Issue 25 September 1996

In the first instalment of a two-part article, Roger Eatwell looks at rival definitions of a slippery word.

Why the 1815 Corn Laws were necessary, and why circumstances conspired to force the repeal of 1846.

John Hardman, a biographer of Louis XVI, argues that the king at the time of the French Revolution fails to live down to his abysmal reputation.

Robin Briggs believes some historians produce more fantasies than the witches they study.

John Rohl reveals monarchical mentalities and structures in Imperial Germany.

Graham Seel uncovers their pivotal and sometimes underhand role in the struggle between king and parliament.