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Articles by subject: history

Book review: The Dead Hand by David Hoffman (by Michael Binyon, January/February 2012 ): Michael Binyon revisits Cold War brinksmanship
Inside the heresy files (by Cullen Murphy, January/February 2012 ): Interrogation. Surveillance. Ethnic profiling. Censorship. The words come from 21st-century headlines, but they have an ancient pedigree. Cullen Murphy on how the Inquisition ignited the modern police state
The last Crusade (by Kenan Malik, November/December 2011 ): The claim that Christianity provides the bedrock of Western culture might serve the interests of extremists, but it is a betrayal of a far more complex history, argues Kenan Malik
Book review: Religion in Human Evolution (by Keith Kahn-Harris, November/December 2011 ): Where did religion come from? Keith Kahn-Harris reviews a monumental study
Book review: What it Means to be Human by Joanna Bourke (by John Appleby, November/December 2011 ): John Appleby explores the meaning of humanity
Varieties of irreligious experience (by Jonathan Rée, September/October 2011 ): There are many ways not to believe. Jonathan Rée on the evoluton of atheist thought
Holy bones (by Charles Freeman, May/June 2011 ): The beauty of the reliquaries in the British Museum’s forthcoming Treasures of Heaven exhibition should not blind us to the cruelty of the medieval church, argues Charles Freeman
Book review: The Address Book by Tim Radford (by Angela Saini, May/June 2011 ): Angela Saini feels at home with Tim Radford
Rhyme & reason (by Jonathan Rée, March/April 2011 ): 200 years ago Percy Bysshe Shelley was expelled from Oxford for publishing ‘The Necessity of Atheism’. Jonathan Rée reassesses the romantic poet’s rationalism
Diary: What did the Romans ever do for us? (by Natalie Haynes, November/December 2010 ): Nothing, it turns out. They did it all for themselves, the selfish so-and-sos. Natalie Haynes explains
What's the big deal? (by Sally Feldman, November/December 2010 ): From poker to Shithead, Canasta to cribbage, Sally Feldman extols the joys and rewards of card games
Book review: The Honour Code by Kwame Anthony Appiah (by Stephen Howe, November/December 2010 ): Stephen Howe decodes Anthony Appiah
Book review: Capital Affairs by Frank Mort (by Louise Foxcroft, November/December 2010 ): Louise Foxcroft exposes the dirty secrets of '50s London
Great pretender (by Sally Feldman, September/October 2010 ): Feminist icon, anti-Catholic fabrication – or just a woman battling in a man’s world? Sally Feldman uncovers the mysteries of Pope Joan
Book review: History and the Enlightenment by Hugh Trevor-Roper (by Jonathan Rée, May/June 2010 ): Hugh Trevor-Roper mocked religion but he never underestimated it, nor did he succumb to the fashionable over-estimation of the Enlightenment, says Jonathan Rée
Thinkers: Voltaire (by Ian Davidson, May/June 2010 ): Fame and fortune allowed the great 18th-century writer to challenge the powers of the state, says Ian Davidson
The New Old World by Perry Anderson (by Stephen Howe, March/April 2010 ): Stephen Howe on Perry Anderson's monumental analysis of Europe
Welcome back Uncle Joe (by Michael Binyon, January/February 2010 ): Russia’s ‘efficient manager’ is being written back into official history, reports Michael Binyon
Testament by Jean Meslier (by Colin Brewer, January/February 2010 ): Colin Brewer admires the last testament of an atheist priest
Living the life (by Fred Inglis, November/December 2009 ): Should philosophers practise what they preach? And if so, who would deserve a contemporary nomination? asks Fred Inglis
Tormented Hope: Nine Hypochondriac Lives by Brian Dillon (by Louise Foxcroft, November/December 2009 ): Louise Foxcroft finds a portrait of famous hypochondriacs really hits a nerve
The Arabs: A History by Eugene Rogan (by Stephen Howe, November/December 2009 ): Stephen Howe on a new history of the Arabs
The Secret History of Georgian London: How the Wages of Sin Shaped the Capital by Dan Cruickshank (by Brenda Maddox, September/October 2009 ): Brenda Maddox visits the grubby side of Georgian London with Dan Cruickshank
God’s Philosophers: How the Medieval World Laid the Foundations of Modern Science by James Hannam (by Nina Power, July/August 2009 ): Nina Power on a good Dark Ages argument made for the wrong reasons
The Scourging Angel: The Black Death in the British Isles by Benedict Gummer (by Louise Foxcroft, July/August 2009 ): Louise Foxcroft is perplexed by a book that squeezes the life out of the Black Death
Perfecting Sound Forever: The Story of Recorded Music by Greg Milner (by Andrew Mueller, July/August 2009 ): Andrew Mueller appreciates a note-perfect history of recorded music
Truth matters (by David Aaronovitch, May/June 2009 ): Conspiracy theories can be hilarious, but reality is a better story says David Aaronovitch
Freedom's foghorn (by Roger Davidson, May/June 2009 ): Happy Birthday Tom Paine: Jan 29. Here's something we prepared earlier...Roger Davidson marks the 200th anniversary of the passing of Tom Paine, an inspirational ego
South Africa's Brave New World by RW Johnson (by Stephen Howe, May/June 2009 ): Stephen Howe on a monumental, snarling study of post-apartheid South Africa
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (by Philip Womack, May/June 2009 ): Philip Womack is blown away by Hilary Mantel's historical epic
On the trail of the red pilgrims (by Caspar Melville, March/April 2009 ): The philosopher Michail Ryklin tells Caspar Melville what really motivated communism's faithful followers
Editorial: Puzzling history (by Caspar Melville, March/April 2009 ): Would life be better if we knew all the answers?
Why Socrates Died by Robin Waterfield (by Jenny Bunker, March/April 2009 ): Jenny Bunker never quite learns what really killed Socrates
Darwin's journey (by Ruth Padel, January/February 2009 ): For poet Ruth Padel the 200th anniversary of the birth of the great scientist, in 2009, was more than a historical milestone, it was a family celebration
The Artist, the Philosopher and the Warrior by Paul Strathern (by Brenda Maddox, January/February 2009 ): Brenda Maddox enjoys some Renaissance history
Stop Me If You've Heard This by Jim Holt (by Natalie Haynes, September/October 2008 ): Natalie Haynes is not amused by a new study of humour
Manifestos for the 21st Century (by Caroline Moorehead, September/October 2008 ): Caroline Moorehead reviews an impressive new series on censorship
God's Executioner by Micheál Ó Siochrú (by Stephen Howe, September/October 2008 ): Stephen Howe on a new history of Cromwell's Irish adventure
The genius myth: Laurie Taylor interviews Lisa Jardine (by Laurie Taylor, July/August 2008 ): Lisa Jardine tells Laurie Taylor why she believes in doubt, precision and uncertainty
Writing on the wall (by Daniel Miller, May/June 2008 ): Henri Lefebvre, the theoretician of the Paris uprising of 1968, saw that society’s most profound truths were etched on everyday life, discovers Daniel Miller
The Roads to Modernity: the British, French and American Enlightenments by Gertrude Himmelfarb (by Stephen Howe, May/June 2008 ): Stephen Howe asks why Gordon Brown is endorsing Neocon history
A Tsar is born (by Sally Feldman, March/April 2008 ): As a new theatrical tribute to Catherine the Great opens in Russia, Sally Feldman wonders what Putin’s people will make of the Empress of the Enlightenment
The closing of the Christian mind (by Charles Freeman, January/February 2008 ): In the late fourth century political expediency led a ruthless Roman emperor to shut down debate within the Christian church. Charles Freeman explains
From Anger to Apathy: The British Experience Since 1975 by Mark Garnett (by Stephen Howe, September/October 2007 ): Stephen Howe is bored with apathy
Springtime for Hitler (by Roger Griffin, July/August 2007 ): The hidden art of the Third Reich, argues Roger Griffin, betrays uncomfortable links with more radical modernism
The Condor's Head by Ferdinand Mount (by Philip Womack, July/August 2007 ): Philip Womack enjoys a meeting of old and new worlds
Be tolerant or else (by Eliane Glaser, May/June 2007 ): Eliane Glaser challenges a core British value
Napoleon in Egypt by Paul Strathern (by Michael Binyon, May/June 2007 ): In 1789 Napoleon set off to conquer the East. We're still living with the fallout, says Michael Binyon
Piss, shit and blood (by Martin Rowson, January/February 2007 ): In laying bare the entrails of 18th-century society, claims Martin Rowson, Hogarth was the first modern journalist
Ghost Hunters by Deborah Blum (by Michael Binyon, January/February 2007 ): Michael Binyon visits the Victorian spritualists with Deborah Blum
Auschwitz Report by Primo Levi with Leonardo de Benedetti (by Stan Cohen, November/December 2006 ): Stan Cohen on Primo Levi's report from the death camps
Non-Violence: Twenty-Five Lessons from the History of a Dangerous Idea by Mark Kurlansky (by AC Grayling, November/December 2006 ): AC Grayling explores the history of non-violence
Down to Earth (by Brian Morris, September/October 2006 ): Murray Bookchin, who died this summer, was the last of the great social ecologists. His ideas aremore relevant than ever, says Brian Morris
The Last Revolution: 1688 and the Creation of the Modern World by Patrick Dillon (by Michael Binyon, September/October 2006 ): The Glorious Revolution was neither, says Michael Binyon
Capital stuff (by Toby Saul, July/August 2006 ): Francis Wheen brings the same panache to his new book that he brought to his excellent biography of Mar, says Toby Saul
Fairy story (by Martina Evans, July/August 2006 ): Martina Evans reviews a new book about Bridget Cleary who was burned as a witch just over a century ago
Sons of Ulster (by Newton Emerson, January/February 2006 ): Newton Emerson on a new history of Ulster
Notes from the Blasphemy Depot (by Editorial Staff, November/December 2005 ): History is much on our minds this issue. This month we celebrate our 120th birthday.
Searching for secular Islam (by Ziauddin Sardar, September/October 2004 ): Ziauddin Sardar proposes new ways to separate religion and politics in the Muslim world
Imperial Catastrophe (by Michael Mann, January/February 2004 ): Michael Mann, the leading historian of power, forecast the failure of the American adventure in Iraq. So what should happen next?
Austere Communist (by Jonathan Rée, Winter 2002 ): Eric Hobsbawm's life, review by Jonathan Rée
History and the Enterprise of Knowledge (by Amartya Sen, Summer 2001 ): Nobel laureate Amartya Sen on the battleground of history
Darwin's treasure trove (by Paul Sims, Web Exclusive, April 2008): As the great man’s private papers are made available for free online, project director John van Wyhe tells Paul Sims what’s in store for Darwin aficionados
Why God's Philosophers did not deserve to be shortlisted for the Royal Society prize (by Charles Freeman, Web Exclusive, October 2010): James Hannam's book is a good read but presents a distorted view of the medieval period and the development of science that suits his Catholic agenda, claims Charles Freeman.
In defence of God's Philosophers (by James Hannam, Web Exclusive, November 2010): Historian James Hannam responds to Charles Freeman's critique of his book on the medieval foundations of modern science, which was nominated for the Royal Society's prize for science books
Science, God's Philosophers and the Dark Ages (by Charles Freeman, Web Exclusive, November 2010): The claims made by James Hannam regarding the birth of modern science in the Middle Ages do not stand up to scrutiny, says Charles Freeman