Interwar period

After he fell from power, Bismarck became a mythical hero figure of the right. The legend of the ‘Iron Chancellor’ was wielded by militarists, conservatives, and eventually, Adolf Hitler.

Robert Carr dissects a book frequently referred to but seldom read.

The Agadir Crisis of 1911 was one of several incidents that raised international tensions between Germany and France in the years before the First World War.

Mike Huggins revisits the early years of British greyhound racing, the smart modern sports craze of interwar Britain.

Peter Neville says that Bush and Blair failed to draw the proper lessons from Munich 1938 when they raised the spectre of Chamberlain and appeasement to justify their war against Saddam.

Robin Evans focuses on the role of the Basques during the Spanish Civil War and its aftermath.

Susan Pedersen introduces Eleanor Rathbone who devoted her career as a politician and social reformer during the turbulent interwar years to improving the lot of women and refugees.

Ben Vessey introduces the man whose experiences in the 1930s affected his decision to launch a disastrous operation against Egypt in 1956.

Once seen as doing too little to avert the depression and characterised as ‘Silent Cal’, the reputation of US President Calvin Coolidge is changing.

Did the British government suppress evidence that might have prevented Wallis Simpson’s divorce? Edward VIII’s marriage prompted changes to the law, but did it also break it?