William Penn’s Plan for a United Europe
Long before today’s project for a European political and economic union, William Penn, the English founder of Pennsylvania, offered a utopian vision of a Europe beyond the nation-state.
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Reassessing William the Conqueror
In the popular imagination, William the Conqueror is, without doubt, the villain, yet the sources we have for his life are ambivalent.
Alone in the Ruins
The Great Fire of of London destroyed everything in its path as it swept through the City. But, against the odds and popular belief, one house remained standing.
The Cultural Revolution: A People's History
Mao Zedong’s brutal campaign to purify Communist China, which began in the early 1960s, resulted in a decade of chaos that has left an indelible stain on the nation’s politics.
Botswana after Independence
Since gaining independence Botswana’s history has not been without turmoil, but the country has emerged as a model African state.
Adam Smith, the Prophet of Profit
The life and thought of Adam Smith, the father of modern economics, and the competing claims for his legacy.
Looking Back on Mao’s Great Leap Forward
The gradual opening of Chinese archives has revealed the appalling truth about Chairman Mao’s genocidal Great Leap Forward.
Louis Braille and the Night Writer
Louis Braille’s tactile reading system made literacy for the blind a reality, but he was indebted to an officer in Napoleon’s army.
The Somme: An Exercise in Futility?
The first day of the Somme has become synonymous with incompetent leadership and a callous disregard for human life. Gary Sheffield offers a more complex picture of the battle and the role played by General Sir Douglas Haig.
Democracy: A User's Guide
It comes in many forms and often disappoints, yet democracy has come to be regarded as the most desirable of all political systems. Paul Cartledge offers a guide to its roots in ancient Greece and reminds us of its long absence in the West.