THE SCHOOL 57
some LSE buildings are much older, in-
After a week long sit-in of hundreds of
at LSE, including John F. Kennedy, Kwame
cluding St Philips Building (1903, originally
students and particularly a hunger strike
Nkrumah (first black African Head of
the Strand Union Workhouse), the Library
of around 100, the LSE gave in, and
State or Government) and Clement At-
(1916, originally a warehouse), Aldwych
removed the suspensions on Adelstein
tlee (British Prime Minister after World War
House and some buildings on the ‘Island
and Bloom.
Two). 28 current British MPs and 42 Lords
Site’ opposite the St. Philips Buildings are from the Nineteenth Century!
are LSE alumni. Business and financial But 1968-9 would see more protests
leaders like George Soros, Mervyn King
against Adams. Adams erected a
(Bank of England Governor) and Stelios
Beveridge hired Friedrich von Hayek as
security gate at the front of LSE, which
Haji-Ioannou (Easyjet founder) once sat in
a Professor, and the Nobel Laureate’s
students tore down in mass riots. This led
the same lecture theatres and class-
debates with Maynard Keynes were the
to the School being closed for three
rooms that you will soon fall asleep/learn
central economic clashes of the time,
weeks. Riots, sit-ins, occupations and
in. Cherie Booth QC (wife of Tony Blair) is
defining the development of contem-
other forms of mass protest received in-
one of many leading legal figures among
porary economics as a discipline. At the
ternational attention. Since then, LSE has
LSE graduates, along with Charles Web-
same time, LSE continued its socialist
continued to expand, with the building
ster, one of the founders of the UN. LSE’s
tradition with leading left-wing academ-
of the Towers, and now has around 9,000
most famous philosopher is arguably Karl
ics, like Harold Joseph Laski.
full-time students. The Summer School
Popper, who in fact founded the Depart-
was set up in 1989, and numerous aca-
ment here, although one could argue this
demic projects have proliferated since.
has caused more problems than it has
In the 1960s, LSE continued to expand with the building of the Clare Market Building and major rebuilding work on the St Clements Building. Meanwhile, LSE’s socialist tradition clashed with the wishes of successive Directors, who took a rigid line against student protest. Protest escalated until 1967 and the famous events of 1968 and 1969.
solved (Philosophy students: get used to
“LSE IS THE WORLD’S LEADING SOCIAL SCIENCES INSTITUTION, AND HAS A HUGE INFLUENCE IN ALMOST ALL AREAS OF POLITICS AND ECONOMICS”
Popper’s problem of induction, and bad jokes loosely related to it). Other famous alumni include Shami Chakrabarti (Director of Liberty, the human rights NGO), Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones (who was very able, and an invite is still out for his return), WWE
In 1967, David Adelstein, Students’ Union
Today, LSE is the world’s leading social
wrestler Val Venus and TV naturalist Sir
President, and Marshall Bloom, President
sciences institution, and has a huge influ-
David Attenborough. In fiction, West
of the Graduate Students’ Association,
ence in almost all areas of politics and
Wing President Jed Barlett has a PhD
were suspended for protesting against
economics most recently, on climate
from LSE. Recently, even Monica Lewin-
the appointment of Director Walter
change with Prof. Lord Stern and his
sky did a Master’s here!
Adams, during which time an LSE Porter
Stern Report on Climate Change, and
died of a heart at attack (caused
on ID cards, where research into its costs
Overall, LSE boasts 14 Nobel Prize Win-
presumably by over-excitement at
and disadvantages has provoked wide-
ners including Amartya Sen, Friedrich
the sit-in protests). Adams, as head of
spread attention.
von Hayek and Bertrand Russell. It might
a university in white-ruled Rhodesia
seem hard to believe, but you too will
(before it became Zimbabwe), was con-
FAMOUS ALUMNI
meet people who will go on to change
sidered by many to be complicit with
In the world of politics, 32 international
the world.
the racial policies of the Smith regime.
Heads of State or Government studied