History

"Hegel was right when he said that we learn from history that man can never learn anything from history." — George Bernard Shaw

From Pariahs to the Privileged: On Keri Leigh Merritt’s “Masterless Men”
"As poor whites began to enjoy more of the privileges of whiteness, symbols of the slaveholders’ crusade came to represent general whiteness."
Steven WhiteAug 19, 2017
- History
- Politics
Red House: The Rise and Fall of Bolshevism Under One Roof
Max Holleran reviews “The House of Government: A Saga of the Russian Revolution” by Yuri Slezkine.
Max HolleranAug 16, 2017
Awaiting the Real Day: An Excerpt from Yuri Slezkine’s “The House of Government: A Saga of the Russian Revolution”
An excerpt from “The House of Government: A Saga of the Russian Revolution” by Yuri Slezkine, published this month by Princeton University Press.
Yuri SlezkineAug 16, 2017
The Newark Rebellion at 50, and the Ghost of Ron Porambo
On the 50th anniversary of the Newark riots, our reviewer remembers the most important book to come out of the event that you’ve never heard of.
Eric NelsonAug 14, 2017
- History
- Politics
Destiny Averted: Mining the Past to Save the Future
War with China might be likely but it is not inevitable, says Graham Allison’s sobering new book about great powers.
Joshua M. SilversteinAug 5, 2017
- History
- Politics
The Peace Coalition: On Michael Kazin’s “War Against War: The American Fight for Peace, 1914-1918”
Lauren Jannette reviews “War Against War: The American Fight for Peace, 1914-1918” by Michael Kazin.
Lauren JannetteAug 4, 2017
- History
Desperate Straights: David Weigel on the Rise and Fall of Prog Rock
Anthony Mostrom revisits the cult of prog rock.
Anthony MostromAug 4, 2017
- History
- Music
The Fallacy of “The Turning Point” — A Critical Look at Mark Bowden’s History of the Battle of Huế
An otherwise admirable history of a single battle is hampered by a simplified thesis and excessive credit given to the “turning point theory” of history.
Gregory A. DaddisJul 31, 2017
- History
- Politics
“I Write on Human Skin”: Catherine the Great and the Rule of Law
Robert Zaretsky reflects on 250th anniversary of Catherine the Great’s Legislative Commission to propose a new code of law for the Russian Empire.
Robert ZaretskyJul 30, 2017
- History
Marketing Modernism
Loren Glass surveys the many strengths of Lise Jaillant's "Cheap Modernism: Expanding Markets, Publishers’ Series and the Avant-Garde."
Loren GlassJul 29, 2017
Ignore History at Your Own Urban Peril
Austin Allyn reviews Alexander Vasudevan's new history of urban squatting.
Austin AllynJul 25, 2017
- History
- Politics
Crime and Publishing: The Story of Jack Abbott and Norman Mailer
Remembering Jack Abbott, the convicted murderer who was Norman Mailer’s literary protégé.
Rachel MonroeJul 23, 2017
- Biography & Autobiography
- History