History Today

John Kellett asks whether new proposals for the government of London in the 1880s would have created an enclave of revolution and radicalism in England, as had been the case in France in 1871.

Ivan Roots surveys the historiography of the Cromwellian régime.

Tony Mason considers the history of sport.

Francis Robinson explains how his perception of Islam is reflected in his book, Atlas of the Islamic World since 1500 (Phaidon, 1982).

Barrie Trinder examines the cradle of the Industrial Revolution.

Patriotism, propaganda, profit - Anthony Tuck finds that these were the motives that led Englishmen to fight in France.

Martin Daunton explores 19th century production on both sides of the Atlantic.

Why did the Industrial Revolution begin in Britain when it did? How quickly and decisively did it transform industrial technology, class relations and living standards? 

Although there has always been a public eager to read or hear the narration of past events, the 'History Men' - scholars writing professional history based on original sources - are a relatively new breed.