On the Ballot
Before the secret ballot, voting in Britain was a theatrical, violent and public affair. The Act that made democracy private turns 150 this year.
Political
The Black Legend of the House of Dudley
Three generations of the cursed House of Dudley stained the executioner’s block in 16th-century England. Were its members murderous villains working to overthrow the monarchy, or shrewd political agents struggling to survive?
Little White Lies
There is value in a leader who lies – but only if it is done for the greater good.
Billiard Balls
What were Indian nationalists thinking?
Babies of the House
The UK Parliament was not designed for women with children and this continues to present challenges for new parents. How far have things changed?
The Strange Death of Liberal Egypt
For most Egyptians the country’s independence came with the revolution of July 1952, not with the end of the British protectorate in February 1922. Yet, as the experiences of three patriotic writers show, independence did not mean freedom.
What Chips did Next
A ringside seat to British domestic politics, from Chamberlain’s meeting with Hitler in October 1938 to the fall of Mussolini in July 1943.
In Good Spirits
Alcohol was an integral part of diplomacy in early modern Russia.
Kings of the Pacific in an Age of Revolution
As the age of revolutions swept across Europe, the Pacific also witnessed dramatic changes when monarchies were rebuilt and societies transformed.
Lords in the Light
The House of Lords, often in the shadow of the Commons, asserted its power during the reigns of James I and his son, Charles I. But it would be eclipsed by civil war.