The early years of the USSR were exciting and turbulent. Rapid industrialisation, education, and the rise of gender equality led to a feeling of great hope for the country’s future. Whilst women who lived in rural areas continued to wear traditional hand-sewn Russian dress, women living in urban areas of Russia began to style themselves […]
I wrote in the last issue about the wonderful range of strong roles for women in the current season at the Royal Exchange and, frankly, the new production of A Doll’s House knocks the ball out of the park. Cush Jumbo gives a fantastic performance as Nora, a woman infantilised by her domineering husband. Jumbo […]
2017 marks the centenary of the tumultuous year that brought an end to Tsarism in Russia, unfolding into seventy years of Communist rule, and the rise and fall of the Soviet Union. In fact, 1917 featured two revolutions: the February Revolution, which succeeded in ending over 300 years of rule by the Romanov Dynasty, followed […]
Stories of heroism and self-sacrifice permeate our memories of the Second World War. We think of the heroic efforts of the American Rangers scaling the cliffs of the Pointe du Hoc, the Russian Army’s desperate last stand at Stalingrad, the Japanese forces’ determination not to cede a an inch of the barren, volcanic soil on […]
History undergraduates are often asked “so what will you do after your degree?” as if having a history degree dooms you to a life of unavoidable failure. No longer! Next time maybe you should answer “I don’t know. Maybe travel to every single country on earth!”, because that’s what Manchester Politics and Modern History graduate […]
Manchester Museum reopened in February 2023 following ‘Hello Future’, a £15 million reconstructive project aimed at expanding the institution and their social aims. The project produced a two-storey extension, additional galleries and research rooms, but was characterised by its rethinking restitution programme. rethinking restitution was defined as “the unconditional repatriation of secret sacred objects to […]
The disregard which the American government has always had to Native American reservation and tribes is continually shocking, especially since they represent some of the most important remains of traditional culture left in the USA. They have already lost 99% of their land which they had originally. There is a remaining importance to make sure […]
The inner moral dialogue that accompanies charitable giving evokes a curious phenomenon, a kind of guilt-laden altruism that plagues the comfortable pockets of the West. It is no secret that good deeds make you feel good. An inescapable warmth seemingly emanates from philanthropy like some unavoidable moral hangover. Yet a quick Internet search underscores the […]
The Vietnam War (1955-1975), was a significant conflict in American history. When reflected upon today, it often instills a sense of regret. An immensely costly war in terms of casualties, displacement and destruction, the conflict is often perceived as one fought for nothing more than ideological motivations. But what was the Vietnam War and how […]
Considered the first British spymaster, Francis Walsingham held the position of the modern day Foreign Secretary and head of MI5 and MI6. A sixteenth-century ‘M’, he commanded a network of over 50 agents all over the country and throughout Europe as far east as Turkey, and usually supported this elaborate espionage network from his own […]
Ellen Wilkinson (1891-1947) was a champion of the rights of women and the working-classes. During her influential political career, she was among the first female Labour MPs and the second woman to serve in the Cabinet. She had many nicknames including ‘Red Ellen’ (due to the colour of her hair and her socialist beliefs) and […]
For Ancient people, worship of their physical environment was not uncommon; we have seen this in sources from Ancient Mesopotamia, whose main gods, Anu and Enlil, represented the sky and earth respectively, to the power of the material world in the Dreamtime of Aboriginal Culture. However, what seems to be truly unique is the way […]
One of the largest and greatest engineering projects ever undertaken; the building of the Panama Canal is marred with controversy, death and diplomatic wrangling to secure the crucial economic artery which would make navigating the tricky waters of the Straits of Magellan a thing of the past. The idea of a canal cutting through Panama […]
Bram Stoker’s Dracula has become a staple of Gothic horror literature since its publication in 1897, and you would be hard pressed to find someone who has not heard of it. The novel and its eponymous character are arguably responsible for many of the modern depictions of vampires seen today, thanks to the staggering 217 […]
