Category Archives: Teaching

Rewriting history: Russia’s invention of an alternative Chernobyl story

Posted on August 4, 2020 by

It was a real pleasure to see the TV drama Chernobyl pick up a number of BAFTA 2020 TV awards last Friday, including one for Jared Harris, one of the lead actors in the series. The drama was arguably one … Continue reading →

Posted in Conspiracy theory, European History, History skills, London history, Media history, Public History, Russian History, Teaching, Uncategorized, World History | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Terror! The French Revolution Confronts its Demons

Posted on August 1, 2020 by

Marisa Linton, Professor Emerita in History at Kingston University, has published a new book on the “Terror” in the French Revolution. Entitled Terreur! La Revolution francaise face a ses demons (Paris: Armand Colin, 2020), the book was co-written with Professeur … Continue reading →

Posted in European History, French History, Historiography, Kingston University, Oxford University Press, Public History, Research, Teaching, Uncategorized, World History | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Clement Attlee and the Secret State: Recent evidence from British archives

Posted on July 27, 2020 by

As we recall the surprise election of Clement Attlee as Britain’s Prime Minister 75 years ago this summer, and his role in reconstructing Britain after the war, it is a good moment to also consider recent evidence on the more … Continue reading →

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

How a conspiracy theory bit the dust: Hess was indeed Hess

Posted on July 25, 2020 by

One of the big challenges for professional historians in recent years has been the worrying growth of conspiracy theory. Highly questionable claims with no empirical evidence often spread like wild-fire across the internet and, disturbingly for scholars, are regularly taken … Continue reading →

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

Trump and Johnson: Two peas from the same populist pod?

Posted on July 7, 2020 by

Historians will have much to write about when they look back on current affairs in Britain and America, and the rightwing brand of ‘identity’ politics will be a major aspect of this. When it comes to the negative impact of … Continue reading →

Posted in American history, British history, European History, Historiography, Media history, Public History, Research, Teaching, Uncategorized, World History | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Past and Present: Why studying History tells us who we really are

Posted on June 24, 2020 by

In 2017 the historian Sir David Cannadine, in his capacity as president of the British Academy, made a strong and very welcome defence of the study of his subject, pointing out that the academic investigation of the past is necessary … Continue reading →

Posted in British Empire, British history, European History, History skills, Media history, Public History, Research, Study Skills, Teaching, Uncategorized, World History | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Fifth Column Fears in Kingston, 1939-1940: A Brief Survey

Posted on May 28, 2020 by

Eighty years ago this month, some of the first signs of serious fear about a possible German invasion of the country began to grip the British public. Although such concern had been building for a few months beforehand, the news … Continue reading →

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

A ‘bond of mutual help’: The Comrades of the Great War organisation in Kingston and Surbiton

Posted on May 13, 2020 by

Christmas arrived early for some former soldiers in the suburbs of south-west London in late 1918. Just over one hundred years ago, on Christmas Day, 1918, the Surrey Comet newspaper carried a report about the opening of a new clubhouse … Continue reading →

Posted in Archives, British Empire, British history, Disability History, European History, Kingston, Local History, London history, Media history, Public History, Research, Surbiton, Surrey, Teaching, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment