A History of Cyprus - a classic revisited

danny.millum — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 11:18:38 +0000

It is rare to review a book that was published nearly 60 years ago. It is also a privilege, because Sir George Hill’s last volume in his four-volume A History of Cyprus is considered by most historians of Cyprus as the starting point for both students and scholars of the Ottoman and British periods (until 1948) of Cyprus’ past. This review will not attempt to provide a comprehensive summary of the contents of the book – this is not what reviews should be about anyway and at 700 pages it would be impossible without taking up too much space.

Land and Revolution in Modern Greece, 1800-81

danny.millum — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:38:08 +0000

When Otho of Bavaria, the young king-designate of newly independent Greece, first stepped on Greek soil at Nauplion in early February 1833, he met a heartwarming spectacle. Against the background of the Argolid hills stretching toward ancient Mycenae and Epidaurus, beneath the stout ramparts of Palamidhi fortress, the leaders of the heroic Greek war of independence were gathered to greet the prince and his regents.(1)

Experience and its Modes

danny.millum — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:06:57 +0000

How far should the practising historian accept the conclusion of the idealist analysis of history carried out by Michael Oakeshott in Experience and Its Modes (1), probably the most brilliant book on the philosophy of history written in the first half of the 20th century (even possibly including Collingwood’s The Idea of History, published in 1946 (2))?

Conrad Russell

danny.millum — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:33:04 +0000

Russell, Conrad Sebastian Robert, Fifth Earl Russell (1937–2004)

The Use and Abuse of History, or, How the Past is Taught

ihr.webmaster — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:16:35 +0000

It is given to few to be accorded ‘classic’ status in their own lifetime, but Marc Ferro has qualified twice over – not only for the work under discussion here, but also for his account of The Great War, 1914–1918 (1973).

The Destruction of the European Jews

ihr.webmaster — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:21:21 +0000

Reviewing the first, 1961 edition of Raul Hilberg’s The Destruction of the European Jews (London: W H Allen) in 1962 Andreas Dorpalen predicted that it would ‘long remain a basic source of information on this tragic subject’.(1 ) With hindsight, Dorpalen rather underestimated the impact that Hilberg’s thesis would have on future scholarship.

England under the Stuarts

ihr.webmaster — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:38:35 +0000

Nearly a century after G.M.

What is History?

danny.millum — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:16:13 +0000

Edward Hallett Carr's contribution to the study of Soviet history is widely regarded as highly distinguished. In all probability very few would argue against this assessment of his multi-volume history of Soviet Russia. For the majority of historians he pretty much got the story straight. However, for several years there was disagreement about his contribution to the analytical philosophy of history. His ideas were outlined in What is History? first published in 1961.

English Society 1688-1832: Ideology, Social Structure and Political Practice During the Ancien Regime

danny.millum — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:20:36 +0000

The publication of Jonathan Clark's English Society in 1985 marked the appearance of a new and original revisionist historiography of the long eighteenth century. For over two centuries Whig historians had sponsored an interpretation of the long eighteenth century which emphasised England's unique qualities, including its constitutional traditions, parliamentary government, the rule of law, religious toleration and freedom of speech.

The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III

danny.millum — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:11:50 +0000

The publication of what is often known simply as The Structure of Politics transformed the perceived political landscape of eighteenth-century Britain. Prior to 1929 British political history from 1688 was broadly conceived of as a two-party rivalry of Whig and Tory, underpinning a constitutional monarchy and a modern cabinet system based on a party majority in the House of Commons. That was the classic 'Whig interpretation' of history for the period, embodied in the scholarly work of Lord Macaulay, W.E.H. Lecky, G.O.

Ernest Gellner

danny.millum — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:30:55 +0000

Ernest Gellner, who died on 5 November 1995, was one of the great polymaths of the century. Many of his twenty books were concerned with philosophy, sociology and anthropology. Yet at the core of his work was an historical question.