‘The Revolutionary Temper’ by Robert Darnton review
The Revolutionary Temper: Paris, 1748-1789 by Robert Darnton is a sweeping account of events from the Parisian perspective, from disastrous wars to fights for religious toleration.
Social
‘Confinement’ by Jessica Cox review
Confinement: The Hidden History of Maternal Bodies in Nineteenth-Century Britain by Jessica Cox looks at the engine of the Victorian population boom: motherhood.
‘A Northern Wind: Britain 1962-65’ by David Kynaston review
A Northern Wind: Britain 1962-65 by David Kynaston is a hyperreal account of Britain on the cusp of modernity.
Fostering the Foundlings
The governors of the London Foundling Hospital recruited an external network of nurses to care for children. For many, the bonds established endured.
Hawk this Way
London used to ring with the cries of street sellers. Changes for the city brought changes to their way of life.
Stealing a Living
Theft in East Germany was so common as to be nicknamed ‘the people’s sport’. Why were citizens of the GDR so light-fingered?
What Have Strikes Achieved?
Withdrawing labour is an age-old response to workplace grievances. But how old, and to what effect?
The Grunwick Dispute Begins
The sacking of a young worker on 20 August 1976 escalated into a defining industrial conflict of the late 1970s.
Upon Clouded Hills
A century of struggle over the meaning of ‘Jerusalem’.
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.