What’s Wrong with Liberalism?
‘The greatest good for the greatest number’ flounders when society cannot agree on what is ‘good’ – or ‘bad’.
History Today
Christmas Before Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens’ name conjures up the quintessential English Christmas. What were festivities like before their Victorian makeover?
‘Queen of the Sea’ by Barry Hatton review
A readable history of the Portuguese capital emphasises the modern at the expense of the city’s deeper past.
Kazakhstan’s Bloody December
Mikhail Gorbachev’s Perestroika triggered an outpouring of resentment across the USSR. In 1986, young Kazakhs made their voices heard, but the Soviet regime was not ready to listen.
Sisters In Arms: Race, Empire and Women’s Suffrage
The women’s suffrage movement was global, but racial inequality often undermined the notion of universal sisterhood.
The Woman Behind the Kindertransport
Female volunteers such as Marie Schmolka played a decisive role in the collaborative project to rescue beleaguered Jewish children.
On the Spot: Helen McCarthy
‘People can surprise you. They often don’t fit into the categories we impose on them.’
‘Archives and Information in the Early Modern World’ review
An increasingly powerful state was made possible by the creation of archival networks.
The Other Catalina
A previously unnamed slave in Catherine of Aragon’s bedchamber may have known the answer to one of history’s greatest questions.
Behind the Scenes at the House of Commons Library
For 200 years, the House of Commons Library has guided politicians and policy.