Organisations

People can be grouped into organisations such as companies, societies, clubs, teams, and guilds.

These organisations have rules and membership criteria.

But some organisations 'live' for decades, or even centuries, and the way we describe them is similar to the way we describe people.

East India Company ships in Chinese harbour

East India Company ships in a Chinese harbour

For example, the British East India Company was one of the first commercial companies in the world, one that became as powerful as a nation-state.

How much time does this snippet cover in its description of the East India Company?

The English East India Company, later to become the British East India Company, was founded in 1600 as a trading company. With a massive private army and the backing of the British government, the East India Company looted the Indian subcontinent from 1757 until anarchy necessitated that government step in and take over East India Company possessions in 1858.

The East India Company was the means by which Britain conducted its imperialistic policies in Asia, and it made millions through its global trade in spices, tea, textiles, and opium. It was criticised for its monopolies, harsh trading terms, corruption, and the damage it did to the wool trade.

Finally but by no means least, the East India Company swept away rulers that stood in its path, relentlessly siphoned off resources, and repressed the cultural practices of the peoples living within its vast territories. In short, the East India Company was the "sharp end of the British imperial stick".

The East India Company's directors and its shareholders gained immense riches. India, in contrast, became ever-poorer.

Much more than a trading company, the East India Company ultimately became a state within a state, even an empire within an empire, and one accountable to no one except its shareholders.

East India Company(2022)

The snippet covers centuries of the company's lifespan.
Notice how important time and space are, particularly the opposition of Britain and Asia as locations.

Committee of the Red Cross (Source)

Another example of an organisation with a long history is the Red Cross.

This snippet comes from a brief biography of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

This snippet is different to the previous snippet in an important way. Does anything jump out at you? (It's not in the highlighting!)

The Red Cross came into being at the initiative of a man named Henry Dunant, who helped wounded soldiers at the battle of Solferino in 1859 and then lobbied political leaders to take more action to protect war victims. His two main ideas were for a treaty that would oblige armies to care of all wounded soldiers and for the creation of national societies that would help the military medical services.

Dunant put down his ideas in a campaigning book, A Souvenir of Solferino, published in 1862. The Public Welfare Committee in his home town of Geneva took them up and formed a working group, which first met in February 1863. The following October, an international conference was convened to formalize the concept of national societies.

The conference also agreed on a standard emblem to identify medical personnel on the battlefield: a red cross on a white background.

In August 1864, delegates from a dozen countries adopted the first Geneva Convention, which put a legal framework around these decisions and made it compulsory for armies to care for all wounded soldiers, whatever side they were on.

These developments put the ICRC at the origin of both the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement – today grouping the ICRC, the national societies (185 in 2007) and their International Federation – and of modern international humanitarian law: the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their three Additional Protocols of 1977 and 2006.

Founding and early years of the ICRC (1863-1914)(2010)

This snippet mixes the actions of a single person (Dunant) with the actions of the organisation—the committee, conference, and delegates.

This is one of the interesting things about describing groups: they are composed of individuals.

So when do you describe the actions of individuals, and when do you step back to describe the group as a whole? (That's a choice you have to make!)

How might you write about the history of this organisation?

It's up to you whether you include actions by individuals within the organisation (like in the Red Cross snippet), or keep it at the organisational/group level (like the East India Company snippet).

To help you, here are some phrases from the snippets above:

The English East India Company was founded...
With a massive private army and...
It was criticised for...
Finally, the East India Company swept away...
The East India Company's directors and its shareholders gained...
The Red Cross came into being at the...
His two main ideas were for...
The following October, an international conference was...
The conference also agreed on...
In August 1864, delegates from...
These developments put the ICRC at...

Using one of the snippets above as a model, write 3-5 sentences of historical description about this organisation. Pay attention to when, where, what, and so what.

The Oceanic Research Initiative was founded in 1985 by the eccentric millionaire and underwater enthusiast, Dr Ignatius Deepwater. With submarines that looked like they were designed by a mad genius and a crew of adventurous scientists, the Initiative set sail to uncover the ocean's deepest secrets.

For years, they braved colossal sea monsters, navigated through underwater mazes, and stumbled upon the lost city of Atlantis twice (because they lost the location the first time). Their most lauded escapade involved a three-week competition with a pod of highly intelligent, chess-playing whales.

Critics often balked at their extravagant escapades and the occasional disappearance of a submarine (and its subsequent reappearance with tales of underwater civilisations). Nevertheless, the Initiative's daring but light-hearted approach to marine exploration captured the world's imagination and led to the discovery of fantastical new species.

Their adventures became the stuff of legends, inspiring countless books, films, and a surprisingly popular line of breakfast cereals.

Describing historical figures