News Archive

Dr Kristina Spohr's Transcending the Cold War reviewed in the German press

One of Dr Kristina Spohr’s newest books, Transcending the Cold War (co-edited with Professor David Reynolds), was reviewed by Professor Bernd Greiner in the German national newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung on 18 December 2016. Greiner says that, with Transcending the Cold War, published by Oxford University Press in 2016, Kristina Spohr and David Reynolds have not simply published an intelligent and "cleverly composed" history book on statecraft and Cold War summitry between 1970 and 1990. "Even more", he continues, "it is a commentary on the political blind flight of our days. Or a contemporary appeal." Read Greiner’s full review here (in German). See also another post by Greiner about Transcending the Cold War written for the Berlin Center for Cold War Studies blog (in German).  

New article by Dr Ronald C. Po on the coastal map of the seven provinces

Dr Ronald C. Po published a new article in the December 2016 issue of Late Imperial China - a leading journal in Chinese studies published by the Johns Hopkins University Press (vol. 37 no. 2). The article, titled “Mapping Maritime Power and Control: A Study of the Late Eighteenth Century Qisheng yanhai tu (A Coastal Map of the Seven Provinces)”, challenges “the conventional image of the Qing Empire as a land-based power that cared little about the ocean before the arrival of western imperialism in the mid-nineteenth century”. It also "seeks to show that the Qing dynasty was more involved in maritime management than has previously been acknowledged.” Read the article for free (LSE users only).  

“International History at its best” - Diplomacy & Statecraft 4 (2016) on The Global Chancellor

T. G. Otte, Professor of Diplomatic, International and Military History at University of East Anglia, reviewed Dr Kristina Spohr’s The Global Chancellor (OUP 2016) for the latest issue of Diplomacy & Statecraft (vol. 27, issue 4, 2016). This is the first major study in English of Schmidt's foreign policy and its intellectual roots. It shows Schmidt as a 'global chancellor', engaging with major world leaders. Otte praised Spohr for her “thoughtful and cogently argued reassessment of Schmidt”, which “raises profound questions about the role of individuals in international politics in general as well as about Schmidt’s posthumous standing.” The Global Chancellor, so Otte says is “a little gem; it is international history at its best. It leaves one asking for more.” Read the full review (paid subscription). LSE users may read the full review for free.  

Margaret Gowing and British nuclear history

On Monday, 5 December, LSE IDEAS and the Department of International History hosted a one-day international conference, involving academics, students, and former government officials, on the life and work of Professor Margaret Gowing. Margaret Gowing studied at LSE between 1938 and 1941. She went on later to become the doyenne of British nuclear history and was appointed the first Professor of the History of Science at the University of Oxford in 1973. Her election to the British Academy in 1975, and 13 years later to the Royal Society, recognised equally the quality and the breadth of her work which contributed to both the history of the British ‘warfare state’ and the history of science. At the conference, talks were presented by Professor Mick Cox and Sue Donnelly, the LSE Archivist, on Gowing’s years at the School and her early work at the Cabinet Office on the official histories of the Second World War on the home front. Professor Matthew Jones of the Department of International History presented on Gowing’s official history work after 1959 at the UK Atomic Energy Authority where in 1964 she produced the pathbreaking Britain and Atomic Energy, 1939-1945, which became the authoritative and still unsurpassed study on the UK’s pioneering role in the early years of nuclear weapons development. Richard Moore from Kings College London then spoke on her subsequent volumes, Independence and Deterrence (1974), co-written with Lorna Arnold, which covered the years between 1945 and 1952, the year when Britain conducted its first nuclear test. Personal recollections of Gowing’s life were shared by her son, Nik, and other members of the family who attended, as well as Lord Stern from the LSE’s Grantham Institute. A roundtable of further reflections on her achievements included Lord Peter Hennessey, Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman, Professor David Edgerton, and Professor David Holloway of Stanford University. A notable feature of the conference, which was attended by about 60 people was the presence of 15 LSE Masters students from Professor Matthew Jones’s nuclear history course HY448: Living with the Bomb, bringing together current students with leading academics in the field and former officials from the policymaking world. An audio recording of the day’s proceedings can be found here. Further information on Margaret Gowing can be found on the LSE blog.  

Dr Ronald C. Po awarded the LSE Santander Travel Research Fund

Dr Ronald C. Po has been awarded the LSE Santander Travel Research Fund to visit universities in Hong Kong and South Korea, from late June to July 2017, where he will give talks and seminars. He will also conduct archival research to develop his new project, entitled “A Global History of Camphor: From an Oleoresin to a Commodity", and attend two international conferences, namely the AAS-in-Asia Conference (in Seoul) and the International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS) in Chingmai. Both highly regarded in the field of Asian studies.  

Dr Roham Alvandi contributes to upcoming archival series about Iran “The Third Path"

Dr Roham Alvandi is a contributor in the upcoming 12-part series The Third Path, covering the recent history of Iran. The series, produced by Archival, blends intense scholarship, visual effects and sound design to recount the history and complexities of one of the most mysterious countries in the modern world. “More often then not", says Dr Alvandi referring to the project, "the discussion about Iran is so superficial, and lacks any kind of substance or context, so I wanted to join this project because it was an opportunity to take the time to really think about Iran, think about its history, think about its culture, and give people the context within which to understand what’s going on today.” Watch a teaser of Dr Alvandi’s upcoming contribution to The Third Path.

Professor Vladislav Zubok's new book out in Russia

Professor Vladislav Zubok’s new book, Dmitry Likhachev: The Life and the Century, was launched in St. Petersburg, Russia, as part of a series of events taking place around the city celebrating the 110th anniversary of the birth of academician Dmitry Likhachev. On Tuesday, 29 November, Professor Zubok’s book was presented to the public at the State Museum of Political History of Russia. The event was mentioned by Russia News Today. Professor Zubok’s book analysis “archival materials and includes more than 150 photos from the collections of the family of the scientist, the Pushkin house and the Foundation named after Likhachev”. Read about the upcoming English version of Professor Zubok’s book, The Idea of Russia: The Life and Work of Dmitry Likhachev.  

Dr Tanya Harmer on BBC Two Newsnight

Dr Tanya Harmer, our specialist on the Cold War in Latin America, contributed to a 5-minute piece on the life and legacy of Fidel Castro for BBC Two Newsnight on Monday, 28 November. Following the death of the Cuban leader on 25 November, BBC journalist Stephen Smith looked at the historical impact of the controversial Cuban revolutionary and leader. Watch it on BBC iPlayer (UK only).  

Der Weltkanzler in the German press

Dr Kristina Spohr's latest book continues to receive the attention of the German press. Helmut Schmidt: Der Weltkanzler – the extended German edition of the The Global Chancellor published earlier this year by OUP - centres around Helmut Schmidt’s foreign policy and its intellectual roots. On 4 November 2016, the German newspaper Darmstädter Echo covered an evening lecture in Darmstadt, where Dr Spohr introduced her book to a large audience. (Read about the event in “Strong Voice in the Concert of the Great Powers” - in German). On 10 November, she was interviewed by the main publication of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, the monthly paper Vorwärts. In her interview, which showcases Der Weltkanzler, Dr Spohr claims that chancellor Schmidt's central role in world politics has so far tended to be ignored in Germany. (Read the interview in German: "Helmut Schmidt Was More than just a Doer"). A point reiterated in Dr Spohr's interview for the German weekly news magazine, Focus, on 19 November, where she argues that contrary to what the German people might think, he was more than just a "doer" and a "crisis manager". He was a “strategic thinker” and a major international player in 1970s and 1980s who, against the odds, brought the divided semi-sovereign West Germany back to the top table in world politics. A true "global chancellor" or “Weltkanzler” - read the interview in Focus (in German).  

Professor Vladislav Zubok speaks at symposium dedicated to James Billington, Emeritus Director of the Library of Congress

On 16 November 2016, Professor Vladislav Zubok was a guest speaker at a symposium dedicated to the long-serving Director of the Library of Congress, James Billington. The symposium, titled “Culture as Conversation: A Classic Turns Fifty — A Symposium Dedicated to Re-ExaminingThe Icon and the Axe”, took place in the Washington College of Law, American University, and was organised by the Carmel Institute for Russian Culture and History in cooperation with the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies and the Wilson Center's Kennan Institute. Professor Zubok gave a speech largely based on his forthcoming book about James Billington’s Russian friend, D.S. Likhachev. Other speakers included Dr. Anton Fedyashin (Carmel Institute Director Associate Professor of History American University), Matthew Rojansky (Director of the Kennan Institute) and John R. Beyrle (US Ambassador to Russia, 2008-2012.  

Dr Kristina Spohr discusses her co-edited book Transcending the Cold War at the Berlin Centre

Dr Kristina Spohr was at the Berlin Centre for Cold War Studies in Germany, on 16 November 2016 to talk about her new edited book, Transcending the Cold War: Summits, Statecraft and the Dissolution of Bipolarity in Europe, 1970-1990, with Professor David Reynolds (University of Cambridge). The event was co-organised with the Bundeskanzler-Willy-Brandt-Stiftung and centred around a discussion of the evolvement and impact of summits since the 1970s, as well as lessons learned since then. German historian Professor Bernd Greiner gave a short introduction into the book and moderated the discussion. Read more about the event and listen to the podcast in  Berliner Kolleg website (in English).  

Dr Kristina Spohr keynote address speaker at 2016 Helmut Schmidt Journalism Prize

On 10 November, Dr Kristina Spohr gave the keynote address  - “Der Weltkanzler – Looking Back” - at the 21st Helmut Schmidt Journalism Prize (sponsored by ING DiBA) award ceremony in Frankfurt. The Helmut Schmidt Journalism Prize has been awarded since 1996 and is an annual commemoration of the best investigative journalism carried out in Germany. This year, the first prize went to Bastian Obermayer, Frederic Obermaier and Vanessa Wormer for their "Panama Papers" series published in the Süddeutschen Zeitung.  

International History academics top list of most popular LSE authors in The Conversation during October

Dr Kristina Spohr and Professor Nigel Ashton topped the list of most read LSE authors in The Conversation during the month of October. The Conversation is an independent source of news and views, sourced from the academic and research community and delivered direct to the public. Dr Spohr’s contribution to the online publication, “Thirty years on as ‘New Cold War’ Looms, US and Russia Should Remember the Reykjavik Summit”, was the most read article in The Conversation website during the month of October with 6,953 reads, even though it was published online on 19 October. Equally noteworthy, Professor Nigel Ashton’s article, released on 28 October, was the third most read article of that month with 3,107 reads. Professor Ashton wrote about “60 Years after Suez: A tale of Two Prime Ministers”, which compares Anthony Eden’s handling of the 1956 Suez Crisis and Tony Blair’s role in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.  

Dr David Motadel analysis Trump's victory in History Today

On 9 November 2016, Dr David Motadel shared his thoughts on Trump's victory with the London-based history magazine, History Today, in an article titled "Waves of Authoritarianism". He analysed, in historical perspective, the current resurgence of anti-liberal populism, as well as its reasons and similarities with its predecessors. “The world’s demagogues play with [people’s] fears”, he argues, “offering simple solutions, scapegoats and a strong hand. Trump’s victory has been the latest reminder of this.” Dr David Motadel analysis was published in the December issue of History Today and can be read online.  

Dr Kristina Spohr interviewed for ZDF documentary about Helmut Schmidt

Dr Kristina Spohr appeared in the documentary Die zwei Leben des Helmut Schmidt (The Two Lives of Helmut Schmidt), first aired by German TV station ZDF on 6 November 2016. Dr Spohr was one of the interviewees in the ZDF History series and acted as scientific advisor to the programme, produced by film-maker Sonja von Behrens. The documentary explores Helmut Schmidt’s duality. Watch the documentary on YouTube (in German). Or watch it on ZDF's website (in German).  

Dr Paul Stock on "what is Europe?" at British Academy conference "European Union and disunion"

On 4 November, Dr Paul Stock gave a talk at the British Academy conference, "European Union and Disunion: What Has Held Europeans Together and What is Dividing Them?". The conference explored some of the drawn-out narratives and sentiments that at different times have aided or compromised the imagining and workings of Europe. It also engaged with and unpacked some of the constitutive stories of identity and meaning that in the past and present have helped to bring together and divide Europeans. The speakers included, among others, Professor Linda Colley (Princeton University), Professor Sir Ian Kershaw (University of Sheffield), Dr Kylie Murray (University of Cambridge), Baroness O’Neill of Bengarve (University of Cambridge), Professor Dame Helen Wallace (The British Academy) and Professor Patrick Wright (King’s College London). Dr Stock addressed the question, “What is Europe? Place, Idea, Action”. Watch his presentation.  

Third edition of The Arab-Israeli Conflict by Dr Kirsten E. Schulze out now

The third edition of Dr Kirsten E. Schulze’s book, The Arab-Israeli Conflict, published by Routledge was released in November 2016. The book analyses the causes, course and consequences of the Arab–Israeli conflict, exploring the particular dynamics of this conflict and the numerous attempts at its resolution. The third edition has been revised throughout to bring the text up to date with recent events, including a new chapter on the Gaza Wars (2006-2014), new material on the Arab Spring and its implications for Israel, and an updated discussion of the ongoing negotiations for peace. Buy it on Amazon UK.  

International History undergraduate student wins prize at LSE Research Festival

Undergraduate student Sofia Lesur Kastelein (BA International History) won the Booth Prize, as part of a group, at the LSE Research Festival which took place on 3 November 2016. Her headlined abstract was “Hipsters and Spikes: Mapping Gentrification and Defensive Architecture in Tower Hamlets”. Her research was carried out as part of her participation in the LSE Groups 2016 Research Project earlier this year, where it also won the Popular Prize there, to the general acclaim of the students involved. The LSE Research Festival is an annual celebration of LSE's social science research and its impact. It features visually and textually engaging work from researchers from across LSE in a public exhibition and it plays an important part in LSE’s public engagement and knowledge exchange work. The prize-giving ceremony was hosted by LSE Director Professor Julia Black. Watch an interview with Sofia and the other winners of the Booth Prize.  

Former MSc student Lindsay Aqui publishes Master's dissertation in International History Review

International History alumnus Lindsay Aqui (MSc History of International Relations, 2013, distinction) has had a revised version of her Masters dissertation, supervised by Dr Piers Ludlow, published in the peer-reviewed academic journal, International History Review. In her article, titled “Macmillan, Nkrumah and the 1961 Application for European Economic Community Membership”, Ms Aqui addresses a gap in the existing historiography of Britain's first EEC application, namely the absence of the views held by African Commonwealth leaders in understanding why the Macmillan government experienced such difficulty in reorienting its foreign policy towards Europe. The article seeks to understand the impact of Nkrumah's objections to the application and Macmillan's reaction to Nkrumah's concerns. Ms Aqui’s article is available online now and it will be published in hardcopy in the near future. Read the article. LSE users, can read the article for free.  

Dr Kristina Spohr's The Global Chancellor nominated Book of the Year 2016

In the November/December 2016 issue of the leading German foreign politics journal, IP (Internationale Politik) – Zeitschrift, under the section, "Book of the Year 2016", two leading figures from German/International politics and media (Niels Annen – foreign policy spokesman of the Social Democrats’ parliamentary party, and Wolfgang Ischinger, Chairman of the Munich Security Conference) have chosen Dr Kristina Spohr’s book, The Global Chancellor: Helmut Schmidt and the Reshaping of the International Order (OUP, 2016), as their book of the year. Annen declares, “seldomly has a historical study been so current as Kristina Spohr’s book on Helmut Schmidt.” Ischinger considers The Global Chancellor a “must read”. Read their full views in the Zeitschrift website.

Dr Joanna Lewis reviews Hansen's Al-Shabaab in Somalia for the “Africa at LSE” blog

Dr Joanna Lewis, our expert in Modern Africa History, contributed a book review to the Africa at LSE blog on 28 October 2016. She reviewed the revised and updated version of Stig Jarle Hansen’s Al Shabaab in Somalia: The History and Ideology of a Militant Islamist Group, recently released with a new preface. Dr Joanna Lewis praises the volume for providing a comprehensive history of the militant Islamist group. Read her full review.  

Professor Nigel Ashton on the parallels between Anthony Eden and Tony Blair in The Conversation

Professor Nigel Ashton, our expert in Anglo-American Relations and modern Middle East history, has contributed a piece to The Conversation, titled “60 years after Suez: a tale of two prime ministers” (28 October 2016). In his post, Professor Ashton draws parallels between Anthony Eden’s handling of the 1956 Suez Crisis and Tony Blair’s role in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, from framing their struggles in existential terms to resorting to the United Nations to prepare the ground for war. Professor Ashton also pinpoints the discrepancies between both historical events, such as America’s intervention in the region and political consequences for both prime ministers. Read the full piece. The Conversation is an independent source of news and views, sourced from the academic and research community and delivered direct to the public. The Conversation was launched in Australia in March 2011 and in the UK in May 2013.  

Dr Piers Ludlow analysis Brexit outcome in the “UK in a Changing Europe Initiative” blog

On 21 October 2016, Dr Piers Ludlow, our specialist in EU integration and development history, contributed an analysis post to KCL’s UK in a Changing Europe Initiative blog, entitled “An Elite Problem Too”. Dr Ludlow argues that Britain’s political elite, including many of those who voted remain, played a part in the Brexit referendum outcome. Read his full post.  

Dr Kristina Spohr and Professor David Reynolds interviewed by Cambridge TV on the 30th Anniversary of the Reykjavik Summit

In an interview for Cambridge TV, broadcast on 24 October 2016, Dr Kristina Spohr and Professor David Reynolds (University of Cambridge) challenged the conventional interpretation of the Reykjavik Summit as an historic missed opportunity and argued that Reykjavik helped bring about real commitment to nuclear disarmament. They claimed it was one of several meetings between world leaders that helped bring the Cold War to a peaceful end. Their view is the focus of their new edited book, Transcending the Cold War: Summits, Statecraft, and the Dissolution of Bipolarity in Europe, 1970-1990, released by Oxford University Press in September 2016. Watch the full interview.  

Dr Kristina Spohr in The Conversation

Dr Kristina Spohr, our expert on Cold War summitry and the end of the Cold War, contributed an article to The Conversation with Professor David Reynolds (University of Cambridge), called "Thirty years on as ‘new Cold War’ looms, US and Russia should remember the Rekyjavik summit". In their article, Dr Spohr and Professor Reynold suggest a diplomatic solution to the current US-Russian standoff, based on the lessons learned from the era of détente and the end of the Cold War in the 1970s and 1980s. In particular, the role of international statecraft and personal dialogue between leaders. Here, the Reykjavik summit between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev is mentioned, as well as Helmut Schmidt’s “Dialogpolitik”.  

Dr Kristina Spohr's Helmut Schmidt: Der Weltkanzler given a 5-Star review by KULTURradio/rbb

On 11 October 2016, Dr Kristina Spohr’s latest book, Helmut Schmidt: Der Weltkanzler (Theiss, 2016) was introduced and reviewed by Eckard Stuff for the German radio station, KULTURradio/rbb. In her book, which is an extended German edition of The Global Chancellor published earlier in the year by Oxford University Press, Dr Spohr looks at at Schmidt's foreign policy and examines his role in reshaping the global order during the crisis-ridden 1970s. Mr Stuff gives it a five star review. "The most important finding of the book is that Schmidt succeeded in raising the international importance of the Federal Republic. His successors have profited from it." Read and listen to the full review (in German).  

Dr Krisinta Spohr in the New Statesman

Dr Kristina Spohr contributed an article with Professor David Reynolds (Professor of International History, University of Cambridge) to the New Statesman, Britain's current affairs and politics magazine. The article is titled “Speaking the Unspeakable” and was published on 10 October 2016. In their article, Dr Spohr and Professor Reynolds address the “enormous missed opportunity” that was the Reykjavik summit and the need to revise this negative view of the summit thirty years on. Armed with recently released transcripts of the meetings, as well as other documents from both the Russian and the American archives, the scholars argue that out of the failure of the Reykjavik summit a new order was built. Read the full article for free.

Professor Janet Hartley and Professor Hamish Scott on late Professor Isabel Margaret de Madariaga

Professor Janet Hartley and Professor Hamish Scott, former member of the Department, have written a memoir of Professor Isabel de Madariaga (1919-2014) for the British Academy’s “Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the British Academy XV” (September 2016). Professor Madariaga had connections with the Department and LSE as a temporary lecturer. In their piece, Professor Hartley and Professor Scott provide a fascinating account of a world that has vanished and salute Professor Madariaga has the last of a generation.  

Dr Kristina Spohr in the Rheinische Post newspaper

On 23 September, Dr Kristina Spohr was featured in the “Duesseldorf – Talk of the Town” section of the German-speaking Rheinische Post newspaper. In an article, titled “Kristina Spohr Presents Book on Helmut Schmidt”, she talks about the genesis of her newest book, Helmut Schmidt: Der Weltkanzler (an extended German edition of her previously published The Global Chancellor: Helmut Schmidt and the Reshaping of the International Order) as well as her ongoing book tour, which has taken her to several cities, including Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt, Berlin and Brussels. Read the full article here (in German).  

New book by Dr Antony Best, Britain's Retreat from Empire in East Asia

Dr Antony Best’s new edited volume, Britain's Retreat from Empire in East Asia, 1905-1980, was published by Routledge in September 2016. The book addresses the decline of British power in Asia from a high point in 1905, when Britain’s ally Japan vanquished the Russian Empire, apparently reducing the perceived threat that Russia posed to its influence in India and China, to the end of the twentieth century, when British power had dwindled to virtually nothing. The book considers a range of issues that illustrate the significance and influence of the British Empire in Asia and the nature of Britain’s imperial decline. Subjects covered include the challenges posed by Germany and Japan during the First World War, British efforts at international co-operation in the interwar period, the British relationship with Korea and Japan in the wake of the Second World War, and the complicated path of decolonisation in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong. Order the book on Amazon UK.  

Dr Roham Alvandi quoted in Gulf News article

On 20 September, in an article by Gulf News, titled “Lifting Sanctions Doesn’t Land Iran Trade Boom”, Dr Roham Alvandi was quoted on the frustration that many Iranians feel with the lack of progress on lifting sanctions on Iran. Read his views in the Gulf News.  

Dr Kristina Spohr on History Extra podcast: Cold War summits

Dr Kristina Spohr and Professor David Reynolds were on History Extra Podcast, the podcast of BBC History Magazine, on 15 September 2016, to discuss their new book about the postwar meetings between international leaders that aimed to control the nuclear arms race. Listen to the podcast here. Dr Kristina Spohr and Professor David Reynolds are the editors of Transcending the Cold War: Summits, Statecraft, and the Dissolution of Bipolarity in Europe, 1970-1990 (OUP). The book is the first study on the contribution of summit meetings to the peaceful dénouement of the Cold War. Itanalyses the relationships between the superpowers and their views on arms control, explores their triangular relationship with China, and raises the German question. It is a major multinational study, based on archives from both sides of the 'Iron Curtain'. Purchase the book on Amazon UK.  

Press coverage of Dr Kristina Spohr's Helmut Schmidt: Der Weltkanzler

Dr Kristina Spohr did the rounds of the German press to introduce her newest book, Helmut Schmidt: Der Weltkanzler (Theiss), to the German public. On 14 September, Dr Spohr was interviewed by the German radio station SWR2 for the programme Journal am Mittag. Listen to the interview on SWR2 (in German). On the day of the book's release, 15 September, she was interviewed by the German-speaking Hamburger Abendblatt newspaper, where she talked about her book and the former Chancellor’s late seventies foreign policy. Read the interview in the Hamburger Abendblatt (in German and with subscription) or access the interview (JPG format). On the same day, she was also interviewed by the German TV station, SAT.1 Regional, on occasion of her book launch, which took place in Hamburg and featured Federal Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück, former Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen (Finland) and Mayor of Hamburg, Olaf Scholz. Watch it on  SAT.1.  

Dr Kristina Spohr's book launch: Helmut Schmidt, Der Weltkanzler, 15 September

Dr Kristina Spohr’s newest book, Helmut Schmidt: Der Weltkanzler, was launched on Thursday, 15 September, in Hamburg. Der Weltkanzler is the extended German edition of her book, Helmut Schmidt: The Global Chancellor, published earlier in the year by the Oxford University Press. The book launch for Der Weltkanzler was organised by the Helmut and Loki Schmidt Foundation in cooperation with Die Zeit and Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft (WBG). The event, fully booked, featured a panel discussion with Federal Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück and former Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen (Finland). The panel was moderated by Matthias Nass (Die Zeit) and the book was introduced by the Mayor of Hamburg, Olaf Scholz. Watch the event and read about Der Weltkanzler’s book launch (in German).  

Dr Kristina Spohr's Helmut Schmidt: Der Weltkanzler out now

Dr Kristina Spohr’s latest book, Helmut Schmidt: Der Weltkanzler, published by Theiss Verlag, was released on 15 September 2016. Der Weltkanzler is the extended German edition of The Global Chancellor, published earlier in the year by Oxford University Press. In her book, Dr Spohr portraits Helmut Schmidt and his foreign policy views in the troubled 1970s in a new light. The result is a portrait of a "world Chancellor" who was well versed in global economic and security issues alike. Dr Spohr’s book relies on extensive research conducted in Schmidt's private archives and in numerous archives in Europe and the US. Her argument is supplemented by personal interviews with the former chancellor. It arises from a new and dense political portrait of the Global Chancellor in the context of his time.  

Transcending the Cold War: the power of summits

On occasion of their new edited book’s release, Dr Kristina Spohr and Professor David Reynolds (University of Cambridge) contributed a post to the Oxford University Press blog, entitled “When to talk and when to walk”. The post delves on the importance, meaning and historical transformative power of summits and dialogpolitik.“Summitry”, Dr Spohr and Professor Reynolds argue in their post, “involves nerve-wracking judgement-calls for leaders: it requires hard calculations about opportunity, timing and personality – as challenging in the era of Merkel and Putin as in the days of Nixon and Brezhnev or Reagan and Gorbachev. Parleying at the summit is a matter of vision and skill, nerve and guts. Yet for those who are successful there is, perhaps, the chance to become a Maker of History. Here lies the perennial and fateful attraction of summitry.” Dr Spohr and Professor Reynolds new edited book, Transcending the Cold War: Summits, Statecraft, and the Dissolution of Bipolarity in Europe, 1970-1990, was released on 1 September. Purchase the book on Amazon UK.  

Dr Kristina Spohr on Transcending the Cold War for the British Academy podcast

Dr Kristina Spohr and her co-editor, Professor David Reynolds, talked about their new book, Transcending the Cold War: Summits, Statecraft, and the Dissolution of Bipolarity in Europe, 1970-1990 (Oxford University Press, 2016) with Bridget Kendall for the British Academy podcast. The podcast was released on the eve of the book's publication, 1 September 2016. Listen to the podcast. Read more about Transcending the Cold War.  

New edited book by Dr Kristina Spohr

Dr Kristina Spohr’s latest book, Transcending the Cold War: Summits, Statecraft, and the Dissolution of Bipolarity in Europe, 1970–1990, edited with Professor David Reynolds, was published by Oxford University Press on 1 September. As described by OUP, "the manuscript is a major multinational study, based on archives from both sides of the 'Iron Curtain’. It highlights the contribution of international statecraft to the peaceful dissolution of Europe's bipolar order by examining pivotal summit meetings from 1970 to 1990. (...) Written in lively prose, Transcending the Cold War is essential reading for anyone interested not just in modern history but also current international affairs!" Purchase the book on Amazon UK. Transcending the Cold War is Dr Kristina Spohr’s second book published this year. She is also the author of The Global Chancellor: Helmut Schmidt and the Reshaping of the International Order (Oxford University Press, 2016). Its extended German editionHelmut Schmidt: Der Weltkanzler (Theiss) will be coming out soon.

Professor Paul Preston in the Spanish media on the occasion of the Spanish Civil War anniversary

To mark the 80th anniversary of the start of the Spanish Civil War on 18 July 1936, several Spanish newspapers referred to the published works of Professor Paul Preston, the leading authority on Franco and the Spanish Civil War, to shed light on the historical events and on the importance of not forgetting the war. Among other media outlets, Professor Preston  appeared in:
“España tiene un déficit educativo sobre la Guerra Civil”, Contexto Y Acción, Público (16/07/2016)
“Los interrogantes de la Guerra Civil”, La Vanguardia (17/07/2016).
"La guerra lejos de la trinchera”, El Periódico (17/07/2016)
"La tercera España de la guerra civil”, El Periódico (17/07/2016)
“Baja la fiebre editorial por la Guerra Civil”, La Rioja (17/07/2016)
“Cómo las herencias de la Guerra Civil y del franquismo marcan la España actual”, La Tercera (17/07/2016).
“Los mecenas que le pagaron el golpe y la guerra a Franco”, El Diario (17/07/2016)
“Objetivo: acabar con la anti-España”, Público (18/07/2016)
“¿Quiénes son y dónde están los franquistas de hoy en España?”, BBC Mundo (18/07/2016)  

Dr Joanna Lewis's summer reads in the Times Higher Education

Alongside other members of the higher education community, Dr Joanna Lewis told the readers of the Times Higher Education (14 July 2016) about two books she planned to take on holiday - a new must-read and a classic worthy of a second look. Read her suggestions.  

LSE Research Impact video feauturing Professor Paul Preston

Professor Preston is internationally recognised as the leading authority on Franco and the Spanish Civil War. In an LSE Research Impact video, recently produced and titled “Seeking Justice for Forgotten Victims of the Spanish Civil War”, Paul Preston talks about his lifelong research into the causes, course and legacy of the Spanish Civil War. He also talks about one of his many books, The Spanish Holocaust, which challenged the pacto de silencio by which the Spanish elite had avoided dealing with Franco's legacy. The book generated international attention as well as hundreds of articles and reviews. Professor Preston’s work broke lifelong taboos and El Pais stated that he had finally helped Spain to come to terms with the consequences of political brainwashing. The Spanish Holocaust united local historians who had been researching repression since the 1980s and helped them to contextualise violent episodes and reveal a previously hidden reality. Preston also collaborated with non-governmental organisations to seek compensation for the victims of Franco's repression. Watch Professor Paul Preston's LSE Research Impact video.  

Dr Roham Alvandi in the Guardian

On 1 July, the Guardian published a piece co-authored by Dr Roham Alvandi and Dr Christian Emery (University of Plymouth) for the Tehran Bureau. The article, titled “The lure of conspiracy theories in Iranian politics”, addresses conspiracy theories and BBC Persian’s reporting on Ayatollah Khomeini’s contacts with the United States at the time of the Iranian Revolution. Read their full article here.

LSE Excellence in Education Awards

In June 2016, Dr Antony Best, Professor Janet Hartley, Dr Kirsten Schulze, Dr Piers Ludlow, Professor Steven Casey and Dr Kristina Spohr won an LSE Excellence in Education Award. Designed to support the School’s aspiration of creating ‘a culture where excellence in teaching is valued and rewarded on a level with excellence in research’ (LSE Strategy 2020), the Excellence in Education Awards are made, on the recommendations of Heads of Department, to staff who have demonstrated outstanding teaching contribution and educational leadership in their departments.  

Nicholas Butts, LSE-PKU double MSc degree student, wins Crown Prince Frederik Scholarship

On 13 June, Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik awarded LSE-PKU Double MSc Degree student Nicholas Butts the Crown Prince Frederik Scholarship to attend Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, where Nicholas will pursue an MPA starting in August 2016. The scholarship is awarded in recognition of outstanding scholarly achievement and leadership potential. “The LSE-PKU program has given me clear understanding of both contemporary and historical challenges leaders face in international affairs," says Nicholas. "Knowing and understanding history is crucial to analyse contemporary challenges but international affairs does not simply transmit and repeat history in a loop like a machine. At the heart of international affairs is not history, but humanity”.“We offer Nicholas our warmest congratulations on this outstanding award”, says Dr Tim Hochtrasser, Nicholas’s academic advisor and LSE-PKU Programme Coordinator. “And [we] look forward eagerly to see how he develops his leadership skills and academic achievements further at the Kennedy School. We have all benefited greatly from his membership of the LSE-PKU student body.” Read more about the Crown Prince Frederik Scholarship (in Danish). Read more about Nicholas Butts.  

Professor Paul Preston on the Brexit referendum and Spain's historical consistencies

On Saturday, 18 June, Professor Paul Preston shared his thoughts on the EU Referendum and on Spain's political and social consistencies with the the Catalan newspaper, La Vanguardia. Regarding Brexit, Professor Preston claimed it is too complex for a referendum. When referring to Spain, he argued there are three major consistencies in the history of Spain: corruption, political inneficiency and social violence. Read the full article.  

Professor Paul Preston awarded fifth honorary doctorate by the University of Barcelona

On 14 June 2016, Professor Paul Preston, Príncipe de Asturias Professor of Contemporary Spanish History Emeritus, was awarded his fifth honorary doctorate by the University of Barcelona. Professor Preston was recognised for his critical spirit and defence of freedom. Read more about the event from the University of Barcelona website (in Spanish). The event was fully covered by several Spanish national and regional newspapers, including, El Pais, El Nacional, ABC, La Vanguardia, Diario Vasco. In 2015, in recognition of his outstanding academic achievements, Professor Paul Preston received four Honorary Doctorates. One from the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Tarragona, 15 May 2015), another from the University of Liverpool (21 July 2015), a third from the Universidad de Extremadura in Cáceres (28 September 2015) and a fourth from the Universitat de Valencia (26 October 2015). In February 2016, he was awarded the Premi Ciutat de Barcelona 2015 in the international impact category for "his important international profile as a historian of Spain, especially the Second Republic, the Civil War and its aftermath, and the Transition to democracy, periods of great significance for the city of Barcelona - and for the donation of his archive to the monastery of Poblet.” Read more about this prestigious award ceremony (in Spanish). The award ceremony, as reported by the Spanish newspaper El Pais.  

Dr Kristina Spohr awarded Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship

Dr Kristina Spohr has been awarded a one-year Leverhulme Research Fellowship to work on her next book with the working title 'A Conservative Revolution: 1989-1992 in Global Perspective’. This book will offer a fundamental reappraisal of how in 1989-92 the map of Europe was transformed and how the world exited the global Cold War. The project is of real topical urgency because the new international order that emerged after the Soviet Union disintegrated has remained with us to the present day, but is now under serious challenge, especially in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia.  

Emeritus Professor Alan Sked on the case for Brexit

On 8 June 2016, Emeritus Professor Alan Sked gave the Department's Public Lecture on The Case for Brexit: Why Britain Should Quit the EU. The event included an analysis of the failings of the EU and the advantages of Brexit. Professor Sked's insights made the rounds of the national newspapers (among others, The Daily Telegraph,  Daily Mail, The Huffington Post, Express). Listen to the podcast.  

Professor Janet Hartley on Channel One Russia documentary "The Crimean War"

Professor Janet Hartley has participated in a historical documentary called “The Crimean War”. The latter was shown on Channel One Russia recently and it focuses particularly on the diplomatic and international context of the war. It includes contributions from French and Austrian academics as well as Russian historians. Professor Janet Hartley appears between minutes 20 and 30 and comments on the diplomatic causes and consequences of the War. Watch “The Crimean War” (in Russian).  

Dr Joanna Lewis on Benedict Anderson's final book in The Times Higher Education

Dr Joanna Lewis wrote a feature on Benedict Anderson’s last and final book, A Life Beyond Boundaries, for the The Times Higher Education on 2 June 2016. Dr Lewis’s review provides insight into Anderson’s most famous book, Imagined Communities, and his latest intellectual memoir, completed months before his death in December 2015. Read Dr Lewis's opinion on nationalism’s truest friend and the books that made him a world authority.

Professor Paul Preston's The Spanish Civil War turned into comic book

Professor Paul Preston’s book, The Spanish Civil War, has been adapted as a graphic or comic version for teenagers by the Spanish artist, José Pablo García. The comic book, comprised of over 200 pages, took only six months to design. Read an article about the graphic designer (in Spanish). Purchase Professor Preston's The Spanish Civil War on Amazon UK.  

Undergraduate student to give paper at the 7th Annual IIPE Conference in Lisbon, Portugal

Rory Coutts, a third-year International Relations and History undergraduate, was selected to present a paper at the 7th Annual Conference on Political Economy, hosted by the IIPPE (International Initiative for the Promotion of Political Economy) in Lisbon from the 7th to the 9th of September. Mr Coutts’s proposal is to assess the impact the UK's turn to China has had on USA-China competition for influence on the world stage. As he tell us about his paper, “I cover economics (especially the internationalization of the RMB) in light of the UK being a major component of neo-liberal economics and China having snubbed neoliberalism in its development; the diplomatic value of the UK-China relationship as a P5 member and the ignoring of human rights issues; and the significance it has as the UK was portrayed as America's special partner in Europe. Ultimately, the turn has little material value at present, but has potential and plays a symbolic move in China's rise as a world power.” IIPPE was founded in 2006 with the aim of promoting political economy in and of itself but also through critical and constructive engagement with mainstream economics, heterodox alternatives, interdisciplinarity, and activism understood broadly as ranging across formulating progressive policy through to support for progressive movements. Read more about IIPPE.  

Dr Kristina Spohr at the German Embassy to talk about her latest book

At the invitation of the German Ambassador, Dr Peter Ammon, Dr Kristina Spohr was at the German Embassy in London on 12 May 2016 to talk about her book Helmut Schmidt: The Global Chancellor with Quentin Peel, former Foreign Editor of the Financial Times. Dr Spohr’s book, published by Oxford University Press earlier this year, is the first major study in English of Schmidt's foreign policy and its intellectual roots; it shows Schmidt as a 'global chancellor', engaging with major world leaders such as Kissinger; it combines biography, economic history, and security studies; it contributes to current debate on the Cold War and globalization in the 1970s and it presents a multi-national approach, based on numerous archives in five countries, including Schmidt's own private papers. Buy the book on Amazon UK. Read more about the event in the German Embassy in London website.  

2016 LSE Teaching Awards

On 11 May 2016, several departmental members were distinguished at the LSE Teaching Awards Celebration. Dr Paul Stock won a LSE Teaching Promotion Award for his major review. Our Graduate Teaching Assistants Dr Andrea Mason and Mr Alexandre Dab won the LSE Class Teacher Award, the Department’s Martin Abel Gonzalez Prize. It is the fourth year in a row that Dr Mason has won that award. And Dr Joanna Lewis was shortlisted for the Student Union LSE Teaching Excellence Award in the category of Innovative Teaching, for which she was ‘highly commended’. She already holds an LSE Teaching Prize from a previous year, and last year she was also nominated for an award. The Teaching Excellence Awards are the only awards at LSE that are student-led - students make the nominations and students choose the winners.

New book by Professor Marc David Baer

Professor Marc David Baer's new book was released in May 2016. The book, published in Turkish, is a collection of his articles and it’s called At Meydanı’nda Ölüm: 17. Yüzyıl İstanbul'unda Toplumsal Cinsiyet, Hoşgörü ve İhtida (Death on theHippodrome: Gender, Tolerance, and Conversion in 17th century Istanbul). Read more about the book in the publisher's website.

Dr Kristina Spohr on the Schmidt-Carter non-relationship in the OUP blog

In an article published by the the Oxford University Press’s blog on 26 April, Dr Kristina Spohr explains how the Schmidt-Carter non-relationship “strained to the limit the bond between West Germany and America”. Her analysis, entitled “A Prickly Pair: Helmut Schmidt and Jimmy Carter”, shows why Schmidt and Carter’s relationship was soured from the beginning, marking an exception in the “chancellor’s modus operandi in international politics, which privileged the importance of reliable ‘political friendships.’” Read her article.  

International History PhD student publishes article in The Historical Journal

Second-year PhD student and Graduate Teaching Assistant, Max Skjönsberg, published his article “Lord Bolingbroke’s Theory of Party and Opposition” in The Historical Journal. In his article, Mr Skjönsberg examines one of the most important but disputable aspects of Bolingbroke's political thought: his views on political parties and his theory of opposition. It aims to demonstrate that Bolingbroke's views on party have been misunderstood and that it is possible to think of him as an advocate of political parties rather than the ‘anti-party’ writer he is commonly known as. Mr Skjönsberg is working with Dr Tim Hochstrasser on the topic ‘Concepts of Party in Eighteenth-Century British Political Thought.’ Read the article article. LSE users can read the article for free.  

Complete University Guide 2017

The Complete University Guide 2017 – the first university rankings of the year – has ranked LSE History 7th in the UK, same place as last year. LSE History is also ranked 7th overall for job prospects. LSE has maintained its position as the top university in London and third in the UK. It is the fourth consecutive year the rankings have placed LSE in third overall, just behind Oxford and Cambridge. The Complete University Guide rates 127 UK universities on a number of measures, including research quality, graduate prospects and student satisfaction.  

International History undergraduate student nominated for LSE Volunteer of the Year

Undergraduate student, Chloe Organ was nominated for the LSE Volunteer of the Year 2016 by three of her mentees. Their feedback included: “I would strongly recommend Chloe for special mention as she has been an especially great mentor who has always been happy to help. She has regularly made an effort to reach out and is always available to meet up. I couldn’t have wished for a better mentor who has really helped me settle into Uni life.” “Chloe has been an amazing mentor. (…) It was very reassuring to know that there was someone friendly to whom I could direct questions and small problems – Chloe was always prompt in responding to my queries and giving me great advice. She’s always made it clear that I can contact her at anytime for help. I’m really grateful to her.” “Chloe was great, she did answer all my questions about life at LSE. She was very proactive and engaging – I really liked her.”  

Dr Kristina Spohr on Genscher in the European Politics and Policy LSE blog

On 18 April, Dr Kristina Spohr contributed a post to the EUROPP LSE Blog, called “A reminder of the road not taken: Hans-Dietrich Genscher and the holy grail of a united Europe. In her post, she writes about the career of the late Hans-Dietrich Genscher, West Germany’s longest serving foreign minister and vice-chancellor, his role in unifying Germany, and his ultimate aspiration to integrate both NATO and the Warsaw Pact into an all-European security order that incorporated the Soviet Union. Read the full post.  

The Global Chancellor to be published in German

Dr Kristina Spohr’s book, The Global Chancellor: Helmut Schmidt and the Reshaping of the International Order, will be made available in German by Theiss,  on 15 September 2016. The book will be entitled Helmut Schmidt: Der Weltkanzler. Read more about the German edition in Theiss’s website.  

Dr Joanna Lewis in The Times Higher Education

Dr Joanna Lewis, our specialist in African and Imperial history, was featured in an article published in the Times Higher Education on 14 April. She is one of several scholars around the world recommending ‘essential’ texts to introduce sixth-formers to the academy. Her choice is Owen Jones’s The Establishment: And How They Get Away With It (2014). Read why that is her choice.  

New book by Dr N. Piers Ludlow

Dr N. Piers Ludlow newest book was published by Palgrave MacMillan in April 2016. The book, called Roy Jenkins and the European Commission Presidency, 1976 –1980: At the Heart of Europe, centres on Jenkins's key role in re-launching European monetary integration, winning the right to attend the new global summits, and smoothing Greece’s path to EC membership. The book also covers Jenkins's shortfalls regardng Commission reform and an improvement of UK’s troubled relationship with the EC. In short, this study looks at how Jenkins approached his role, identifying his priorities, examining his working methods, and exploring his rapport with the European and international statesmen with whom he had to work. In the process, the book sheds light on the nature of the job, on Jenkins’ own talents and limitations, and on the European Community as it struggled with the global economic crisis of the 1970s. Purchase the book on Amazon UK. Read an interview with Dr Piers Ludlow about his book for the LSE Review of Books (11 May 2016).  

Dr Kristina Spohr on Cambridge TV on the late Hans-Dietrich Genscher

On Friday, 8 April 2016, Dr Kristina Spohr was on Cambridge TV News. She gave a 10-minute long interview on Hans-Dietrich Genscher, the former German Foreign Minister (1974-1992), who passed away on 31 March 2016. Watch the interview.  

The Global Chancellor's book launch

Dr Kristina Spohr’s book launch took place on Wednesday, 6 April 2016, at the European Parliament. The event was hosted by the MEPs Jakob von Weizsaecker and Knut Fleckenstein. The Global Chancellor was published by Oxford University Press in March. In her book, Dr Spohr retrieves Chancellor Helmut Schmidt’s true significance as a pivotal figure who helped reshape the global order during the crisis-ridden 1970s. This major reinterpretation, based on detailed research in Schmidt's private papers and numerous archives in Europe and America, reveals him as a leader equally skilled in economics and security, and adept at personal diplomacy, who dared to act as a 'double interpreter' between the superpowers during the nadir of the Cold War. Read more about The Global Chancellor in the OUP's website. Buy the book on Amazon UK.  

International History postgraduate students publish essay in The National Interest

In April 2016, our postgraduate students, Nicholas Butts and Jared McKinney,  published an essay in The National Interest magazine, entitled “What Would China Do if America Sold Taiwan F-35s?”. In their own words, the essay “challenges a widespread belief that if the United States can help China’s neighbours to 'stand up' to China, then the Chinese will be forced to back down and magnanimously change their behaviour. The trouble with this belief is that it assumes away any other Chinese response - an erroneous and dangerous assumption.” Butts and McKinney “attempt a creative approach to analyse US-China relations in the National Interest “, called “futures imagined”. Nicholas Butts and Jared McKinney are studying for the LSE-PKU Double MSc Degree in International Affairs at our department, completing the second year of the programme at Peking University.

[Post Scriptum: In July 2016, Mr Butts and Mr McKinney followed this essay with another, titled "3 Myths about China and the South Sea Tribunal Verdict"."]

New book by Dr Gagan Sood, India and the Islamic Heartlands

Dr Sood’s new book, India and the Islamic Heartlands: An Eighteenth-Century World of Circulation and Exchange, was published by Cambridge University Press on 31 March 2016. Based on the chance survival of a remarkable cache of documents, India and the Islamic Heartlands recaptures a vanished and forgotten world from the eighteenth century spanning much of today's Middle East and South Asia. The book helps us better understand the region during a pivotal moment in its history, and offers new answers to old questions concerning early modern Eurasia and its transition to colonialism. Order the book on Amazon UK.   

New book by Dr Kristina Spohr, The Global Chancellor

Dr Kristina Spohr’s much anticipated book, The Global Chancellor: Helmut Schmidt and the Reshaping of the International Order, was published on 24 March 2016 by Oxford University Press. Her new book is the first major study in English of Schmidt's foreign policy and its intellectual roots. It shows Schmidt as a 'global chancellor', engaging with major world leaders such as Kissinger. It combines biography, economic history, and security studies. It contributes to current debate on the Cold War and globalization in the 1970s; and it presents a multi-national approach, based on numerous archives in five countries, including Schmidt's own private papers. Read all about The Global Chancellor in the OUP's website. Order it on Amazon UK.   

Professor Paul Preston acclaimed in new book by Professor Helen Graham

A forthcoming edited book by Helen Graham, Professor of European Modern History at Royal Holloway, University of London, salutes Professor Paul Preston’s extensive work and expertise on contemporary Spanish history. Professor Graham’s book is called About Interrogating Francoism: History and Dictatorship in Twentieth-Century Spain, and it will be published in September 2016. The book brings together leading historians of international renown to examine 20th-century Spain in light of Franco's dictatorship and its legacy. “In part a tribute to Paul Preston, the foremost historian of contemporary Spain today, Interrogating Francoism includes an interview with Professor Preston and a comprehensive bibliography of his work, as well as extensive further readings in English. It is a crucial volume for all students of 20th-century Spain.” Pre-order the book on Amazon UK.  

Professor Paul Preston in The Guardian

Professor Paul Preston wrote a riveting analysis of Hemingway’s 1937 play, “The Fifth Column”, for The Guardian on 18 March. Hemingway’s forgotten Spanish civil war play is to be produced for the second time ever from 24 March to 16 April, at the Southwark Playhouse, London. "The Fifth Column, now revived for the first time in 70 years, is fascinating for what it reveals about the author", claims Professor Preston. Read Professor Preston's full analysis analysis.  

First-year undergraduate student Arjun Alimchandani in The Independent

Arjun Alimchandani, one of our first-year undergraduate students, published a Voice article in The Independent on 18 March, entitled “Amol Rajan is Wrong: The Gateway to India is Mumbai, not 'Bombay'". Read Arjun Alimchandani’s article on Hindu nationalism and reactions to it.  

MSc student Tobias Pester awarded LTI Grant

Tobias Pester, a postgraduate student in our department, has been awarded an Learning Technology and Innovation Grant for his project Sustainable Autorship with Academic Markdown. In his own words: “I am proposing to develop, document, and teach a Workshop for Sustainable Authorship for students of the LSE that familiarizes and equips them with the writing environment of Academic Markdown. […] One, it provides the automatic generation of references and bibliographies. Two, it relies on the single most sustainable file format since the invention of computers: human-readable plain text. Three, it is platform independent: the most basic text editor available on any operating system will do. Four, it does not rely on proprietary software.” Tobias Pester's workshop will be made available in video format for our future students in our Moodle research pages.  

International History students thanked for their volunteering work at LSE

On 9 March, our undergraduate students Radhika Soni, Chloe Organ and Hayat Mohamed were invited to attend a “thank you” event hosted by Professor Paul Kelly to recognise their contribution to the LSE community for their volunteering work as student mentors. The volunteering work is part of the Off Campus Support Scheme. The Scheme connects new students who are not living in LSE halls of residence with an experienced LSE student to act as a mentor. Mentors help new students to settle in at LSE. Chloe Organ shared with us these lines: “I wanted to be a mentor as I've lived at home whilst attending LSE and think I would have benefitted from a mentor when I first started, so I wanted to make sure incoming students had a more welcoming experience. My mentees have settled in really well so it's made it quite easy for me really but it's been great getting to know new people and perhaps bringing them together through our group meetings.”  

Dr Kristina Spohr on meeting Helmut Schmidt

Dr Kristina Spohr has contributed a post to the Oxford University Press Blog (17 March) on "Meeting Helmut Schmidt: The Man Behind the Statesman". Her book, The Global Chancellor, is published by Oxford University Press and comes out on 24 March. In this post, Dr Spohr offers the reader a fascinating glance into her research and the man she places at the centre of her manuscript. Read the full post.  

Dr Heather Jones on BBC Radio 4

Dr Heather Jones was on BBC Radio 4 talking about the Easter Rising 1916 on 18 and on 25 March. Dr Jones explored how six days of armed struggle changed Irish and British History. Read more about it and catch up on the episodes on BBC iPlayer (UK only). On 14 March, Dr Heather Jones was an interviewed guest on the Start the Week, broadcast by the same radio station. The topic of conversation was “The Easter Rising: 100 Years On”. In her contribution, Dr Jones looked back a hundred years to the Easter Rising of 1916 and placed this historical moment in the context of the Great War. Listen to the the podcast (UK only).  

Dr Paul Stock's new article in the EHR

Dr Paul Stock, our specialist on 18th- and 19th-Century Intellectual History, has a new article out in The English Historical Review. The article, called ‘America and the American Revolution in British Geographical Thought, c.1760–1830’, investigates British ideas about ‘America’ in the years before and after the American Revolution. It addresses the characteristics and qualities thought to distinguish the continent from other parts of the globe; and it analyses how the Revolution affected ideas about ‘American’ space. Existing studies tend to present the Revolution as a disruptive moment in British intellectual life. Instead, this article analyses mainstream geographical works—sources which, due to their popularity and summative nature, can help expose the longstanding, formative ideas about America circulating widely in British literate culture. The English Historical Review is a very prestigious peer-reviewed British journal and the oldest journal of historical scholarship in the English-speaking world. It is published by the Oxford University Press. Read the article article (subscription).  LSE students and staff can read the article for free.  

Professor David Stevenson on BBC Future

Professor David Stevenson contributed to an article on why Britain introduced daylight time saving a hundred years ago for BBC Future on 11 March 2016. Love it or hate it, there’s a stubborn British campaigner one can thank. The article focuses on the builder who changed how the world keeps time. Read it in the BBC website.

New book by Professor Paul Preston

Professor Paul Preston's newest book came out in February 2016. Told for the first time in English, The Last Days of the Spanish Republic (Harper Collins, 2016), tells the story of a preventable tragedy that cost many thousands of lives and ruined tens of thousands more at the end of the Spanish Civil War. This is the story of an avoidable humanitarian tragedy that cost many thousands of lives and ruined tens of thousands more. Read more about The Last Days of the Spanish Republic in the publisher's website. Buy the book on Amazon UK. Read reviews in The Herald Scotland, in The Times and in The Spectator. Professor Paul Preston is a leading historian of 20th century Spain and the Príncipe de Asturias Emeritus Professor of Contemporary Spanish History.  

Professor Paul Preston awarded the Premi Ciutat de Barcelona 2015

Professor Paul Preston, Príncipe de Asturias Professor of Contemporary Spanish History Emeritus, was awarded the Premi Ciutat de Barcelona 2015 in the international impact category on 3 February 2016. The award was presented to Professor Preston on 15 February 2016 at the Barcelona City Council for "his important international profile as a historian of Spain, especially the Second Republic, the Civil War and its aftermath, and the Transition to democracy, periods of great significance for the city of Barcelona - and for the donation of his archive to the monastery of Poblet.” Read more about this prestigious award ceremony (in Spanish). The award ceremony, as reported by the Spanish newspaper El Pais.  

Dr Kristina Spohr on BBC Radio 4

On 16 February 2016, Dr Kristina Spohr was on BBC Radio 4's Making History programme. At a time when historians are taking more and more interest in the end of the Cold War, with their research aided by the opening up of archives in the former Eastern Bloc countries, Helen Castor met up with Professor David Reynolds from the University of Cambridge and Dr Kristina Spohr to discuss history of the Cold War. Their new edited book, Transcending the Cold War (OUP) will be published in September 2016. Listen to Dr Kristina Spohr from 07m15s.  

Dr Antony Best in the Yomiuri Shimbun

Dr Antony Best was interviewed by the Japanese daily, the Yomiuri Shimbun, on 1 February 2016. In his interview, he talks about his recent book, Daiei Teikoku no Shin-Nichi Ha: Kaisen ha Naze Sakerare Nakattaka [British Japanophiles: Why Could Britain and Japan Not Avoid War?]. His book is translated from the original English-language essays by Dr Tomoki Takeda and came out in September 2015.

Dr Roham Alvandi in the Times Higher Education

Dr Roham Alvandi was quoted in an article in the Times Higher Education called “End of Iran Sanctions will not Lead to ‘Sea Change' in Region for HE” (28 January 2016). Read his views on the lifting of sanctions on Iran and Higher Education.

PhD student Caroline Green in the Guardian

Our PhD student Caroline Green had an article published in the Guardian on Friday, 8 January. Her article entitled, "UK Must Stand Shoulder to Shoulder with Women Living amid War", addresses the country’s shortcomings in the support given to the lives and livelihoods of women in conflict zones. Read the article in the Guardian. Ms Green is interim director at Gender Action for Peace and Security. Her doctoral thesis is on morality and the end of Empire. She is being supervised by Dr Joanna Lewis, our expert on Modern Britain and Africa History.  

New publication by Professor David Stevenson

Professor David Stevenson’s newest book was published by Oxford University Press in January 2016. The book, edited with Thomas Mahnken and Joseph Maiolo, is called Arms Races in International Politics: from the Nineteenth to the Twenty-First Century. Professor Stevenson has contributed a section introduction, a chapter, and a conclusion to the book. The volume provides the first comprehensive history of the arms racing phenomenon in modern international politics, drawing both on theoretical approaches and on the latest historical research. It is divided into four sections: before 1914; the inter-war years; the Cold War; and extra-European and post-Cold War arms races. Arms Races in International Politics addresses two key questions: what causes arms races and what is the connection between arms races and the outbreak of wars. Read Chapter 1.  

New book by Professor Anita Prazmowska

Professor Anita Prazmowska newest book came out in December 2015. Wladyslaw Gomulka. A Biography is part of series Communist Lives, published by I.B. Tauris. The volume is a new and challenging reinterpretation of the role played by the Polish Communist leader in Polish and European politics. Professor Prazmowska traces Gomulka's progression from a poorly educated worker in the Krosno district of Poland, to his election as First Party Secretary in 1956 and finally to his forced resignation in 1970. She considers Gomulka's pivotal role in building a communist-led resistance in occupied Poland during World War II as well as the critical part he played in post-war Polish politics and the 'de-Stalinization' process. Incorporating recently released and previously unpublished sources, this book provides a vivid picture of how Communism functioned in Poland and an original analysis of Poland's international role in the Cold War era. Read more about the book and purchase it in the publisher’s website, I.B.Tauris.  

Professor Hartley on BBC Four

Professor Janet Hartley appeared in the first two episodes of the BBC Four programme, Empire of the Tsars: Romanov Russia with Lucy Worsley. The first episode aired on 6 January 2016 and the second episode aired a week later. Watch the trailer. 

Dr Kristina Spohr on German TV ZDF

Dr Kristina Spohr was a co-presenter in the  5-part TV series 'Secrets of the Cold War’ (Geheimnisse des Kalten Krieges) on the German TV channel ZDFinfo, first aired on  27 and 28 December 2015. You can watch part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4 and part 5 of the TV series currently available on live stream.