Tag Archives: Russian History

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

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

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

Suspicious Minds: some reflections on the role of conspiracy theory in history and politics

Posted on October 5, 2023 by historyatkingston

What was really striking about the annual conference of the British Conservative Party, which has just taken place in Manchester, was the extent to which various speakers used what can only be described as conspiracy theory in their speeches and … Continue reading →

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

A ‘Red’ Scare in a leafy London suburb: Fears of Bolshevism in Surbiton in 1920

Posted on September 3, 2023 by historyatkingston

In October, 1917 (depending upon which version of the calendar one uses) the Bolshevik party under Lenin achieved a dramatic seizure of power in Russia, a coup d’etat which sent a chill of fear across the ruling elites in much of … Continue reading →

Posted in Archives, British history, British politics, European History, Gender History, Kingston, Local History, London history, Public History, Research, Russian History, Surbiton, Surrey, Uncategorized, Women's history, World History | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Do dictators have any real friends? Thoughts on the ‘inner circle’

Posted on March 17, 2023 by historyatkingston

Do dictators have any real friends? Who can they really trust? Did anybody really enjoy any bond of genuine friendship with, for example, Joseph Stalin? These questions have arisen again in view of all the interest in Vladimir Putin and … Continue reading →

Posted in Archives, European History, German History, Historiography, Media history, Public History, Russian History, Teaching, Uncategorized, World History | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Do dictators have any real friends? The concept of the ‘inner circle’

Posted on September 6, 2022 by historyatkingston

Do dictators have any real friends? Who can they really trust? Did anybody really enjoy any bond of genuine friendship with, for example, Joseph Stalin? These questions have arisen again in view of all the interest in Vladimir Putin and … Continue reading →

Posted in Archives, European History, German History, Historiography, Media history, Public History, Russian History, Teaching, Uncategorized, World History | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Red Scare in a leafy suburb: Fears of Bolshevism in Surbiton in 1920

Posted on June 9, 2022 by historyatkingston

Just over one hundred years ago, in October, 1917 (depending upon which version of the calendar one uses) the Bolshevik party under Lenin achieved a dramatic seizure of power in Russia, a coup d’etat which sent a chill of fear across … Continue reading →

Posted in Archives, British history, European History, Gender History, Kingston, Local History, London history, Public History, Research, Russian History, Surbiton, Surrey, Uncategorized, Women's history, World History | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Suspicious Minds: throwing light on conspiracism in history

Posted on June 1, 2022 by historyatkingston

Former U.S. president Donald Trump has become infamous for promoting conspiracy theories. He has spent much of the last year, for example, claiming that his defeat in the presidential elections, where he lost to Joe Biden, was a fraud or … Continue reading →

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

The Two Vlads: Putin’s ideological debt to Zhirinovsky

Posted on April 14, 2022 by historyatkingston

There has inevitably been much speculation in recent weeks 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 version of … Continue reading →

Posted in European History, Fascism, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment