Author Archives: historyatkingston

Fears, Smears and Volunteers: Kingston and the General Strike of May, 1926

Posted on May 12, 2024 by historyatkingston

Ninety-eight years ago this month, in May, 1926, Britain experienced a General Strike, called by the Trades Union Congress (T.U.C.), and – for a few days at least – ‘normal’ life in the country was put on temporary hold and … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, British politics, Kingston, Local History, London history, Media history, Public History, Research, Surbiton, Surrey, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

For a few days in May: Surbiton and the General Strike of 1926

Posted on May 6, 2024 by historyatkingston

In May, 1926, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) called a General Strike in Britain and, for about nine days (from 3rd-12th May), it appeared to many people that the country’s industrial relations had reached a new low-point. The Armed Forces … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, British politics, Gender History, Kingston, Local History, London history, Media history, Public History, Research, Surbiton, Surrey, Uncategorized, Women's history | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Left and Right? New claims about Soviet spy Anthony Blunt

Posted on April 30, 2024 by historyatkingston

In a fascinating and provocative article in the Sunday Times (April 28th), Rosamund Urwin discussed the possibility that Anthony Blunt, the ‘fourth man’ in the infamous ‘Cambridge Five’ Soviet spy ring, may have passed secrets to the Nazis in World … Continue reading →

Posted in American history, British history, European History, Extremism, Fascism, German History, Historiography, History of war, Nazism, Public History, Research, Russian History, Secret State, Soviet Union, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Subverting the Subversives: Did MI5 infiltrate the British entertainment industry?

Posted on April 25, 2024 by historyatkingston

Back in 2018 new claims were put forward that the British domestic Security Service, MI5, was not just involved with monitoring and collecting intelligence on political movements and individuals deemed as potential threats to the state in the post-war period, … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, British politics, Gender History, Historiography, Media history, Public History, Secret State, The National Archives, Uncategorized, Women's history | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

History as conspiracy theory: The case of David Icke and the ‘Protocols’

Posted on April 20, 2024 by historyatkingston

Just prior to the Covid-19 medical emergency and lockdown, I embarked on the delivery of a module on the role of conspiracy theory in history, and recently had the opportunity to run the module again. The course sought to address … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Conspiracy theory, European History, Extremism, French History, German History, Historiography, Media history, Middle East, Public History, Research, Teaching, Uncategorized, World History | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Racist Revisionism: Arnold Leese and early Holocaust Denial in Britain

Posted on April 14, 2024 by historyatkingston

Some brief exploration of the extent to which crude and racist historical revisionism has moved from the margins into the cultural mainstream of society can be a truly shocking experience. It is no exaggeration to say that conspiracy theory and … Continue reading →

Posted in Anti-fascism, British history, British politics, Conspiracy theory, European History, Extremism, Fascism, German History, History of war, London history, Media history, Public History, Research, Surrey, Teaching, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Exploring the Nazi Career of Otto Skorzeny, the ‘Devil’s Disciple’

Posted on March 31, 2024 by historyatkingston

Although studies of Otto Skorzeny, said to be Hitler’s ‘favourite commando’, tended to be limited and were often of highly questionable quality for much of the post-war period, this situation appears to have changed in more recent years. Some qualitatively … Continue reading →

Posted in Anti-fascism, Conspiracy theory, European History, Extremism, Fascism, German History, Historiography, History of war, Nazism, Public History, Research, Uncategorized, World History | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Radicalism in Richmond-on-Thames: The influence of the Left Book Club of the 1930s

Posted on March 22, 2024 by historyatkingston

Back in 2018-2019, using a variety of sources, I conducted some research into the local impact of the famous Left Book Club (LBC) of the 1930s, focusing in particular on the town of Richmond-on-Thames in the outer suburbs of London. … Continue reading →

Posted in Anti-fascism, Archives, British history, British politics, Local History, London history, Public History, Research, Richmond history, Secret State, Surbiton, Surrey, Teaching, The National Archives, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A model for Trump? The authoritarian nature of Viktor Orban’s ‘illiberal democracy’

Posted on March 10, 2024 by historyatkingston

If anybody still entertains any doubts about the extremely worrying authoritarian ambitions of former U.S. president Donald Trump, then it is important to consider what he said on the evening of Friday, 8th March, 2024. Holding a meeting and concert … Continue reading →

Posted in American history, British history, Conspiracy theory, European History, Extremism, Fascism, Media history, Public History, Research, Russian History, Teaching, Uncategorized, World History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment