Polling in a Pandemic
The general election of 1918 was a ‘cynical muddle’ held as influenza killed thousands across a country emerging from the First World War.
Britain
Protest, Power, Play
Not since the Middle Ages have the ancient traditions of fancy dress been so potent.
1771: The Year Britain Lost America?
Having achieved success in the Seven Years War, the following decade would be a chastening experience for Britain, culminating in the loss of its American colonies.
When They Get to the Border
The Aliens Act of 1905 was the culmination of decades of anxiety about migrants – some of whom attempted to reach Britain by clandestine means.
Leading Ladies
The French tradition of the royal mistress gave new opportunities for women at the court of Charles II.
Policing the Windrush Generation
Police brutality and stop-and-search are yet another legacy of Empire.
The Mood of Britain
‘See they don’t let us down when we come back this time ’, called the British soldiers embarking for the D-Day invasion.
Kick-starting British Industry
In the Industrial Revolution, state intervention, protectionism and immigration were all adopted by successive governments to promote British manufacturing.
The Women’s Party
Winning the vote meant millions of women needed a party to represent them in Parliament. Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst founded one, with limited success.
Buying British
From Elizabethan laws to modern food campaigns: the long history of Britain's patriotic consumers.