Historians/History

Pawns of History: The Poetics of Russian Revolutionary Politics

by Tim Brinkhof

The repression of political dissent in Czarist Russia led many future revolutionaries to literature as a gateway to political thought; their poetic idealism may have made them both effective and dangerous.

Vannevar Bush: Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Indispensable Expert

by Michael H. Ebner

Vannevar Bush's efforts to bring the expertise of scientists to bear on public policy decisions led to the establishment of the National Science Foundation under Harry Truman's presidency.

Peace is Temporary Without Trustworthy Leaders: Lessons from the Philadelphia Mutiny

by David Head

In an environment of intense mutual suspicion—soldiers accused civilians of stingy ingratitude while civilians saw the army as a threat to their liberty—Washington’s trustworthiness bound the two sides together.

Witness Against the Beast

by Christopher Tomlins

Nat Turner followed his evangelical faith to challenge a profane and degenerate slaveholding regime. Today's white evangelical Christians must decide whether to support the successor of that regime. 

The Great Upheaval of 1877 Sheds Light on Today’s Protests

by Richard Schneirov

1877 saw a wave of mass protests and strikes by the urban poor of multiple ethnicities, violent repression by the forces of law and order, and a news media that focused on sensational instances of looting and property damage while ignoring the protesters' complaints about inequality during a brutal economic downturn.

John F. Kennedy Did What Donald Trump Only Wishes He Could Do

by Paul Matzko

Rules to promote “fairness” or prevent “discrimination” can all too easily turn into tools for gaining partisan advantage at the expense of free speech, a free press, and a functioning democracy.

Hungarian-American Relations in 1849 and Today: Why We Need Another Lajos Kossuth

by Tim Roberts

A Hungarian nationalist visited the United States in 1849 to plead the case for an independent, democratic state, inspiring the cause of abolition in America. Today Hungarian-American relations are running in the direction of authoritarianism. 

Misremembering the Fall of France 80 Years Later (Part 2)

by Robert J. Young

The French defeat was driven by strategic error and faulty battlefield strategy, but not by a lack of will to fight. 

Misremembering the Fall of France 80 Years Later (Part 1)

by Robert J. Young

On the 80th anniversary of the Fall of France, it's time to retire the idea that the French surrendered without a fight. 

How Could 400 Years of Denied Humanity Find Voice in a Whisper?

by Leonard Steinhorn

Visual images convey power relationships, and many famous images have shown that African Americans are not yet fully recognized as American citizens to whom police are accountable. 

Contagion and Recovery in the Hittite Empire

by Eva von Dassow

The progress of an ancient plague shows that when faith--in gods or medical research--fails, it's a long road to safety.

When the President’s Son-In-Law Truly Was a Great Success

by Gail Radford

Treasury Secretary William McAdoo was a presidential son-in-law whose knowledge, experience, and belief in the role of government made him an effective public servant.

JFK at 103: What We Miss

by Joseph A. Esposito

John F. Kennedy was born on May 29, 1917. Although much of the Camelot ideal was mythical, Kennedy's optimism and purposefulness are nevertheless missed today.

Why Study History? More Than Ever, a Question that Needs Answering

by Peter N. Stearns

One of the few bright features of the past two months has been the extent to which the pandemic crisis has clarified the real public need for historical perspectives. 

"This Too, Shall Pass." History, and Life, Say So!

by Vaughn Davis Bornet

Nearing age 103 gives Vaughn Davis Bornet a perspective on change that might help readers struggling today.

The Lynching of David Wyatt

by Greg Bailey

Lynching and mob terrorism against African Americans have never been strictly southern phenomena, as a bloody incident from southern Illinois's histrory reveals. 

A Memorial Day Lament for Capt. Wilfred Owen, Sgt. Joyce Kilmer, and the Needless Dead of Foolish Wars

by Walter G. Moss

The horrific scale of slaughter in the first World War can be understood, ironically, through the tragedy of a single lost life. Walter Moss considers the deaths of two poets in France.

What the New Evidence on Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust Means

by Rafael Medoff

In the end, whatever their respective reasons, the Pope and the president both opted to look away from the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time.

The Unfulfilled Potential of Progressive Democracy after World War II

by Isser Woloch

After the military defeat of Nazism, the governments of Britain, France and the United States made uneven and incomplete progress to remake their societies along more egalitarian lines, but their efforts should be seen as part of an international trend.

Are We Repeating Some Chapter of World History?

by Peter N. Stearns

Did I hear some smart aleck student mumble something about Santayana?