Head to Head

‘A Tub Thumper’, by Thomas Rowlandson, c. 1817-1820. Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection. Public Domain.

Has democracy had its day?

The worst kind of government – apart from all the others – faces increasingly tough challenges. Four leading historians consider its future.

’A Family Meal’, by Evert Pieters, c. 1890s. Art Institute of Chicago (CC0)

Is Empathy an Aid or a Hindrance to Historians?

Leading historians discuss one of the burning questions of the day.

‘How the Bolsheviks Punish Villages’. c. 1915-1925. New York Public Library. Public Domain.

Do all revolutions end badly?

Four historians consider the desirability of profound political change and the methods used to attain it.

A statue of a satyr in the British Museum, by Stephen Thompson, c. 1869-72. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public Domain.

Do Historical Objects Belong in their Country of Origin?

Four historians consider one of the most contentious questions facing the West’s museums and galleries.

Two children watching television, C. 1957-61. Finnish Heritage Agency (CC BY).

How Good is Television as a Medium for History?

Four historians consider how their discipline can best reach a mass audience.

Why do the British know so little about Irish history?

In the first of a new series, we ask historians one of the burning questions of the day.