History

‘Kill all the Gentlemen’—tales of rural revolts

In his new history of countryside struggles in England, Martin Empson shows how ordinary people have always fought for their rights—and what’s needed for them to win

Reviews round-up: The Land We Live In, The Land We Left Behind exhibition

Plus British Socialism: The Grand Tour and WOW festival

Martin Luther and peasants' rebellion

500 years ago a preacher called Martin Luther sparked a movement which loosened the grip of the church on society. Dave Sewell argues this was about more than just theology

Up in arms—how workers in Russia united in action to beat a coup

At the beginning of September 1917 the commander of the Russian Army, general Lavr Kornilov, tried to crush the revolution.

Four US-backed coups in Latin America—and two close shaves

Bloody history shows why and how we need to keep imperialist hands off Venezuela

Manuel Noriega—the murderous stooge the US betrayed in Panama

Colonel Manuel Noriega was a dictator and drug-runner. But he was also a bought and paid-for stooge of US imperialism.

Six days that entrenched imperialism

06 June 2017
Fifty years ago Israel launched the Six Day War in a bid to shore up its relationship with the US and its murderous rule over Palestine, writes Nick Clark

Who really rules Britain?

30 May 2017
We are told regularly that, unlike dictatorships, ‘the people’ govern Britain. But, says Dave Sewell, it’s the unelected rich and powerful that really have their hands on the wheel

How we fought the colonels’ coup in Greece—and what it can teach us for today

02 May 2017
Fifty years ago on Friday, Maria Styllou was among those who occupied the Greek embassy in London in response to a coup in Greece. She explains how the coup happened and what it means

South Korea - a state built for empires

21 March 2017
After a corrupt president, a mystic adviser and a giant firm were all humbled by revolt, Simon Basketter looks at how US imperialism, profit and dictatorship shaped South Korea

Why marching matters: the power of protest

31 January 2017
After two weeks of mass resistance to new US president Donald Trump, Simon Basketter looks at the power of protests and where it can lead

Denial—‘Take the gloves off and call it lying’

31 January 2017
Director Mick Jackson told Tomáš Tengely-Evans about his film Denial, the David Irving case it dramatises and the issues it raises today

Never again! The horror of the Holocaust

24 January 2017
Tomáš Tengely-Evans looks at what created the Nazi genocide—and how to make sure it’s not repeated

Robert Burns—an auld radical

10 January 2017
The ruling class loves to claim the 18th century Scottish poet Robert Burns as its own. Yet through Burns’ poetry, Charlie McKinnon uncovers his real, revolutionary legacy

John Berger was a firm Marxist who transformed art history

03 January 2017
John Berger, who died on Monday at the age of 90, was the most important writer on art in the last 60 years or more.

‘Red Ellen’ Wilkinson - How a radical campaigner was limited by Labour

01 November 2016
A new biography of MP and campaigner Ellen Wilkinson documents her fight for radical change—and how a commitment to parliament scuppered it, writes Nick Clark

How the Suez crisis sank an empire

25 October 2016
Britain invaded Egypt sixty years ago—a brutal response to the resistance against its decaying empire. The result was humiliation. Historian John Newsinger tells the story

Why Frantz Fanon’s call to rise against racism still resonates today

14 August 2016
Frantz Fanon was a giant of the fight against colonialism. Chris Newlove hails a revival of his ideas—and argues for taking them further, not letting academia tone them down

The Independent Labour Party - prioritising parliament gave more power to the right

19 July 2016
Charlie Kimber looks at the Independent Labour Party (ILP), one of the founding organisations of the Labour Party

The seafarers' strike of 1966—hope betrayed by Labour

29 May 2016
The 1966 seafarers’ strike was a key test for the left wing rhetoric of Harold Wilson’s Labour government —a test it failed by attacking workers, argues Simon Basketter