Volume 61 Issue 4 April 2011

The Democratic Delusion

Much western commentary on the turmoil in the Arab world demonstrates historical ignorance, argues Tim Stanley.

Burghley: The Power Behind the Throne

Stephen Alford admires a perceptive article on Lord Burghley, Elizabeth I’s ally and consummate political fixer, by the distinguished Tudor historian Joel Hurstfield, first published in the 1956 volume of History Today.

Waves of Revolution

In the light of current events in North Africa and the Middle East, David Motadel examines the increasing frequency of popular rebellions around the world.

James Boswell: A Sentimental Education

James Boswell, Samuel Johnson’s future biographer, found Glasgow a dull place. Yet it was at the city’s university that he came into contact with the political economist Adam Smith, whose insights forced the student to grapple with competing claims on his conscience, as Robert Zaretsky explains.