Social

Crime and Justice in 19th-Century England

How far, asks R.D. Storch, did the reforms in the system of law enforcement, and the detection, trial and punishment of criminals introduced in the nineteenth century make for better order and a real reduction in crime?

Mr Gladstone and Ireland

Michael Morrogh explains why Gladstone took up the cause of Irish home rule and why his policies failed so tragically.

Russia's First Revolution

John Morison shows how an accumulation of grievances resulted in a spontaneous revolution in Russia in 1905.

Prohibition in the United States

Jenny Bryce asks why the Americans introduced the 18th Amendment when the historical evidence suggested it was doomed to failure. This essay won the Julia Wood prize in 2000.