Syria: Coup Proof?
Syria was among the most unstable states in the Middle East until Hafez al-Assad came to power in 1970. Can his son, Bashar, maintain the regime’s iron rule?
Feature
The Arab Invasion of North Africa: Islam’s First Empire
During the seventh century the Arabs invaded North Africa three times, bringing not just Islam but a language and customs that were alien to the Berber tribes of the Sahara.
Empire of Exceptions: The Making of Modern Brazil
Brazil may be one of the 21st century’s emerging superpowers, but its independence from Portugal was not inevitable, nor was its survival certain.
The Bay of Pigs Invasion
Perhaps the US-backed invasion of Fidel Castro's Cuba was inevitable, but its failure bucked the trend.
Crystal Palace: Reflections of the British Empire
Was Joseph Paxton’s Crystal Palace a monument to Britain’s colonial achievement or a fragile symbol of a fragmenting imperial dream?
The Rise and Fall of the British Detective Novel
Detective stories captured the imaginations of the British middle classes in the 20th century. The fortunes of home-grown writers such as Agatha Christie reflected Britain’s social changes.
The British Prime Minister & the Development of British Democracy, 1868-1997
Graham Goodlad examines the changing role of the occupant of Number Ten in an era of significant political change.
Mussolini, Abyssinia and British Imperialism
Mussolini’s colonial land grab in Abyssinia provoked a political storm in Britain. The links between fascism and imperialism were not lost on the British left nor by the empire’s black subjects.
Chekhov and Conservation
The great Russian author Anton Chekov drew inspiration from the countryside and explored the practical and spiritual impact of trees and the consequences of deforestation.
What Good Did the League of Nations Do?
The League of Nations has been much derided, but it laid the foundations for an international court and established bodies that the United Nations maintains today.