Coronavirus: histories of emergency powers
As the proverb goes: it’s pointless to complain about losing your hair when they’re about to cut off your head. Across the world, coronavirus, not its longer-term impact, is the … Continue reading
Coronavirus, Russia and the world: can history help?
Russia has suffered its share of epidemics in the last century or so. As we face the global uncertainty of coronavirus, does knowledge of this history help us? Take three … Continue reading
Lewis Siegelbaum and the consolations of history
From time to time, many of us sense that our ancestors can guide and protect us. Such a feeling is a comfort. But can you read their messages? Historians console … Continue reading
Exiting the EU on Siegfried Sassoon’s time machine
Until today, Britain has been a member of the European Union for almost 47 years. Only people in their mid-fifties can have accurate memories of British life before accession to … Continue reading
The rule of law and workable paradoxes
Balding, but with a fantastical beard, Sergei Zarudnyi was one of the leading Russian lawyers of the nineteenth century, though he was a mathematics graduate with a taste for literature. … Continue reading
Scarecrow / historian
At the weekend, I watched The Scarecrow — Rolan Bykov’s landmark film of 1983 — for the second time. The first time was fifteen years ago in the library of … Continue reading
Books and Terror
Does reading books make you a better person? Students beginning university this week might wonder if learning brings wisdom, kindness or resilience. Faced with an ungenerous teacher in his book-stacked … Continue reading
