Political

Brian Griffin describes the forces that arose from the ashes of the Royal Irish Constabulary to face the very different problems of policing Ireland north and south.

Barbara Yorke considers the reputation of King Alfred the Great, and the enduring cult around his life and legend.

Ben Gray analyses the career and estimates the importance of the trade union leader who organised the Great Dockers' Strike of 1889.

In assessing Britain's performance during 13 years of Conservative rule, Dilwyn Porter picks out the two themes which have dominated British history since the Second World War.

Lindsey Hughes reviews the controversial career of perhaps the most significant figure in Russian history.

Martin McCauley reviews Stalin's foreign policy, paying special attention to his covert involvement in the Korean war. He shows that, despite short-term successes, his record can be seen as one of long-term failure.

The sorry history of ethnic conflict in the Balkans, concluding that forgeign intervention has needlessly fanned the flames of nationalism.

The Paris Commune of 1871, which ended with the most ferocious outbreak of civil violence in 19th century Europe, is still a subject of intense historical interest and controversy.

Roger Lockyer takes a fresh look at the much-maligned James VI of Scotland, who became the first Stuart king of England.

In this edited version of a lecture given on 25 March 1999, to commemorate the anniversary of Cromwell's birth, John Morrill provides us with a series of snapshots, at different ages, of the troubled visionary who aspired to lead a new chosen people out of the bondage of Stuart tyranny.