History Today

Joseph Chamberlain and the Municipal Ideal

'... a kind of Ken Livingstone of his day', Britain's great imperialist made his early reputation as a civic radical, promoting public control of local amenities such as water and gas.

The American Film Industry & Vietnam

Lost illusions and gung-ho patriotism have both featured prominently in Hollywood’s reaction to the Vietnam War, but not to date some of the more unpleasant aspects of the conflict.

Demythologising Nye Bevan

In a controversial new study of Labour’s great post-war hero, John Campbell argues that Bevan was both more of a Marxist and a hard-nosed politician than his friends and admirers have portrayed.

Roads to Ruins

Keith Nurse explores how archaeologists have managed to gain financial funding for excavations from the Department of Transport.

Troops & Trade Unions, 1919

Attempts by returning First World War servicemen to unionise were portrayed in intelligence reports as part of a sinister Bolshevik prelude to revolution in Britain.