The Contrarian

The Whig interpretation of the past is a moral fable more akin to theology than history, argues Tim Stanley.

We downplay terrible acts from the distant past, in a way that we never would when considering more recent crimes, says Tim Stanley.

Postwar Britain’s relationship with its past was laid bare in a long-running television show, argues Tim Stanley.

Who is and who is not an American? The question goes back to the Revolution. The answer is always changing, says Tim Stanley.

In challenging times Britons seek comfort in a past that never existed. Tim Stanley shatters their illusions.

While it is right to seek justice for those tortured and mistreated during the Kenyan Emergency of the 1950s, attempts to portray the conflict as a Manichean one are far too simplistic, argues Tim Stanley.

King Leopold II’s personal rule of the vast Congo Free State anticipated the horrors of the 20th century, argues Tim Stanley.

Modern secularists often paint a naive view of the medieval church. The reality was far more complex, argues Tim Stanley.

The legacy of the Great Helmsman is the source of bitter conflict over China’s future direction, argues Tim Stanley.

Given the state of academic life today, we should not be surprised that scholars seek stardom, argues Tim Stanley.

A public spat between a historian and a writer shows why some subject matter deserves special reverence, says Tim Stanley.

The debate on Scottish independence has been dominated by economic arguments, to its detriment, argues Tim Stanley.

Binge drinking is seen as a British disease, but its causes are complex and politicians intrude at their peril, says Tim Stanley.