21st Century

Expert history articles and analysis about the global events of the 21st century…

Colourful illustration of a figure in a red helmet sitting inside a futuristic time machine built from a oversized wristwatch, set against a pink background

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We gave 8 historians a time machine. You won't believe where they chose to go. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Four men in different costumes lean forward and look toward something off screen. From left, one wears a fur costume, one a historical waistcoat, one a dark suit and tie, and one a scout uniform with glasses and a moustache.

21st Century

TV’s Ghosts is a phenomenon. This is the writers’ golden rule for bringing history to life

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How Ghosts makes history funny – without getting it wrong. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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What’s the point of public executions?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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What happens when students go on strike?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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North Korea's religious dictators. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

British historian and author Simon Sebag Montefiore sitting indoors on a light-colored sofa. He is bald with a light beard, wearing a dark blue button-down shirt and brown trousers

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"The Iraq War was a disaster": a historian's view on the modern Middle East. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Orange LiDAR image revealing an ancient geometric earthwork in the Amazon rainforest, with circular and rectangular structures visible beneath the forest canopy.

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The Amazon rainforest is hiding an ancient secret – and scientists now know what it is. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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The Bayeux Tapestry: secrets of the stitchers. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Illustration of a teacher standing atop a precarious stack of obsolete technology – TV, radio, computer, laptop – teaching from a book, while a large screen beside her displays an AI chatbot interface

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Robot wars in the classroom: why AI in education is nothing new. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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What do US-Asia summits reveal about American imperialism?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Was Napoleon III the world's first populist leader?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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The Bayeux Tapestry blockbuster at the British Museum. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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The secrets of our DNA. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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What's it like to live in a royal palace?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A warmly lit interior staircase with a decorative metal railing curves upward beside a yellow wall covered in framed portraits. Three large formal portraits hang on the left, while a person on a ladder on the right arranges a neat grid of smaller framed photos, suggesting the gallery is being updated or expanded.

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Why does Britain keep changing prime ministers? The answer lies in history. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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What does history tell us about Trump's Canada tariffs?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A stylised illustration of a rally or public gathering. In the foreground, dark silhouettes of people hold up smartphones, their screens glowing as they record a central speaker on a stage. The speaker stands with a microphone, flanked by two figures in dark clothing and sunglasses. Behind them, a large blank flag is raised, and a dramatic red backdrop shows an enlarged shadow of the speaker, creating a sense of spectacle and media attention.

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Are there still fascists in the 21st century? Six experts weigh up the evidence. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Andy Burnham's leadership comes at a time when Downing Street has expanded its policy and communications operations, while prime ministers increasingly diverge from the norms of the 20th century | Credit: Getty Images

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The UK is about to get a new prime minister. But is the country now impossible to govern?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Who are Count Binface's novelty political predecessors?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Composite image of Norwegian footballer Erling Haaland wearing a Viking helmet and the Norway national team shirt, standing with his hands on his hips against an illustrated background of Viking longships filled with oarsmen. The image links Haaland and Norway’s modern 'Viking row' football celebration with historical depictions of Viking seafarers.

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Norway’s ‘Viking row’: the real history behind the World Cup football chant

A three‑panel collage showing the same person in snowy winter settings: on the left, pushing a red stroller past an old wooden house; in the centre, a close‑up portrait in a brown jacket with snow falling; and on the right, sitting on an outdoor bench in a blue coat with a fur‑lined hood against a backdrop of leafless trees.

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I taught history in Putin's Russia – and here's why I knew I had to leave. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Why has the UK had so many prime ministers this decade?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer stands at a lectern outside the black front door of 10 Downing Street, addressing assembled journalists and television cameras after announcing his resignation in June 2026.

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Prime ministersFive of the greatest downfalls of the past 100 years. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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How were society's super-rich seen in past centuries?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Henry Paget: life of the week. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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How has war impacted economies of the past?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A tinted historical photograph shows a crowd of uniformed men gathered outdoors, with one man holding a large flag bearing a swastika symbol

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Weimar's descent from democracy to barbarism. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A stylised portrait of a clean-cut man in a suit and tie is centred against a geometric background of vertical blue, teal, and cream-coloured bars.

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Alan Turing: life of the week. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Three people are positioned in front of a large American flag. The central figure, shown in colour, wears a suit, glasses, and a patterned tie, resting a hand near the chin. Two grayscale figures stand behind on either side, both dressed formally.

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From Churchill’s great rival to Peter Mandelson: a history of British ambassadors to the US. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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