Political and Economic History Archives

Why does Putin insist Ukranians and Russians are ‘one people’? The answer spans centuries of colonisation and resistance

by History Guild | Dec 10, 2025 | Military History, Political and Economic History, Social and Cultural History | 0

Reading time: 8 minutes
The Kremlin’s insistence that Ukrainians and Russians are the same mirrors the older imperial model: expand, absorb and claim these territories were always part of Russia. Breaking free from this “mental empire” demands a deep shift in how Russians, Ukrainians, and the world view Eastern Europe’s past and present. When the Soviet Union collapsed, many hoped for a new era of cooperation in Eastern Europe. Instead, authoritarian politics and old beliefs about empire have led to a devastating conflict. By refusing to be pulled back into Russia’s orbit, Ukrainians send a message about self-determination. They reject the claim bigger nations can absorb smaller ones simply by invoking a shared past.

Chinese betrayal – how India and China Became Mortal Enemies

by History Guild | Dec 3, 2025 | Military History, Political and Economic History | 0

Reading time: 8 minutes
Across the 19th and 20th Centuries, two of History’s greatest powers/regions took a back seat in global leadership, plagued by colonial conquests and internal power struggles.
Yet as WW2 came to a close, the mighty subcontinent of India declared its independence from the British Empire in 1947. At a similar time in 1949, the Communist Party of China (CPC) established solid control over the country, ushering in an age of Communist China under Mao.
As these two major players looked to rebuild their countries and re-enter the world stage, a question would arise: what will the Sino-Indian relationship take shape?

80 years after Benito Mussolini’s death, what can democracies today learn from his fascist rise?

by History Guild | Nov 26, 2025 | Military History, Political and Economic History | 0

Reading time: 9 minutes
Fascist “strongmen” like Mussolini accumulate power thanks to people’s inabilities to believe that the barbarisation of political life – including open violence against opponents – could happen in their societies. And there is a final, unsettling lesson of Mussolini’s career. Il Duce was a skilled propagandist who portrayed himself as leading a popular revolt to restore respectable values. He was able to win widespread popular support, including among the elites, even as he destroyed Italian democracy. Yet, if the monarchy, military, other political parties and the church had attempted a principled, united opposition to fascism early enough, most of Mussolini’s crimes would likely have been avoided.

Francis Bacon’s Essays explore the darker side of human nature. 400 years on, they still instruct and unnerve

by History Guild | Nov 12, 2025 | Political and Economic History, Social and Cultural History | 0

Reading time: 6 minutes
It’s 400 years since the publication of the complete edition of British philosopher Francis Bacon’s Essays. Not without pride, Bacon (1561-1626) muses in the preface that his little book’s Latin version might “last, as long as books last.” The Essays have, in fact, never been out of print since 1625.

The ancient Greeks invented democracy – and warned us how it could go horribly wrong

by History Guild | Nov 6, 2025 | Political and Economic History | 0

Reading time: 5 minutes
In modern times, democracy is the word we use to refer to a system of government where the people elect representatives to push for their interests in the national assembly. Unlike in ancient times, in most modern countries with democratic forms of government most adults are eligible to take part in politics and vote for representatives.

Ustaše in Australia: the “Citadel” of a Fascist Legacy

by History Guild | Oct 22, 2025 | Political and Economic History, Social and Cultural History | 0

Reading time: 14 minutes
Between 1947 and 1952, for 170,000 non-Jewish “displaced persons,” Australia offered a chance to exit the dark, harrowing night of World War II in Europe. Many of these were hungry, traumatised, seeking peace and shelter, a place to work and rebuild. But with them came the kind of settlers which populate nightmares: war criminals, outright fascists, and aiders and abettors of the Nazi regime and its puppets in Eastern Europe.

The Irish Rising that shaped Australia

by History Guild | Oct 13, 2025 | Political and Economic History, Social and Cultural History | 0

Reading time: 4 minutes
Even though a rebellion in Dublin might seem relatively minor in the grand scheme of things,” says Professor of Irish Studies at Notre Dame, Declan Kiberd, “it would actually be the pin piercing the heart of the imperial giant.

Karl Muller and the fatal lemon

by History Guild | Oct 6, 2025 | Military History, Political and Economic History | 0

Reading time: 6 minutes
Britain had been wary of foreign agents operating within its shores in the run up to the First World War, and the Secret Service Bureau – now commonly known as MI5 – had been established in 1909. It had found great success rounding up German spies when the conflict broke out. Nonetheless, it was vigilant that enemy operatives might attempt to send reports on Britain’s military and economy back home.

Lessons from the UN peacekeeping mission in Rwanda, three decades after the genocide it failed to stop

by History Guild | Sep 25, 2025 | Military History, Political and Economic History, Social and Cultural History | 0

Reading time: 6 minutes
Dispatched with a fatally timid mission, many ordinary U.N. soldiers in Rwanda took extraordinary actions, using diplomacy, cultural awareness and community engagement. Their actions saved close to 30,000 lives, according to Romeo Dallaire, who led the U.N.’s deployment in Rwanda. Learning from what actually worked on this famously failed mission can save lives in the future.

Napoleon’s bicentenary: why celebrating the French emperor has become so controversial

by History Guild | Sep 23, 2025 | Military History, Political and Economic History, Social and Cultural History | 0

Reading time: 5 minutes
Napoleon Bonaparte may have died 200 years ago, but the vast ramifications of his rule can still be felt – and not only in France. This year marks the last in a series of bicentenaries since 1969, the 200th anniversary of his birth, but the chance to give the most famous emperor in French history another send-off is proving distinctly tricky – and not only because of COVID-19 restrictions.

How the Great War shaped the foundations of Australia’s future

by History Guild | Sep 10, 2025 | Military History, Political and Economic History, Social and Cultural History | 0

Reading time: 9 minutes
It is striking that 2015 is the 110th anniversary of the Gallipoli offensive, the 80th anniversary of end of the Second World War in the Pacific, and the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. This is a good time to reflect not only on the actions of those wars, but on their consequences and their enduring legacies.