BBC History UK - August 2023

In this issue

Pax Romana
Tom Holland explains how the Roman empire maintained the peace across its rapidly developing realms – through the threat of lethal force.

Fighting for freedom
Rhiannon Davies highlights five milestones in the history of the US civil rights movement.

PEACE! (AT THE POINT OF A SWORD)

Pax Romana brought stability and prosperity to Rome's vast empire. Yet, writes Tom Holland, behind the dazzling new cities and teeming sea lanes lay the threat of lethal, irresistible violence

9 mins

How Britain Fell In Love With The NHS

Since its faltering launch in 1948, the National Health Service has become a cherished part of British society. Andrew Seaton explains how it attained that status

10+ mins

THE KING OF FOLLY

In 1323, Roger Mortimer pulled off an audacious escape from the Tower of London before ejecting Edward II from the English throne. But, writes Paul Dryburgh, the rebel baron's designs on power were undone by his own big head

8 mins

FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM

The civil rights movement saw hundreds of thousands of Americans rallying to the cause of racial equality. Rhiannon Davies has spoken to several historians of the campaign for a new podcast series. Here she revisits five key moments in the struggle

10+ mins

Sidi Mubarak Bombay Unsung African adventurer

Stolen from his village as a boy, enslaved and trafficked to a distant land, the intrepid and big-hearted Sidi Mubarak Bombay returned to travel across his home continent on pioneering expeditions. CANDICE MILLARD introduces a little-known but exceptional explorer

5 mins

Why we're still living in the age of the witch hunt

The gruesome mass executions of the early modern era may have abated, but that doesn't mean the persecution of so-called witches has come to an end

10 mins

"The idea that political projects such as nation-making can ever be totally successful is a misconception"

Joya Chatterji talks to Matt Elton about her book charting the tumultuous course of south Asia's 20th-century, including the violence that followed the creation of three new countries after the withdrawal of the British empire

10+ mins

Best defence

JON WILSON is swept up by a look at how diverse peoples worldwide reacted to British efforts to trade with, conquer, colonise and dominate their homelands

5 mins

America rediscovered

CAROLINE DODDS PENNOCK acclaims an insightful exploration of the history of North America's Indigenous peoples since the era of European colonisation

2 mins

City on the brink of battle

Hidden away in an unassuming shopping centre lies a doorway to the distant past. EMILY BRIFFETT steps back in time to discover the contested world of Anglo-Saxon Winchester

2 mins

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BBC History UK Magazine Description:

BBC History Magazine is Britain’s bestselling history magazine devoted to history enthusiasts of all levels of knowledge and interest. Published 13 times a year, BBC History Magazine brings history to life with informative, lively and entertaining features written by the world’s leading historians and journalists. Whether it is the history of our politics and institutions, or the fascinating stories of our private lives through the ages, BBC History Magazine sheds new light on the past and helps make more sense of today’s world.Covering the latest new developments in history and archaeology from Britain and around the world, the latest, most thought provoking historical research and strong links with TV and radio programming maximizing use of BBC’s existing expertise in the genre.