Key Individuals of The Crimean War

Lord Aberdeen was the Prime Minister during the Crimean war, the most influential happened involving him, ended with his resignation from power. This was due to the media coverage the war received through the newspapers. The Crimean war was the first to involve reports by the media and one of its main reporters was William Howard Russell. His reports showed what was happening in the Crimea and led the Aberdeen and his party to step down at the start 1855. Aberdeen was important as he ran the country, but in running the country he didn't do a good job of looking after his countries troops e.g. making sure they had all the supplies they needed, especially in the winter. 

Lord Raglan was a part of was one of the most influential moments in the Crimean War. Raglan commanded the Charge of The Light Brigade which led to many deaths of soldiers in the British army. This act showed Britain as weak, but it also made for a lot of glorification and pro-war propaganda in the media. The war effected Raglan because as part of the aristocracy, it showed Britain how incompetent the aristocrats were, all they had was status and money. Raglan had great importance in the war. When war ended, the ability to buy your way into the Army at high ranks was removed and this was just one part of the military reforms to come.

Mary Seacole was a nurse in the war and made herself very famous for helping lost soldiers on the battle field; many people have said that she would not have been famous if it wasn't for her race because she didn't do much to be very significant. However she did give moral to the soldiers when they came to her nursing house that they could visit. These houses had alcohol, tobacco and food available for the soldiers. She did treat soldiers on the front line and her bravery was widely recognized, because of the war she became known  for working as a women in medicine but also being of a different ethnicity. 

At the time of the Crimean war, women didn't play a role in much. Florence Nightingale had influences on the Crimean war, being one of the first women in to the nursing practice she came up with new ways of medicine usage. She became an important figure for women and nursing and made it become a valued profession. Helping soldiers in the Crimea meant she was able to improve health and sanitation issues. The war effected Nightingale because she became known throughout history.  She became known as the lady with of the lamp, her hard work helped many movements towards female rights.

William Howard Russell was a war correspondent, sending dispatches home from the front line. His articles and reports, often exaggerated, caught the attention of the public in Britain. Russell spent 22 months reporting the war, including the Battle of Balaclava and The Charge of The Light Brigade. He became known for his articles being published in The Times which, was being read by millions. He had a great impact on the war. War corresponding is now a big part of public knowledge on war and kicked started the detailed reports we have today 

The editor of The Times, John Delane, had a lot of power over what the British public got to read. He allowed William Howard Russell to write what he wanted and say what he liked about different groups such as the aristocracy and the French ( he disliked the French) and the majority would be printed to be read back in Britain. His newspaper became common reading to all classes which meant, during the Crimean war a few million would read the reports in The Times which were radical and previously unheard of. It also allowed people to see truthful accounts,leading up to the over throwing of the government

Roger Fenton sent photographs of the war back to Britain to be used in news papers such as The Times. The people in Britain had never seen a battlefield in imagery. They had not seen the conditions or what anything looked like. However Fenton didn't photograph battles but instead the landscapes in the aftermath when no fighting was taking place, meaning people didn't actually see the reality of war. They did have reports from Russell which filled in blanks however. This had an impact because it began to create a certain amount of curiosity which meant people wanted to read more and see more.

Alfred Tennyson was a British poet who published 'The Charge of The Light Brigade', this poem of glorification became famous when honoring those who had died in the battle. Alfred Tennyson is an influential figure in Crimean war because his poem has meanings; one of glorification and one of disappointment. This poem can be seen as a glorification of war but it can also be seen as defining faults of the system being allowed in the army (the aristocracy and commissions system). Depending on who read it, its meaning changed.