Category Archives: History of war

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

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

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

Amazons against the Nazis: Women’s Home Defence in Wartime Britain

Posted on February 21, 2024 by historyatkingston

At the height of invasion fears in the summer of 1940, the British government asked for civilian volunteers ‘to go on duty against airborne invasion’ and be ‘entrusted with certain vital duties’ for which a knowledge of firearms would be necessary. Many … Continue reading →

Posted in Anti-fascism, Archives, British history, Fascism, Gender History, German History, Historiography, History of war, Local History, London history, Museums, Nazism, Public History, Research, Women's history | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

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

Ronald Ray Gun? ‘Star Wars’ and Reagan’s U.S. Presidency in historical perspective

Posted on February 4, 2024 by historyatkingston

Did American Republican President Ronald Reagan allow his deep love of movies to shape his perceptions of domestic and world politics? During his time in the White House, Reagan often peppered his speeches with references to the ‘Rambo’ and ‘Dirty … Continue reading →

Posted in American history, History of war, Media history, Public History, Research, Teaching, 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

The Great War’s Christmas Truce of 1914: not unique?

Posted on December 24, 2023 by historyatkingston

Speaking in 1963 for a BBC series on the Great War, the late author Henry Williamson, whose best-known work probably remains Tarka the Otter, gave some fascinating details about what he witnessed in December, 1914, when he was serving as a … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Canadian History, European History, German History, Historiography, History of war, Media history, Public History, Research, Teaching, Uncategorized, World History | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment