Left-Wing and The ‘Other’ History: Introduction and The Spartacist Uprising

A Spartacist militia in Berlin during the Uprising This is a new series which I have wanted to do for a long time. I have a great interest in the far-left and looking at history from below – present-day subaltern studies has its origins with the Marxist Antonio Gramsci so there is some overlap. Just

World History: The Revolutions of 1848

An 1848 painting by Horace Vernet depicting the revolt in Paris Today we’re looking at the last event in what Eric Hobsbawm characterised as being in the ‘Age of Revolution’. Later named the ‘Springtime of Peoples’ beginning in February 1848 revolution swept over Europe – they remain the most widespread revolutionary wave in European history.

World History: The Haitian Revolution

A painting of the 1803 Battle of Vertieres On World History at the moment we’re looking at the Age of Revolution where from the late-1700s to the mid-1800s revolutions, (political, social, and economic), ended up drastically changing the world we live in. Today we’re looking at a unique revolution: the Haitian Revolution. This revolution saw

World History: The French Revolution

A painting depicting the Storming of the Tuileries Palace Last time on World History we looked at the start of the Age of Revolutions with the American Revolution but today we’re looking at arguably the more important revolution: the French Revolution. Seen as the birth of the modern world and a turning point in human history with

Who was Nelson Mandela?

As of writing a few days ago we saw the centenary of the birth of anti-Apartheid, and former South African president, Nelson Mandela. Mandela had a great impact on South African and global politics before, during and after his imprisonment, and has continued to serve as a source of inspiration for people across the globe.

Karl Marx: 200 Years On

May 5 1818 Karl Marx was born. Over the next 200 years his ideas would greatly shape how people would view and shape the world. I myself am inspired by Marx’s ideas. With the exception of a brief period in the 1990s with the collapse of the Soviet Union and communism in eastern Europe his

Who was Winnie Madikizela-Mandela?

On 2 April 2018 Winnie Madikizela-Mandela passed away at the age of 81. Known across the world as Winnie Mandela she was an ardent anti-Apartheid activist who had far more agency than just being the wife of Nelson Mandela. Today we look at her life to understand her role in the history of South Africa.

Who is Robert Mugabe?

Robert Mugabe One of the news stories to dominate the recent headlines is the coup in Zimbabwe which has forced the resignation of Robert Mugabe who has been in power since 1980. Mugabe’s rule has been accompanied by ethnic violence, human rights abuses, censorship of opposition, and economic turmoil, but people have been wondering why

History in Focus: The October Revolution

Lenin during the October Revolution As I am writing we are coming up to the centenary of possibly the most influential revolution in the history of the twentieth century. On November 7 1917, October 25 in Russian using the Julian calendar, the first successful revolution Marxist revolution took place which would go on to change

Who was Che Guevara?

Many people recognize this picture as being a portrait of Marxist revolutionary Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara. For around forty years his image has been distributed throughout the media on clothes, in music and film and on advertisement (it is somewhat ironic how capitalism has adopted a Marxist in the pop culture). In my hometown there is