Volume 64 Issue 1 January 2014

‘A brutally tough place for brutally tough people’

The court martial and acquittal of a senior British Intelligence officer accused of presiding over abuses of German prisoners during the Second World War highlights failings in intelligence policy and accountability, says Simona Tobia.

Beyond the Boundaries: Hugh Trevor-Roper

Supreme stylist, polymath, linguist and scourge of specialisation, Hugh Trevor-Roper, whose centenary falls this month, continues to divide opinions. Blair Worden considers his life and legacy.

Venice: The Fog of War

The most desirable tourist destination of belle époque Europe, Venice became a major naval base during the First World War. Richard Bosworth looks at how La serenissima dealt with the years of peril during which it became a target of enemy bombers.

When Youth Ruled the Earth

Many paleoanthropologists believe that for most of history it is young people who were in charge. By Michael S. Cummings and Simon Maghakyan.

Fractious Waters

The controversy over fracking finds echoes in 19th-century concerns over groundwater.

Recorded History

Proposed changes to the way the census is compiled may hinder future historians’ understanding of the past.