Feature

The Changing Face of British Conservatism

Geoffrey Finlayson discusses how Margaret Thatcher's style of Conservatism reflects the development of the Tory Party over nearly two hundred years.

Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, photographed later in life by Vernon Heath. J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center (Los Angeles). Public Domain.

Mourning the Death of Prince Albert

Elisabeth Darby and Nicola Smith look at the impact of the death and funeral of Prince Albert, on both Queen Victoria and the nation.

Murderous Games: Gladiatorial Contests in Ancient Rome

Gladiatorial shows turned war into a game, preserved an atmosphere of violence in time of peace, and functioned as a political theatre which allowed confrontation between rulers and ruled.

No Compassion for 'The Brute Creation'

‘Kill not Moth nor Butterfly, For the Last Judgement draweth nigh’ wrote William Blake in Auguries of Innocence, reflecting the changing perception of man’s relation to the natural world.

Sir Robert Baden-Powell congratulations a Wolf Cub on his father being awarded the Victoria Cross, November 1918. Library of Congress. Public Domain.

Scouting for Empire

If the British Empire were to be saved, it would take a renewal of Britain’s youth. Robert Baden-Powell had the answer: self-reliance, patriotism and the Boy Scouts.

Vijayanagara: City of Victory

Spread over some ten square miles of the rocky Deccan plateau, explains Geroge Michell, are the remains of the once great city of southern India, Vijayanagara, which is now being rediscovered.

The Maoris in New Zealand History

When the British and Maori signed the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, Governor Hobson declared: 'We are one people'. Today, as Professor Keith Sinclair shows, this hope has still to be realised.