War and Peace: did you like it?
What’s your verdict on the BBC’s War and Peace? One of Britain’s leading military historians is emphatic. ‘They’re wearing 1812 pattern shakos in 1805!!’ he tweets, deploying capitals. Tolstoy, himself … Continue reading
The Russian Empire in Siberia
Look at the picture, and you’ll see that Ermak was the conqueror of Siberia. Although much of his life is shrouded in mystery, and he became the subject of nationalist myths … Continue reading
Three edges of Europe: Russia, Turkey, Britain
Turkey and Russia share aspects of the past. In the middle ages, Ottomans and Muscovites alike depended on cultural inheritances from Byzantium. Over several centuries, the Ottoman and Russian Empires both … Continue reading
Russia in 1914: the welfare state that never was
The great anniversary is approaching. In a few weeks, it will be one hundred years since the outbreak of the First World War. A century on, the catastrophe of 1914-18 … Continue reading
