Richard Vinen

As  the 150th anniversary of the Victoria Cross is celebrated, Richard Vinen looks beyond the individual acts of heroism that have merited the honour, to the wider social, cultural and historical significance of  the medal.

Richard Vinen ponders the political significance of two of France’s most potent female icons and finds there is more to them than meets the eye.

Richard Vinen shows how events of the last 10 years have forced him to rethink his own assumptions about the past.

Richard Vinen questions whether the recently convicted Maurice Papon was charged with the correct crime.

Richard Vinen reveiws the early career of the former French President.

Richard Vinen compares and contrasts the corner shop visions of British Thatcherism and French Poujadism.

In 1940, Marshal Philippe Pétain took the helm of a humiliated France. While Vichy endured, many took his silence as evidence of grand strategy – a view bolstered by the client press.