British National Identity
Robert Colls asks what British identity is - and what it is not.
History Today
China: Revolution in the Streets
The cityscapes of the world’s most populous nation are expanding at a bewildering rate. But China’s current embrace of urban life has deep roots in its past, as Toby Lincoln explains.
Dutch Letters from Ghana
Jos Damen tells the stories of two unusual men who lived a century apart in the Dutch colony at Elmina in West Africa; a poet who became a tax inspector and a former slave who argued that slavery did not contradict ideas of Christian freedom.
Bilbao’s Britons: Mining in Biscay
Mike Thomas looks back to a period of economic buoyancy in the Basque region, when a special relationship flourished between the people of Biscay and Britain.
National Rivalries at the Ancient Olympics
The ancient Greek Olympics were just as enmeshed in international politics, national rivalries and commercial pressures as their modern counterpart.
Heads and Tales: A Royal Affair
An 18th-century ménage à trois involving the King of Denmark inspired the recent film, A Royal Affair. Stella Tillyard considers what makes it a story for our times.
England, Land of Lost Content
England has been conflated with Britain for so long that unravelling English history from that of its Celtic neighbours is a difficult task. Paul Lay considers recent histories of England and its people.
Who Got Mao Right?
The legacy of the Great Helmsman is the source of bitter conflict over China’s future direction, argues Tim Stanley.
How Oil Became King
The great historical shifts in energy use, from wood to coal, to oil, nuclear power and beyond, have transformed civilisation and will do so again, as Richard Rhodes explains.
The Olympics on Film
London 2012 will be the biggest television spectacle ever. Taylor Downing reflects on the extraordinary links between the Olympics and the moving picture throughout their histories.