Second World War

Robert Paxton: The Outsider

Martin Evans discusses how the historian Robert Paxton shifted the terms of debate over the collective memory of Vichy France.

Low and the Dictators

Timothy Benson assesses Hitler's irritated reaction to being lampooned by David Low of the Evening Standard.

Pearl Harbor: The First Energy War

Charles Maechling argues that the Japanese attack, which took place on December 7th 1941, was partly a response to the country's limited energy resources.

Lebensraum - Policy or Propaganda?

What did Hitler mean by Lebensraum? Did he attempt to translate theory into reality? Martyn Housden 'unpacks' the term and puts it into historical context.

The Spitfire Legend

Taylor Downing and Andrew Johnston seek the truth behind the legend of the Spitfire.

Poland and Holocaust History

Cressida Trew, winner of this year's Julia Wood Essay Prize, shows that Polish historians under political duress and with the need to forge a positive national identity have denied rather than confronted the Holocaust.