Economic History

In 1945, Europe was devastated by the effects of the Second World War. The determination to reconstruct Europe was forged both from the disaster of war and from dreams of the creation of a stabilised and more equitable peace.

Chris Cook continues our special feature on the Work Ethic.

Daniel Bertaux presents an oral history of a traditional French industry.

Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie, translated by Alan Sheridan

John McVeagh

British-Russian rivalry over the control of Persia had, by the beginning of the twentieth century, a long history. Donald Ewalt shows how this conflict was greatly intensified by the discovery of oil and a growing realisation of its importance.

Social Change, Political Consciousness, and the Origins of the American Revolution by Gary B. Nash

Picture postcards may seem a commonplace means of communication, but, when they first came into use, they caused a revolution in people’s writing habits. T.J. Brady writes how they led to the creation of a considerable industry and became the subject of a collecting craze almost unparallelled.