Political

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. 

Stop Press

It is often claimed that press censorship came to an end in England at the close of the 17th century. But it persisted, thanks to an unsavoury network of government spies.

Polling in a Pandemic

The general election of 1918 was a ‘cynical muddle’ held as influenza killed thousands across a country emerging from the First World War.

Germany United

The first German constitution was ratified in April 1871. Designed by Otto von Bismarck to preserve the old regime, it would eventually help bring about its downfall.

One Election Too Many

The Representation of the People Act, which received royal assent on 30 July 1948, abolished university constituencies.

The Colonels’ Failed PR Coup

A British public relations company in cahoots with sympathetic MPs was unable to whitewash the military regime that seized power in Greece in 1967.