Archive for the ‘History’ Category
America and peace: Kennedy’s 1963 speech
June 10th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
I am still in the process of watching on Sky Atlantic the series “Oliver Stone’s Untold History Of The United States”. It’s a fascinating, if controversial, project and I have now viewed eight of the 10 episodes. Stone seeks to highlights opportunities when the aggressive nature of US foreign policy could have been tempered. One of […]
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America and war: the long, long list
June 10th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
I am still in the process of watching on Sky Atlantic the series “Oliver Stone’s Untold History Of The United States”. It’s a fascinating, if controversial, project and I have now viewed eight of the 10 episodes. One can certainly challenge some of the judgements Stone makes of individuals and events in his review of the […]
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Who was the Turkish leader Kemal Ataturk?
June 9th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
“It began as a small environmental protest against plans to redevelop Gezi Park, and Istanbul’s adjoining Taksim Square. But over the past two weeks it has morphed into a countrywide revolt. Three people have been killed, 4,000 injured and 900 arrested. The demonstrations have spread to more than 70 Turkish cities, including the capital, Ankara, and the […]
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Did Vasili Arkhipov save the world from nuclear destruction?
May 29th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
I was 14 at the time of the Cuban missile crisis in 1962 and, like many millions around the world, I was scared that the world was about to enter a nuclear war. So I was fascinated by the sixth episode of the Sky Atlantic series “Oliver Stone’s Untold History Of The United States” which covers the period […]
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Why was Ann Boleyn executed in 1536?
May 23rd, 2013 by Roger Darlington
This was the question examined in a fascinating BBC2 programme aired this evening. Seven different historians and historical novelists offered their views, including Suzannah Lipscomb who has blogged about the programme and the subject here. Another of the contributors was Man Booker Prize winning novelist Hilary Mantel. The death of Ann Boleyn concludes her new […]
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Should the atomic bomb have been dropped on Japan in 1945?
May 8th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
I am currently in the process of watching on Sky Atlantic the series “Oliver Stone’s Untold History Of The United States”. It’s a fascinating, if controversial, project and I have just seen the third of the 10 episodes. This deals with the end of the Second World War in the Pacific and the dropping of […]
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The North Korean spy who blew up a plane
April 22nd, 2013 by Roger Darlington
In the current climate of international tension between North Korea and most of the rest of the world, it is no bad thing to be reminded of the true nature of this regime. Today the BBC web site publishes this remarkable story of outright terrorism in 1987. Of course, North Korea is more than capable […]
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A short history of coffee
April 18th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
I am in my favourite cafe – “Gaby’s” in central London. I am drinking my favourite drink – cappuccino. I am browsing the web on my iPhone and I found this.
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One more view on Margaret Thatcher
April 9th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
In my time, I’ve met four British Prime Ministers. Given my politics, they were all Labour: Harold Wilson, Jim Callaghan, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. I never wanted to meet Margaret Thatcher. This was not just a matter of ideology, but also an issue of personality. While I accept that she modernised Britain in some important […]
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A review of a new biography of Adolf Hitler
February 25th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
A N Wilson is perhaps more accomplished as a novelist than an historian, but I have just completed his short biography “Hitler” which I’ve reviewed here.
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