Political

Arabian American Oil Co drilling rig in the desert, Saudi Arabia, by Robert Yarnall Richie, 1948. DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University. Public Domain.

‘Saudi Arabia: A Modern History’ by David Commins review

How did a Gulf backwater become a global powerbroker? Saudi Arabia: A Modern History by David Commins explores the uneasy alliance between oil, autocracy, and Wahhabism.

Plato’s Cave, Flemish school, 16th century. Bridgeman Images.

Plato’s Last Word to Dionysius

How to reform an ancient Greek tyrant? Plato’s final advice to Dionysius the Younger was not well received.

A Roman bowl base showing two male figures, c.300-400s. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public Domain.,

‘Strike’ by Sarah E. Bond review

Strike: Labor, Unions, and Resistance in the Roman Empire by Sarah E. Bond assembles a case for the power of the worker in ancient Rome.

Mein Kampf on sale, c.1938. Fotoarchiv für Zeitgeschichte/akg-images.

Did Germany Read Mein Kampf?

A huge bestseller and undisputed guide to the Nazi worldview, did Germans actually read Mein Kampf?

Margaret Thatcher at the Conservative Party Conference in Brighton, 1980. PA Photos/TopFoto.

Thatcher’s Wordsmiths

Margaret Thatcher struggled to write her own speeches. Who put the words in her mouth?

‘Magnified security’, cover illustration for Puck, by Udo J. Keppler, 6 May 1908.

‘America, América’ by Greg Grandin review

America, América: A New History of the New World by Greg Grandin finds a place for Latin America and its ideals in the story of the United States.

Battle between Romans and barbarians, unknown artist, 16th century. Art Institute of Chicago. Public Domain.

Why Did Rome Fall?

When it comes to the end of the Roman Empire three things are certain: death, taxes, and Goths. Were reports of its demise exaggerated?

A packet of pennyroyal leaves used to induce abortion, c. 1900. OHSU Library. Public Domain.

Politicising Abortion in the United States

In 19th-century America abortion was weaponised as part of a culture war.

’We demand peace!’, Soviet propaganda poster by Viktor Koretsky, 1950. Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library. Public Domain.

‘The World of the Cold War: 1945-1991’ by Vladislav Zubok review

In The World of the Cold War: 1945-1991 Vladislav Zubok argues that circumstance rather than ideology shaped the clash between communism and capitalism.