Category Archives: European History

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

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

Dangerous Delusions: Trump and the politics of populism

Posted on March 5, 2024 by historyatkingston

Historians will have much to write about when they look back on current political affairs in America, and analysis of the rightwing brand of ‘populist’ politics will be a major aspect of this. When it comes to his desperate desire … Continue reading →

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

The Two Vlads: Putin’s ideological debt to the late ultra-nationalist Zhirinovsky

Posted on February 28, 2024 by historyatkingston

There has inevitably been much speculation in the last two years about the ideological sources that have possibly influenced President Vladimir Putin’s brutal war against Ukraine and his seeming desire to reconstruct a pre-1989 Soviet Union, or even a mythologized … Continue reading →

Posted in European History, Extremism, Fascism, History of war, Research, Russian History, Uncategorized, World History | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Decadence and Decline: Looking back on the gloomy world of Dean Inge

Posted on February 19, 2024 by historyatkingston

There has been some interesting coverage on social media in recent months of the views of William Ralph Inge (1860-1954), who was known as the ‘Gloomy Dean’ or the ‘Gloomy Philosopher’, and was Dean of St. Pauls Cathedral in London … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, British politics, European History, Extremism, Fascism, History of war, London history, Media history, Nazism, Public History, Research, Uncategorized, World History | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Spy Who Lied: Another look at the Kim Philby story

Posted on January 28, 2024 by historyatkingston

A recent television drama series about the life of Kim Philby, the British Intelligence officer who engaged in treachery, attracted good reviews and enthusiastic viewers when it was screened, but contained few surprises for historians of the secret state. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Archives, British history, European History, Historiography, Public History, Research, Russian History, Secret State, The National Archives, Uncategorized, World History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Holocaust and Hate: When the late Zigi Shipper recalled Auschwitz

Posted on January 27, 2024 by historyatkingston

We were very sad to learn of the passing of Zigi Shipper, aged 93, in 2023. He came to Kingston University to deliver a talk on his experiences of the Holocaust and it was a truly moving experience for all … Continue reading →

Posted in Anti-fascism, European History, Events, Extremism, Fascism, German History, History of war, Kingston, Kingston University, Nazism, Public History, Teaching, World History | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment