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From the Archive: Women at Work Throughout the Twentieth Century

Woman’s success is bought with tears of blood because she has so much to unlearn before she starts learning, so much to sacrifice, so much to overcome.[1]Britannia and Eve, February 1931.Britannia and Eve (B&E) was an Illustrated London News periodical... Read more →
Niamh Franklin
Published 2nd November, 2023 20 min read

Right to Roam: The Kinder Mass Trespass of 1932

"We ramblers, after a hard week’s work, in smoky towns and cities, go out rambling for relaxation and fresh air. And we find the finest rambling country is closed to us… our request, or demand, for access to all peaks... Read more →
Katherine Waite
Published 14th September, 2023 17 min read
Poster for Women's History Month. At the centre of the poster, there is text with a purple outline. The text reads

Women’s History Month with British Online Archives

This March marks the annual Women’s History Month, the month provides an opportunity to celebrate the contributions and legacies of women to history, society and culture. Generations of women have pushed boundaries, broken patriarchal ideals, and shaped our progress. Women’s... Read more →
Nishah Malik
Published 13th March, 2023 12 min read
Retiring Labour leader Michael Foot shakes hands with new leader Neil Kinnock (left) watched by Eric Heffer, in Brighton, at the Labour Party Conference.

Then, Now, and Forever: Labour in Perpetual Crisis (Part One)

From its earliest beginnings, the Labour Party has always been a “broad church”, encompassing a range of opinions from across the political spectrum. The party was born from the growing trade union movement in 1900 and initially encompassed a variety... Read more →
Sean Waite
Published 16th January, 2023 19 min read
An illustration showing women cycling.

From the Archive: Cycling to Equality

"I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel - the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood." In the modern day it is hard to imagine the controversial and transformational effect of the bicycle at its... Read more →
Katherine Waite
Published 5th December, 2022 28 min read
Woman in shorts smoking a cigarette and looking at a man doing laundry, with the caption

From the Archive: The Failures of Women in Art

“[Women] have been let loose upon arid fields for education” The Sketch, first published in 1893, was a popular sister title of the The Illustrated London News. This publication was created by Clement Shorter and William Ingram (former editor and managing... Read more →
Katherine Waite
Published 24th November, 2022 24 min read
An image of trees growing in the shape of lungs. Some of the trees are brown and dead.

A Century of Denial

In the last one hundred years, we have watched, with varying degrees of alarm, as our climate has changed at a rate unprecedented in the earth’s natural cycle. There is finally a consensus that this is not normal, and our... Read more →
Catrina Ollis
Published 23rd May, 2022 10 min read
A cracked ground where a small plant tries to grow. Edited on top is the word

Climate Change: The Unsolvable Crisis of Capitalist Governance

Framing climate change as the latest in a long line of capitalist disasters, rather than the isolated relationship between man and nature, uncovers unavoidable barriers between national governments and capital in ordering global governance. Consequently, doubt is cast on the... Read more →
Joseph Iafrati
Published 19th May, 2022 11 min read
A photo of Royal Artillery gunners filling 25-pounder shells with leaflets. Roermond, The Netherlands, January 1945.

Airborne Propaganda: The Battle for Hearts and Minds

Since prehistoric times, warring rulers have recognised the importance of weakening the morale of opponents. Often the battle for hearts and minds is as pivotal to victory as any physical fighting. As technology has developed, so has the range and... Read more →
Katherine Waite
Published 20th January, 2022 21 min read
Front cover which reads

An Assessment of The History of Mary Prince as an Abolitionist text

Representations of slavery did important work in the argument for abolition. However, Black abolitionist writing was rarely left untouched by contemporary editors. Nowhere is this more evident than in Mary Prince’s autobiography, a shocking first person account of the horrors... Read more →
Niamh Franklin
Published 10th January, 2022 11 min read
A photo of the The Famine Memorial, officially titled Famine, in Dublin, Ireland.

The Power of State Apologies: The Irish Famine

In recent times governments have begun to formally apologise or express remorse for actions of their historical predecessors. Some argue that these collective apologies serve to build, repair, renew, and strengthen bonds between communities harmed by historical wrongdoing, and that... Read more →
Katherine Waite
Published 15th December, 2021 15 min read
A photo of the Hillsborough memorial.

Hillsborough: The Archive as a Vehicle for ‘Truth Recovery’

On 27 July this year, Andrew Devine became the 97th victim of the infamous Hillsborough disaster. According to Liverpool coroner, Andre Rebello, ‘Andrew Devine died at the Royal Liverpool Hospital after a long illness of 32 years from aspiration pneumonia.’[i] ... Read more →
David Sarsfield
Published 29th September, 2021 12 min read
Old Map Of Philadelphia 1802 Print

Contextualising the MOVE Remains Within American History

Every aspect of US history is irrevocably tied to slavery. The repercussions of the trade in human chattel can be seen in the modern descendants of enslaved peoples, but also within the societal frameworks that make up modern America. There... Read more →
Hanna Polasky
Published 19th August, 2021 17 min read
1831 engraving of a young Venetian woman, aged 23, depicted before and after contracting cholera

Cholera Pandemic 1830s

The rapid development of multiple mRNA vaccines in a year to combat a previously unknown virus is a triumph of biotechnology and the maturation of research years in the making. That miracle of science is culminating in a race to... Read more →
Philip Feibusch
Published 19th April, 2021 9 min read
A historical account of the old State house of Pennsylvania now known as the Hall of independence (1876).

Fashion as a political statement in the American Republic

Fashion as a political statement is a concept one generally associated with the  20th and 21st centuries, despite the practical knowledge that this could not possibly be true. Dressing deliberately for the sake of politics has far reaching roots, in... Read more →
Abigail Field
Published 24th March, 2021 16 min read
This 1952 painting by Robert Thom is the only known representation of Lucy, Anarcha and Betsey.

A re-evaluation of the legacy of James Marion Sims

History is always skewed by our perceptions of modern morals. What was once considered acceptable in the pursuit of science is no longer permissible. However, our perceptions themselves are influenced by the education to which we are privy. Take, for... Read more →
Hanna Polasky
Published 28th February, 2021 13 min read
In the centre the words

From the Archive: Scottish Rebel Songs

Drawing upon our exciting new collection, Scottish Nationalist Leaflets, 1844-1973, this article examines the development of Scottish nationalism in the twentieth century through an analysis of ‘Rebel Songbooks’. These songbooks reflect the turbulent, ever-changing landscape of Scottish society, identity, and... Read more →
Katherine Waite
Published 3rd February, 2021 15 min read
A front cover of Red Rag,

From the Archive: Women’s Liberation and the CPGB

From the Archive: Women’s Liberation and the CPGBIn the 1970s, the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was facing heavy membership losses and an ever enigmatic class revolution that had failed to materialise after half a century of toil. New... Read more →
Sean Waite
Published 8th December, 2020 12 min read
A front cover of America Abroad 1892.

From the Archive: America Abroad, 1891-1907

Our exciting new collection, Transatlantic Civil Society in Periodicals, 1767-1925, explores the evolving relationship between North America and Europe over three centuries. A period that encompasses the conflict of the American revolutionary era through to changes wrought by industrialisation and... Read more →
Katherine Waite
Published 23rd November, 2020 11 min read
African School Kids pointing to a mural of the map of Africa on the side of a building.

Aid in Africa: hurting or helping?

The idea of aid took off in the 1920s/30s, when wealthier countries started to make regular donations to places including Latin America and Africa. Before this, there had been some sporadic donations in the 19th Century, but nothing as structured... Read more →
Alice Broome
Published 8th October, 2020 10 min read
A group of people and in the foreground the Chile flag.

Miracle of Chile? The legacy of the Chicago Boys

Chile is often hailed as the ‘Miracle of Chile’ and is compared to the Asian Tiger economies, which boasted rapid economic growth between the 1960s and 1990s, paired with a huge improvement in the standard of living. Even today, it... Read more →
Alice Broome
Published 26th August, 2020 9 min read
A map showing the partitions of Poland.

From the Archive: The Paris Peace Conference and Upper Silesia

Our popular primary source collection, 'Paris Peace Conference and Beyond, 1919-1939', provides a wealth of archival material relating to the tumultuous period in the aftermath of the First World War. The Paris Peace Conference was the formal meeting of the... Read more →
Katherine Waite
Published 7th August, 2020 10 min read
An image of billiards on a billiard table. The billiards have flags of the world on.

In Conversation With...Stephen M. Walt

Stephen M. Walt is a distinguished academic who writes about international relations theory, grand strategy, and American foreign policy. He obtained a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley, where he studied under the late Kenneth Waltz, a... Read more →
Stephen M. Walt
Published 5th August, 2019 8 min read
Stranger Things poster featuring images of the characters.

Stranger Things, Nostalgia and Unintentional Meaning

THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS You've got to hand it to the producers of Stranger Things for using the same deus ex machina to solve the same problem three series in a row. At least this time around there was something of a... Read more →
Jon Mackenzie
Published 26th July, 2019 11 min read
Several silhouettes of people with rifles raised over their heads against the sea at sunset

The Radical Romanticism of Piracy

In Western popular culture, pirates have emerged as dashing heroic figures.Despite the fact that, on the periphery, most people are vaguely aware that there is a profound disconnect between the realities of piracy and the popular fantasy, we choose to... Read more →
Katherine Waite
Published 10th July, 2019 13 min read
A red background with a line of black and white cartoon people.

Interpreting the Unthinkable

In September 2018 the UK’s newest Holocaust exhibition opened to the public. ‘Though Our Eyes’ tells the story of the Holocaust as experienced by 16 Jewish men and women who escaped or survived the genocide and made new lives in the... Read more →
Emma King
Published 17th April, 2019 5 min read
An image of the USA flag flying outside a house.

In Conversation With...Andrew J. Bacevich

Andrew J. Bacevich is an historian and commentator who writes about American foreign and defence policy.He graduated from West Point in 1969 and served in the United States Army for two decades, including stints in Vietnam and Kuwait. After leaving... Read more →
Andrew J. Bacevich
Published 10th April, 2019 6 min read
An image of US astronaut Alan Bean standing on the moon.

The Problem with Apollo

The American ‘moonshot’ is arguably one of the most memorable moments of the Cold War, if not the 20th century. It captured the world’s attention with record global viewing figures on live television and cemented the success of America’s military-industrial-scientific... Read more →
Bleddyn B. Bowen
Published 15th October, 2018 10 min read
The entry gate to Auschwitz concentration camp. The infamous

The Fashionable Form of Holocaust Denial

What do Holocaust deniers deny? The most extreme among them deny that the Nazis’ the extermination of the Jews ever happened—or, if some portion of it did take place, the Jews were behind it. These include such notorious figures as... Read more →
Professor David Patterson
Published 9th August, 2018 10 min read
An image of Vladimir Putin starting the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour at the Luzhniki Stadium.

The Politics of the World Cup

It was a magnificent finale to a tense group stage encounter. Standing at five and a half feet, Xherdan Shaqiri’s run wasn’t graceful, but with legs pumping like pistons, the Switzerland midfielder surged past the defender and stuck the ball... Read more →
David Cowlishaw
Published 16th July, 2018 6 min read
At the top, a map of Europe, with the Union Jack flag overlaid on top and on the left a soldier.

Behind Enemy Lines: The Life and Death of Diana Rowden

On July 6th, 1944, Diana Rowden, Andree Borrell, Vera Leigh, and Sonya Olschanezky were executed by the SS at Natzweiler-Struthof, a concentration camp located near the foothills of the Vosges Mountains in Alsace. They had been transferred from a prison... Read more →
British Online Archives
Published 6th July, 2018 2 min read

Pride in Perspective: Homosexuality in Britain Since 1967

In July 1967 the Sexual Offences Act decriminalized homosexual acts between men, making it legal between two men over 21 in private (though not in Scotland or Northern Ireland—those laws were finally abolished in 1980 and 1982 respectively).   This legislation... Read more →
Harry Cocks
Published 18th June, 2018 6 min read
An image of Soviet soldiers in Riga, October 1944

VE Day Through the Eyes of East Prussian Refugees

"I did not know then that the 8th of May 1945 was a special day. Whatever happened in the world ‘outside’, did not apply to us. Here, everything revolved around food, the acquisition of food and sheer survival… We did... Read more →
Arddun Arwyn
Published 8th May, 2018 5 min read
An image from a Suffragettes march in 1908.

Women and Protest in 19th Century Britain

Does women’s history actually exist? If the lives and achievements of just over half of the population were fully acknowledged as a vital part of the human story then, by definition, it wouldn’t. The tendency to see women’s experiences as... Read more →
Louise Raw
Published 5th April, 2018 6 min read
Turnstiles which show segregation between 'Whites' and 'Non-Whites'.

Black History Month with British Online Archives

Black History Month is celebrated every February in the United States and Canada, as well as here in the United Kingdom in October. The idea started as a way of remembering significant people and events in African history. Black History... Read more →
British Online Archives
Published 28th February, 2018 5 min read

About Articles

The British Online Archives blog is a platform for scholars to present their research to students and the general public. The posts cover a range of historical themes and debates from around the world. The opinions expressed represent those of the authors, not British Online Archives or Microform.

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