy. He spoke with such a strong West Country accent that on one occasion, listeners at Cabinet had difficulty in deciding whether he was talking about "Hugh and Nye (Gaitskell and Bevan)" or "you and I". He had developed his oratorical skills from his time as a Baptist lay preacher, which he had given up as a profession to become a full-time labour activist.

Bevin married Florence Townley, daughter of a wine taster at a Bristol wine merchants. They had one child, a daughter, Queenie Mildred Wynne (6 May 1911 – 31 January 2000). Florence Bevin (died 1968) was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1952.

Transport and General Workers' Union
In 1922, Bevin was one of the founding leaders of the Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU), which soon became Britain's largest trade union. Upon his election as the union's General Secretary, he became one of the country's leading labour leaders and the strongest union advocate within the Labour Party. Politically, he was on the right wing of the Labour Party. He was strongly opposed to communism and direct action. His opponents claimed that was partly because of antisemitic paranoia, which made him see communism as a "Jewish plot" against Britain. He took part in the British General Strike in 1926 but without enthusiasm.

Bevin had no great faith in parliamentary politics but had nevertheless been a member of the Labour Party from the time of its formation, and he unsuccessfully fought Bristol Central at the 1918 general election. He was defeated by the Coalition Conservative Thomas Inskip. He had poor relations with the first Labour Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald, and was not surprised when MacDonald formed a National Government with the Conservatives during the economic crisis of 1931 for which MacDonald was expelled from the Labour Party.

At the 1931 general election, Bevin was persuaded by the remaining leaders of the Labour Party to contest Gateshead on the understanding that if successful he would remain as general secretary of the TGWU. The National Government won a landslide, which resulted in Gateshead being lost by a large margin to the Liberal National Thomas Magnay.

Bevin was a trade unionist who believed in getting material benefits for his members through direct negotiations with strike action to be used as a last resort. During the late 1930s, for instance, Bevin helped to instigate a successful campaign by the Trades Union Congress to extend paid holidays to a wider proportion of the workforce. That culminated in the Holidays with Pay Act 1938, which extended entitlement to paid holidays to about 11 million workers by June 1939.

Foreign policy interests
During the 1930s, with the Labour Party split and weakened, Bevin co-operated with the Conservative-dominated National Government on practical issues, but during that period, he became increasingly involved in foreign policy. He was a firm opponent of fascism and of the British appeasement of the fascist powers. In 1935, arguing that Fascist Italy should be punished by sanctions for its recent invasion of Abyssinia, he made a blistering attack on the pacifists in the Labour Party and accused the Labour leader George Lansbury at the Party Conference of "hawking his conscience around" and of asking to be told what to do with it. Bevin's efforts to promote sanctions were successful, with an overwhelming majority of delegates voting in favour of sanctions.

After the vote at the conference, Lansbury resigned and was replaced as leader by his deputy, Clement Attlee, who, along with Lansbury and Stafford Cripps, had been one of only three former Labour Ministers to be re-elected under that party label at the 1931 general election. After the November 1935 general election, Herbert Morrison, who was newly returned to Parliament, challenged Attlee for the leadership but was defeated. In later years, Bevin gave Attlee, whom he privately referred to as "little Clem", staunch support, especially in 1947, when Morrison and Cripps led further intrigue against Attlee.

Bevin was a member of the British delegation to the second British Commonwealth Relations conference. It was held at Lapstone, Sydney, Australia in 1938 organised by Chatham House and the Australian Institute of International Affairs with delegations from all the then existing Commonwealth countries.

Wartime Minister of Labour
In 1940, Winston Churchill formed an all-party coalition government to run the country during the Second World War. Churchill was impressed by Bevin's opposition to trade union pacifism and by his appetite for work (according to Churchill, Bevin was by "far the most distinguished man that the Labour Party have thrown up in my time"). He appointed Bevin to the position of Minister of Labour and National Service. As Bevin was not actually an MP at the time, to remove the resulting constitutional anomaly, a parliamentary position was hurriedly found for him, and Bevin was elected unopposed to the House of Commons as Member of Parliament (MP) for the London constituency of Wandsworth Central.

The Emergency Powers (Defence) Act 1939 gave Bevin complete control over the labour force and the allocation of manpower, and he was determined to use the unprecedented authority not just to help win the war but also to strengthen the bargaining position of trade unions in the postwar future. Bevin once quipped: "They say Gladstone was at the Treasury from 1860 until 1930. I'm going to be at the Ministry of Labour from 1940 until 1990," suggesting he aspired to have his doctrines remain at the Ministry of Labour as long as Gladstone's economic policies had governed the Treasury's approach. The industrial settlement he introduced remained largely unaltered by successive postwar administrations until the reforms of Margaret Thatcher's government in the early 1980s. During the war, Bevin was responsible for diverting nearly 48,000 military conscripts to work in the coal industry (the workers became known as the Bevin Boys), and he used his position to secure significant improvements in wages and working conditions for the working class. He also drew up the demobilisation scheme that ultimately returned millions of military personnel and civilian war workers into the peacetime economy. Bevin remained Minister of Labour until 1945 when Labour left the Coalition government. On VE Day, he stood next to Churchill in looking down on the crowd on Whitehall.

Foreign Secretary
After the 1945 general election, Attlee had it in mind to appoint Bevin as Chancellor and Hugh Dalton as Foreign Secretary, but ultimately changed his mind and swapped them round. One of the reasons may well have been the poor relations which existed between Bevin and Herbert Morrison, who was scheduled to play a leading role in Labour domestic policy. Diplomats were then recruited from public schools, and it was said of Bevin that it was hard to imagine him filling any other job in the Foreign Office except perhaps that of an old and truculent lift attendant. In praise of Bevin, his Permanent Secretary at the Foreign Office, Alexander Cadogan, wrote, "He knows a great deal, is prepared to read any amount, seems to take in what he does read, and is capable of making up his own mind and sticking up for his (and our) point of view against anyone". An alternative view is offered by Charmley, who writes that Bevin read and wrote with some difficulty and that examination of Foreign Office documents shows little sign of the frequent annotations made by Anthony Eden. That suggests that Bevin preferred to reach most of his decisions after oral discussion with his advisers.

However, Charmley dismisses the concerns of contemporaries such as Charles Webster and Lord Cecil of Chelwood that Bevin, a man of very strong personality, was "in the hands of his officials". Charmley argues that much of Bevin's success came because he shared the views of those officials. His earlier career had left him with an intense dislike of communists, whom he regarded as workshy intellectuals whose attempts to infiltrate trade unions were to be resisted. His former Private Secretary, Oliver Harvey, thought Bevin's staunchly anti-Soviet policy was what Eden's would have been had he not been hamstrung by the Potsdam Conference and Churchill's occasional susceptibility to Stalin's flattery, and Cadogan thought Bevin to be "pretty sound on the whole".

According to Geoffrey Warner:
 * Bevin's personality was a strange mixture of Jekyll and Hyde. He was adored by his officials, not only because there was never any doubt that foreign policy was made in the Foreign Office while he was its head, but also because he was as solicitous of their welfare and conditions of employment as he had been of those of his union members. His word was universally regarded as his bond and his loyalty once given was unstinting. At the same time, as even his admirers have conceded, he was long-winded, vain, vindictive, profoundly suspicious, and prejudiced against—among others and in no particular order—Jews, Germans, Roman Catholics, and intellectuals of all kinds, groups that, when taken together, comprised a large proportion of those with whom he had to deal.

United States
The historian Martin H. Folly argues that Bevin was not automatically pro-American. Instead, he pushed his embassy in Washington to project a view of Britain that neutralised American criticisms. He felt that Britain's problems were in part caused by American irresponsibility. He was frustrated with American attitudes. His strategy was to bring Washington around to support Britain's policies and argued that Britain had earned American support and ought to compensate it for its sacrifices against the Nazis. Folly considers that Bevin was not coldly pragmatic uncritically pro-American or a puppet manipulated by the British Foreign Office.

Bevin's complex position on the US is betrayed in the following quotation, which was given in response to an American visitor who asked Bevin why he had a portrait of George III behind his desk: "[He's] my hero. If he hadn't been so stupid, you wouldn't have been strong enough to come to our rescue in the War."

Finances
In 1945, Britain was virtually bankrupt as a result of the war but was still maintaining a huge air force and conscript army in an attempt to remain a global power. Bevin played a key role in securing the low-interest $3.75 billion Anglo-American loan as the only real alternative to national bankruptcy. He had asked originally for $5 billion.

The cost of rebuilding necessitated austerity at home to maximise export earnings while Britain's colonies and other client states were required to keep their reserves in pounds as "sterling balances". Additional funds, which did not have to be repaid, came from the Marshall Plan in 1948 to 1950, which also required Britain to modernise its business practices and to remove trade barriers.

Europe
Bevin looked for ways to bring Western Europe together in a military alliance at the beginning of the Cold War. One early attempt was the Dunkirk Treaty with France in 1947. His commitment to the West European security system made him eager to sign the Treaty of Brussels in 1948. It drew Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg into an arrangement for collective security and opened the way for the formation of NATO in 1949. NATO was primarily aimed as a defensive measure against Soviet expansion, but it also helped bring its members closer together, enabled them to modernise their forces along parallel lines and encouraged arms purchases from Britain. Bevin was also instrumental in the creation of the Council of Europe, with the signature of its Statute on 5 May 1949, at St James's Palace, London, by the Foreign Ministers of Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Britain was still closely allied to France, and both countries continued to be treated as major partners at international summits alongside the Americans and the Soviets until 1960. Broadly speaking, they remained Britain's foreign policy until the late 1950s, when the humiliation of the 1956 Suez Crisis and the economic revival of Continental Europe, much of which was now united as the "Common Market", caused a reappraisal.

Empire
Bevin was unsentimental about the British Empire in places for which the growth of nationalism had made direct rule no longer practicable. He was part of the Cabinet that approved a speedy British withdrawal from India in 1947 and neighbouring colonies. However, Britain still maintained a network of client states in the Middle East (Egypt until 1952, Iraq and Jordan until 1959) and major bases in such places as Cyprus and Suez (until 1956) and expected to remain in control of parts of Africa for many more years. Bevin approved the construction of a huge new base in East Africa. Bevin wrote that, "We have the material resources in the Colonial Empire, if we develop them, and by giving a spiritual lead now, we should be able to carry out our task in a way which will show clearly that we are not subservient to the United States of America or to the Soviet Union." Colonial exports then earned $150 million a year, mostly Malayan rubber, West African cocoa, and sugar and sisal from the West Indies. By the end of 1948, colonial exports were 50% higher than before the war, and in the first half of 1948, colonial exports accounted for 10.4% of Britain's imports. After the war, Britain helped France and the Netherlands recover their Far Eastern colonies in the French Indochina and Dutch East Indies in the hope that could lead towards the formation of a third superpower bloc. Bevin agreed with Duff Cooper, the British Ambassador in Paris, that the Dunkirk Treaty would be a step in this direction and thought that Eden's objection in 1944, when Cooper first proposed it, that such moves might alienate the Soviets no longer applied.

In December 1947, Bevin hoped (in vain) that the US would support Britain's "strategic, political and economic position in the Middle East". In May 1950 Bevin told the London meeting of foreign ministers that "the United States authorities had recently seemed disposed to press us to adopt a greater measure of economic integration with Europe than we thought wise." He was referring to the Schuman Plan to set up the European Coal and Steel Community. In May 1950, he said that because of links with the US and the Commonwealth, Britain was "different in character from other European nations and fundamentally incapable of wholehearted integration with them."

Cold War
Bevin remained a determined anti-Communist and anti-Soviet. In 1946 during a conference, Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov repeatedly attacked British proposals and defended Soviet policies, and in total frustration, Bevin stood, lurched towards the minister and shouted, "I've had enough of this I 'ave!" He was then restrained by security.

He strongly encouraged the United States to take a vigorously anti-Communist foreign policy in the early years of the Cold War. He was a leading advocate for British combat operations in the Korean War. Two of the key institutions of the postwar world, NATO and the Marshall Plan, for aid to postwar Europe, were in considerable part the result of Bevin's efforts during these years. The policy, which was little different from that of the Conservatives ("Hasn't Anthony Eden grown fat?" as wags had it), was a source of frustration to some backbench Labour MPs, who early in the 1945 Parliament formed a "Keep Left" group to push for a more left-wing foreign policy.

In 1945, Bevin advocated the creation of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly and said in the House of Commons, "There should be a study of a house directly elected by the people of the world to whom the nations are accountable".

In 1950, Bevin offered recognition to the People's Republic of China.

Atomic bomb
Attlee and Bevin worked together on the decision to produce a British atomic bomb despite intense opposition from pro-Soviet elements of the Labour Party, groups that Bevin detested. The decision was taken in secret by a small Cabinet committee. Bevin told the committee in October 1946, "We've got to have this thing over here whatever it costs.... We've got to have the bloody Union Jack flying on top of it". It was a matter of both prestige and national security. Those ministers who would have opposed the bomb on grounds of cost, Hugh Dalton and Sir Stafford Cripps, were excluded from the meeting in January 1947 at which the final decision was taken.

Palestine and Israel
Bevin was Foreign Secretary during the period when the Mandate for Palestine ended, and the State of Israel was created. During the 1945 British election, the Labour Party had pledged to revoke the White Paper of 1939, permit free Jewish immigration to Palestine and turn Palestine into a Jewish state. The Labour Party had even advocated the population transfers of Arabs. However, in office, Bevin did a complete policy reversal. Wanting to protect British hegemony in the Middle East, he broke his promise and instead sought to follow through on the White Paper. Under the White Paper, Palestine would become a binational state with a Jewish settler minority, with strict restrictions on Jewish immigration and land purchases to protect the autonomy of indigenous Palestinians. In addition to his opposition on strategic grounds, Bevin was an ideological anti-Zionist who thought the Balfour Declaration had been a terrible mistake. He feared that a Jewish state could become a "racial state". Bevin's policies would spark a war between British security forces and Zionist insurgents in Palestine.

Bevin's stance on Palestine infuriated some members of his party. Party chairman Harold Laski denounced Bevin as "an outrageous blot on the whole Labour movement." Richard Crossman, a pro-Zionist Labour MP who knew Bevin, said the war was fueled almost entirely by "one man's determination to teach the Jews a lesson." However, Bevin's actions were greenlighted by Attlee, who opposed the establishment of a Jewish state on strategic grounds.

Bevin failed to secure the stated British objectives in that area of foreign policy, which included a peaceful settlement of the situation and the avoidance of involuntary population transfers. Regarding Bevin's handling of the Middle East situation, at least one commentator, David Leitch, has suggested that Bevin lacked diplomatic finesse.

Leitch argued that Bevin tended to make a bad situation worse by making ill-chosen abrasive remarks. Bevin, undeniably a plain-spoken man, made some remarks that struck many as insensitive. Critics have accused him of being antisemitic. One remark which caused particular anger was made when US President Harry Truman was pressing Britain to immediately admit 100,000 Jewish refugees, survivors of the Holocaust who wanted to immigrate to Palestine. Bevin told a Labour Party meeting the reasons that he thought were behind the American pressure: pressure was being applied because "There has been agitation in the United States, and particularly in New York, for 100,000 Jews to be put in Palestine. I hope I will not be misunderstood in America if I say that this was proposed by the purest of motives. They did not want too many Jews in New York." He was merely restating what he said had been told to him by James F. Byrnes, the US Secretary of State.

For refusing to remove limits on Jewish immigration to Palestine in the aftermath of the war, Bevin earned the hatred of Zionists. According to the historian Howard Sachar, his political foe, Richard Crossman, a pro-Zionist member of the postwar Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry into the Problems of European Jewry and Palestine, characterised his outlook during the dying days of the Mandate as "corresponding roughly with The Protocols of the Elders of Zion", a tsarist fabrication written to inflame antisemitic prejudice. In Sachar's account, Crossman intimated that "the main points of Bevin's discourse were... that the Jews had successfully organised a conspiracy against Britain and against him personally". Bevin's biographer Alan Bullock rejected suggestions that Bevin was motivated by personal antisemitism.

Britain's economic weakness and its dependence on the financial support of the United States (Britain had received a large American loan in 1946, and the Marshall Plan began in mid-1947) left him little alternative but to yield to American pressure over Palestine policy. At the reconvened London Conference in January 1947, the Jewish negotiators were prepared to accept only partition and the Arab negotiators only a unitary state, which would automatically have had an Arab majority. Neither would accept limited autonomy under British rule. When no agreement could be reached, Bevin threatened to hand the problem over to the United Nations. The threat failed to move either side, the Jewish representatives because they believed that Bevin was bluffing and the Arab representatives because they believed that their cause would prevail before the UN General Assembly. Bevin accordingly announced that he would "ask the UN to take the Palestine question into consideration."

A week later, the strategic logic of Britain retaining a presence in Palestine was removed when the intention to withdraw from India in August that year was announced. The decision to allow the United Nations to dictate the future of Palestine was formalised by the Attlee government's public declaration in February 1947 that Britain's Mandate in Palestine had become "unworkable". Of the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine which resulted, Bevin commented: "The majority proposal is so manifestly unjust to the Arabs that it is difficult to see how, in Sir Alexander Cadogan's words, 'we could reconcile it with our conscience.'"

The fighting between the Jewish and Arab communities continued to escalate until the end of the Mandate. Britain's final withdrawal from Palestine was marked by the Israeli Declaration of Independence and the start of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, when five Arab states intervened in the intercommunal fighting. The Arab armies were led by Jordan, the most effective state, whose military forces were trained and led by British officers. The war ended with Israel, in addition to the territory assigned by the UN for the creation of a Jewish state, also in control of much of the Mandate territory that had been assigned by the UN for the creation of an Arab state. The remainder was divided between Jordan and Egypt. Hundreds of thousands of overwhelmingly Arab civilians had been displaced.

Bevin was infuriated by attacks on British troops carried out by the more extreme of the Jewish militant groups, the Irgun and Lehi, commonly known as the Stern Gang. The Haganah carried out less direct attacks until the King David Hotel bombing, when it restricted itself to illegal immigration activities. According to declassified MI6 files, the Irgun and the Lehi attempted to assassinate Bevin himself in 1946.

Bevin negotiated the Portsmouth Treaty with Iraq (signed on 15 January 1948), which, according to Iraqi Foreign Minister Muhammad Fadhel al-Jamali, was accompanied by a British undertaking to withdraw from Palestine in such a fashion as to provide for swift Arab occupation of all its territory.

Later life
Owing to failing health, Bevin reluctantly allowed himself to be appointed Lord Privy Seal in March 1951. "I am neither a Lord, nor a Privy, nor a Seal", he is said to have commented. He died from a heart attack in the following month, still holding the key to his red box. His ashes are buried in Westminster Abbey.

Upon Stafford Cripps's death in 1952, Clement Attlee (by this time Leader of the Opposition) was invited to broadcast a tribute by the BBC. He was looked after by announcer Frank Phillips. After the broadcast, Phillips took Attlee to the hospitality room for a drink and in order to make conversation said:"'I suppose you will miss Sir Stafford, sir.' Attlee fixed him with his eye: 'Did you know Ernie Bevin?' 'I have met him, sir,' Phillips replied. 'There's the man I miss.'"

James Chuter Ede, Home Secretary throughout the time that Bevin was at the Foreign Office (and for a few months after his death), had worked with Churchill, Attlee, Keynes and many other significant figures. When Bevin's biographer, Alan Bullock, asked Chuter Ede for his view of Bevin, he replied: "'Was he the biggest man I met in the Labour movement? He was the biggest man I met in any movement.'"

A bust of Bevin has been placed opposite Devon Mansions and the former St Olave's Grammar School in Tooley Street, South London. Bevin was offered many honours as his reputation grew, but declined all of them.

Assessments
Martin Folly argues that assessments on Bevin as foreign secretary divide into two schools. After the opening of the British archives, historians, led by the biographer Alan Bullock celebrated Bevin as one of the great men in British diplomatic history. They argued that he dominated foreign policy; led the Foreign Office by strength of character and clarity of vision; and carried through on his grand design for Britain's revised role in world affairs, especially in close alliance with the United States, his support for NATO, and his rejection of an alternative of Britain as a neutral third force, as advocated by the left wing of his party. He succeeded in convincing the United States to take over some of Britain's burdens, especially Greece. He thereby became a major influence in pushing the United States into a leadership role through the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, NATO and the Cold War.

However, a revisionist approach appeared in the late 1980s. It portrays Bevin as a narrow-minded anti-Communist and gives more credit to the Foreign Office for the new foreign-policy. In that interpretation, Bevin lost the opportunity to make Britain a leader in European affairs, and it instead became more of a tail on the American kite.

In popular culture
Bevin was featured prominently in Jack Thorne's 2023 play When Winston Went to War with the Wireless, played by Kevin McMonagle.

title: Ernest Bevin


text:
Étienne de Silhouette

Étienne de Silhouette (5 July 1709 – 20 January 1767) was a French Ancien Régime Controller-General of Finances under Louis XV.

Life
Sometimes said to be akin to the next Niccolò Machiavelli, he was born at Limoges where his father Chevalier Arnaud de Silhouette, of Biarritz or de Zulueta (in Basque), had been posted as a Bourbon administrator. De Silhouette studied finance and economics assiduously and spent a year in London learning about the economy of Britain.

He translated into French several works by Alexander Pope, Henry Bolingbroke, William Warburton's The Alliance between Church and State, (1736) as Dissertations sur l'Union de la Religion, de la Morale, et de la Politique (1742) and Baltasar Gracián's El político. The Prince of Condé's party later used his translations from English to criticize him, but Madame de Pompadour's support and vision saw him awarded with the position of Controller-General on 4 March 1759; this was one of the most extensive administrative positions in the Ancien Régime, albeit a very unstable one. His task was to curb France's spiralling deficit and strengthen the finances for the Seven Years' War against Britain (1754–1763). Public opinion preferred his 72-million-livres public loan to the ferme générale, an outsourced tax collection system. He managed to curtail Royal household expenditure, revised state pensions and to encourage free trade he reduced some ancient taxes whilst establishing new ones in accordance with the vision of a unified French market.

De Silhouette forecast a bleak budget for 1760: income of 286 million livres compared to expenses of 503 million livres, including at least 94 million in debt service. In an attempt to restore the kingdom's finances by the English method of taxing the rich and privileged (nobility and church were exempt from taxes in the Ancien Régime), de Silhouette devised the "general subvention," i.e., taxes on external signs of wealth (doors and windows, farms, luxury goods, servants, profits). On 26 October, he took the war measure of ordering the melting down of goldware and silverware. He was criticized by the nobility including Voltaire, who thought his measures, though theoretically beneficial, were not suitable for wartime and the French political situation.

On 20 November 1759, after eight months in the position, he left the court and retired to Bry-sur-Marne, where he set about improving the budget. After his death in 1767, his nephew and heir Clément de Laage completed his work.

The Silhouette legacy

Despite Étienne de Silhouette's short tenure as Treasury Chief, it caused him to become the subject of hostility. His penny-pinching manner led the term à la Silhouette to be applied to things perceived as cheap or austere.

During this period an art form of growing popularity was a shadow profile cut from black paper. It provided a simple and inexpensive alternative for those who could not afford more decorative and expensive forms of portraiture, such as painting or sculpture. Those who considered it cheap attached the word "silhouette" to it. This art-form is still practiced and named silhouette cutting, or art, to this day.

Despite his name being applied to the silhouette art form, Étienne de Silhouette ironically has no portraits in existence, not even a silhouette. Although several portraits were created depicting Silhouette, all were oil paintings destroyed during the French Revolution.

title: Étienne de Silhouette


text:
Bapaume

Bapaume (original Dutch name Batpalmen) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France.

Geography
Bapaume is a farming and light industrial town located some 23 km south by south-east of Arras and 50 km north-east of Amiens. Access to the commune is by the D 917 road from Ervillers in the north which passes through the commune in a zig-zag then continues south-east to Beaulencourt. The D 930 goes east by north-east to Frémicourt. The D 929 branches off the D 917 at the edge of the commune and goes south-west to Warlencourt-Eaucourt. The A1 autoroute passes south down the eastern edge of the commune and serves the city by the exit 14.

The Bapaume threshold
Bapaume has been called the Seuil de Bapaume (Bapaume threshold) due to its position as a crossing point between Artois and the Flanders plain on one side, and the Somme valley and the Paris Basin on the other. From the mid-11th century there was a Bapaume toll which was revised in 1202 and again in 1442.

Many roads pass through Bapaume, both old roads between the two regions then the autoroute (1965) and the TGV (1993). In the 19th century, however, the city council opposed the passage through its territory of the Paris–Lille railway.

This position was regretted by 1859 when the municipality called for the construction of a railway linking Achiet-le-Grand (on the Paris-Lille route) to Bapaume with animal traction (possibly they were afraid of steam). The first section of the Achiet–Marcoing railway linked the two communes and was commissioned in 1871, with steam traction. The line was later extended to Marcoing. The TGV came to the town in 1993.

Toponymy
Bapaume (Batpalmen or Bapalmen in Flemish ) means "beat your palms" in the sense of "suffering" because of the poverty of the land or some past devastation.

Early Bapaume
The current city is not in its original location. During the Gallic period the town was located some 1500 m to the west near an abundant source: the source of the Sensée river. During the Roman Empire the town prospered as it was next to the road linking Bavay to Amiens. This period lasted about three centuries.

The barbarian invasions of 255–280 totally destroyed this first Bapaume.

Under the Late Roman Empire the city was rebuilt in the same place by Batavi settlers who were enlisted as soldier-farmers. Defensive mounds were built around the site of the current Bapaume and the road from Arras to Saint-Quentin and Péronne was diverted to pass near the defences.

This town was called Helena and was the place where Aetius repulsed the Frankish invasion attempt in 448. This invasion was successful in 454 and ended the Roman presence. During the following centuries the city was devastated several times. The Franks built a castle on the Roman mound as the area was inhabited by bandits who hid in the Arrouaise forest. A bandit called Bérenger seized the castle by a ruse and made his mark on it. After his death the people of Helluin (Helena) came to shelter near the fort and thus Bapaume was born. Helluin disappeared gradually. It is through several excavations at this place that traces of this city were found and its history.

The Counts of Flanders
The city gradually grew in importance, the main traffic was not east–west but north–south. To ensure the passage against the bandits a toll was established by the counts of Flanders with soldiers escorting the merchants on the part crossing the Arrouaise Forest and north of the city. Churches were built with this toll. The Lords of Bapaume were subject to the Counts of Flanders. On 28 April 1180 the marriage of Philip Augustus and Isabelle of Hainaut, daughter of Baldwin V was celebrated at Bapaume. Due to this union, in 1191 Bapaume was placed under the control of the King of France.

The Kingdom of France and the County of Artois
Philip Augustus returned several times to Bapaume to grant communal charters. The city became independent with the construction of a town hall with a belfry, the creation of a coat of arms and a seal, and a citizens' militia. In 1202 the toll was first revised then a second time in 1291. It was Louis IX of France, in 1237, who attached Bapaume to the County of Artois from under the thumb of Robert d'Artois, his brother, provided it paid homage to the kings of France. The city enjoyed a period of prosperity from the toll and its fine linen weaving (Batiste) by mulquiniers in the countryside. Robert I, Count of Artois was succeeded by Robert II, Count of Artois then Mahaut, Countess of Artois as head of the County of Artois. The nephew of Mahaut called himself Robert III of Artois and claimed the throne for a long time and, in revenge, helped the English. There followed a long period of war and disasters.

Countess Mahaut often resided at the castle as she traveled frequently. She had her own room there and undertook numerous fortification works. On her death Bapaume passed to the Count of Flanders in 1330. He undertook major works including a surrounding wall and large ditches around the city in 1335. The entire castle and city was one of the most beautiful fortresses and was called the "Key of Artois".

The Hundred Years' War
The fortifications protected the inhabitants of Bapaume repeatedly from frightful depredations by the English in that war. The Bailiwick of Bapaume suffered terribly during this period: it is during this time that villagers hid in their muches (underground hiding places) dug in the chalky soil.

The Dukes of Burgundy
Bapaume was under the control of the Dukes of Burgundy from 1383 to 1494 and it was in this city that John the Fearless took refuge after the assassination of the Duke of Orléans in 1407. It was also at Bapaume that he reunited his army to reenter the campaign on 30 January 1414. In July 1414 the King of France laid siege to Bapaume: John's garrison surrendered without fear and Charles VI then went to besiege Arras. A peace treaty was signed on 30 August and Bapaume was given to John the Fearless, but it was in such a state that on 3 September there were insufficient voters to elect aldermen. After the death of John, his son Philip the Good spent several days at the castle in 1420 and it was he who in 1437 granted the town of Bapaume two free fairs per year. A period of prosperity followed but on 4 April 1472 a terrible fire destroyed the city. It was then looted and burned by the troops of Louis XI on 7 May 1475 and again in 1477. In 1486 Charles VIII attacked Artois again and thus Bapaume. The area suffered much from the fighting between the Burgundians and the French. On 4 June 1488 fire caused further damage to the city.

Administration by the Netherlands
As a result of the Treaty of Senlis of 13 May 1493 concluded between the King of France and Maximilian of Austria, Bapaume came under the rule of the House of Austria and was administered by the governors of the Netherlands and Governors appointed by the kings of Spain until 1641. A new era of prosperity began, troubled by the attempts of Governors to restrict the privileges of the city. On 23 July 1509 Mayor Philippe Leclercq obtained a written statement of the powers of Mayors and Aldermen of Bapaume.

Bapaume suffered much from the rivalry between François I and Charles V. The city was devastated by the French on 15 October 1521 and went to Charles V in the Treaty of Madrid. It was again destroyed by fire in 1543 although in the meantime the Emperor had given the order to rebuild the castle and fortifications. The region was again ravaged by the French armies in 1554.

After an attempt to take the castle by a person called Lelievre, the residents of Bapaume ensured that the fortifications of the castle and the city were rebuilt in 1578. The period troubled by incursions and devastation lasted until 1598 when the Treaty of Vervins was signed on 2 May. An era of peace and prosperity followed, despite a plague epidemic in 1626, which ended in March 1635 when Louis XIII declared war on Philip IV of Spain. On 18 September 1641 Bapaume surrendered after a siege by the French army. This capitulation was highly celebrated in Paris since Bapaume was considered one of the main strongholds of Artois and Flanders.

Bapaume and the Kingdom of France
Louis XIII confirmed the powers of the city in 1642. He reinforced the fortifications that had suffered during the siege. The city and the surrounding countryside still had to suffer the presence of Spanish and French armies until 1654 (Arras was taken by Louis XIV who passed through Bapaume twice in August).

The sun king passed through Bapaume several times in 1667 while returning from Flanders. On 11 May 1670 he came to review the troops stationed near the city. On 7 May 1673 he passed the night at the castle after inspecting the fortifications.

In 1681 Bapaume was destroyed by fire after which it was forbidden to rebuild with thatched roofs. In 1723 a statue of Louis XV on a horse was erected in the square. This was the first statue of the young monarch in France. On 24 July 1744 the king passed through Bapaume and was highly acclaimed by the people. He again passed through the city on 6 September 1745, 2 May and 11 June 1746, and 25 September 1747.

The Fortifications
Its position subjected Bapaume to multiple wars. Defensive structures were built: first a Roman camp, then a Motte-and-bailey castle, and finally and a castle in the location of the motte. Queen Mahaut of Artois had her chamber in this castle and it seems that Joan of Arc spent one night there.

In 1335 the city itself was fortified away from the castle. These fortifications were not, however, very effective and the city was taken repeatedly. In 1540 Charles V ordered a fortified place to be built. Thick walls with bastions surrounding the city and the castle were included. In 1578 the castle and the city were united into one whole. These fortifications by Charles V were later reinforced by Vauban. Elaborate defensive systems such as mines and tunnels were built.

In 1550 Wallerand de Hauteclocque, Squire and Lord of Wail, Havernas, and Hauteclocque, was appointed by the king as lieutenant and captain of the town and castle of Bapaume.

Later Dominique de Grossolles, knight and Lord of Saint-Martin, became "Major of the town and castle of Bapaume".

In the 19th century Bapaume was not considered a walled city. The dismantling of fortifications was therefore undertaken in 1847. This was done by the Army as part of maneuvers and experiments with explosives. The walls and bastions were leveled and the ditches were filled. Only the tower and part of the Dauphin bastion are still visible.

Work has been done recently to restore the underground galleries and make them available to visit: firstly, the Bastion of Reyne south-east of the city and then, on the other side, the Dauphin Bastion. These tunnels served as shelter during the two world wars.

The French Revolution
Bapaume society was transformed during the French Revolution. During the Terror, the Castle was not sufficient to imprison citizens suspected of not being favourable to the Revolution. Homes vacated by residents who had fled were requisitioned to serve as prisons.

Joseph Le Bon came to the commune revive the actions of the revolutionary committee.

The city was the capital of the district from 1790 to 1795.

The Battle of Bapaume on 2 and 3 January 1871
The Battle of Bapaume was fought on 2 and 3 January 1871 during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 on the territories of Biefvillers-lès-Bapaume and Bapaume.

General Louis Léon César Faidherbe at the head of the Northern Army stopped the Prussians.

World War I

In 1916 Bapaume was one of the cities considered to be strategic objectives by the allies in the framework of the Battle of the Somme. Bapaume was occupied by the Germans on 26 September 1914 then by the British on 17 March 1917. The town hall was destroyed on 25 March by a delayed action mine left by the Germans, killing 24 people including Australian soldiers and two French members of parliament.

On 24 March 1918, the Germans took over the city again.

In 1918 the Second Battle of Bapaume, 21 August–3 September, was part of the second phase of the Battle of Amiens, the British and Commonwealth attack that was the turning point of the First World War on the Western Front and the beginning of the Allies' Hundred Days Offensive. Improved armoured support and artillery bombardment weakened once impregnable positions and helped the Allied forces tear holes through trench lines. On 29 August the New Zealand Division, after heavy fighting, occupied Bapaume, having broken through, with the British 5th Infantry Division, the very strong Le Transloy-Loupart trench system and having overcome many other strong points around the town.

The Germans set up a trap in the town hall with a mine and a timer which exploded just before the arrival of the Australians. The First Battle of Bapaume ran from 24 to 25 March 1918 and the Second Battle of Bapaume from 21 August to 3 September 1918.

After the armistice the slow and dangerous work of demining began. The city was classified as a red zone and major work was done for reconstruction. The English city of Sheffield provided assistance for reconstruction.

There remains from this time a war memorial and two military cemeteries that also have graves from the Second World War:

 * The Bapaume Communal Cemetery
 * The Bapaume Australian Cemetery houses the remains of 88 soldiers from 1914 to 1918 at a place called the Pré Pot de Chart. This is a cemetery which was created in March 1917 by the 3rd Australian Casualty Clearing Station. It was closed in June 1917 then after that 23 German bodies were added in April and May 1918.

Bapaume church was demolished by shelling in 1916

World War II
During World War II Bapaume was again an area of intense fighting. The mayor, Abel Guidet, was a member of the Resistance and was arrested and deported to the camp of Gross-Rosen where he died on 27 November 1944.

Since 1948 there has been a monument showing the moment of his arrest to honour his memory. At the Town Hall are an urn with soil from Groß-Rosen and a painting featuring the Mayor.

Administration

List of Successive Mayors

Twinning
Bapaume has twinning associations with:
 * 🇩🇪 Moers-Kapellen, Germany since 1974.

The pairing with Moers is the work of Henri Guidet, the son of Abel Guidet, who is involved in Franco-German reconciliation.

 * Anstruther, Fife, Scotland (since October 1991)

Demography
The inhabitants of this commune are known as Bapalmois or Bapalmoises in French.

Distribution of Age Groups
The population of the town is relatively old.

Percentage Distribution of Age Groups in Bapaume and Pas-de-Calais Department in 2017 Source: INSEE

Economy
There is a Centre of Detention which is particularly known for being the last detention centre that hosted Lucien Léger (1937–2008) who was the oldest prisoner in France (and Europe) and stayed there for several years until his release in 2005.

The Town Hall and belfry

The town hall with its current belfry was built in 1931 and 1932 with architecture similar to the previous building built in 1610 and destroyed in 1917. The first belfry was built in the 12th century according to charters that had been issued to the city of Bapaume. Subsequently, the building became too small and aldermen obtained permission to extend it in 1374. Because of the wars that followed the belfry became dangerous and was demolished in 1537. A new belfry was started in 1583 but after many vicissitudes the building was built then destroyed and it was Philip II of Spain in 1590 who authorized the construction of a new building which was completed in 1610. It had columns and arches on the façade similar to the Arras Town Hall. For its construction the Bapaume aldermen had authorisation to establish a right of passage.

The statue of General Faidherbe
A statue of Louis Faidherbe was dedicated on 27 September 1891 and originally sculpted by Louis Noël. On 29 September 1916 the statue was requisitioned by the Germans who believed it was bronze and the statue disappeared. The pedestal, pitted by shrapnel, remained empty for 13 years. It was not until 1926 that the town decided to ask the sculptor Déchin, stepson of Louis Noël, from Paris to recreate the statue from the original plans. The new monument was inaugurated on 18 August 1929 by Paul Painlevé, Minister of War. During the redevelopment of the square in 1997 the statue was moved a few metres lower on 26 September.

Monument to Briquet and Taillandier
A monument was erected in front of the town hall in memory of Albert Taillandier and Raoul Briquet who were killed in the explosion of the Town Hall on 25 March 1917. They were both elected representatives of Pas-de-Calais but of different parties: Taillandier was a Conservative while Briquet was a Socialist. They were on an inspection mission to the front on behalf of the National Assembly of France and wished to spend the night in the building but they were trapped and killed by the explosion. Ernst Jünger wrote in his Storm of Steel that the explosion was caused by an Improvised explosive device (IED) that had been left by retreating German troops.

The Church of Saint Nicolas

The origin of the parish of Saint-Nicolas coincides with the origin of the town. The first church was built in 1085 when the town first became important but had disappeared by the end of the 14th century. The second church was built around the year 1600 but destroyed during the First World War. It was rebuilt on the same foundations between 1924 and 1929. The Church contains three items that are registered as historical objects:
 * A Bas-relief: the Resurrection (16th century) (disappeared in 1916)
 * A Statue: Virgin of Pity (16th century). This statue was the only object from the Church to survive the First World War.
 * The Organ (1934)

The War memorial

This structure consists of a stone wall, topped by a pediment decorated with the coat of arms of the city, bordered on either side of a balustrade. Under the pediment above the three column list of soldiers killed in 1914–1918 are the words "Pro Patria" in large size followed by the text "La ville de Bapaume à ses enfants" (The city of Bapaume to its children). Further down on the side there is a standing woman with a child clearly symbolizing a widow and an orphan. The woman, hair partially covered with a veil which descends down her back until mid-legs, has her right arm raised to designate a name using a palm held in her hand. She has, in a sign of protection, her left hand placed on the left shoulder of the child who, in short pants, head high, and confident, holds a beret in his right hand and holding a wreath around the left forearm. The bottom section of the monument contains a list in four columns of the missing from the 1939–1945 war.

Other sites of interest

 * A Motte-and-bailey castle. Nothing is left of the old castle other than sections of wall from the fortifications of the city. The site itself has retained its crater shape and was converted into a green park and place for walking. This site is nicknamed "Le Donjon" (The Dungeon) by the people of Bapaume.
 * The Australian War Cemetery has an area of 459 m2 with 88 graves from the First World War. This cemetery was opened in March 1917 by the 3rd Australian Casualty Clearing Station and used until June 1917. In April and May 1918 23 German graves were added.

Notable people linked to the commune

 * Gaspard de Bavincourt, born in Bapaume, Knight of Saint John of Jerusalem, a monk from Anchin Abbey
 * G. Prévot, born in Bapaume in 1820. Photographer of the Imperial Guard of the French Second Empire. He lived at 5 Boulevard Montmartre in Paris
 * General Louis Léon César Faidherbe
 * Mayor Abel Guidet
 * Jean-Paul Delevoye, former Mayor of Bapaume. He held the office of Médiateur de la République (Ombudsman of France) from 2004 to 2010. He was elected President of the French Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE) on 16 November 2010
 * Jean-Jacques Cottel, Mayor of Bapaume
 * Michèle Bellon, born in Bapaume in 1949, President of the Directorate of the Electricity Distribution Network of France (ERDF), the largest employer in France in 2012 (35,000 staff)
 * Hugues De Beaumetz 1140–1198, Squire, Lord and Châtelain of Bapaume
 * Gilles I de Beaumetz 1170–1214, Lord of Bapaume and Beaumetz-les-Loges
 * Gilles II de Beaumetz 1205–1267, Châtelain of Bapaume

title: Bapaume