This talk explored the struggle for liberation from the perspective of the enslaved, wherever possible in their own words. Dr Sudhir Hazareesingh shines a light on the lives of revolutionaries like Toussaint Louverture, José Antonio Aponte, Nat Turner, and the pregnant rebel Solitude; touching on the stories of the freed...

Addressing issues of the legacies of racism created by the transatlantic slave trade and the narratives of its abolition  The Medlicott Medal is awarded annually for outstanding services and contributions to history. This year the Medal went to Professor Catherine Hall, who is Emerita Professor of Modern British Social and Cultural History at...

In this Virtual Branch webinar we were joined in conversation with Dr Toby Green on his acclaimed book 'A Fistful of Shells'. Shortlisted for the 2020 Wolfson Prize and winner of the 2019 Nayef Al-Rodhan Prize for Global Cultural Understanding, the book explores West Africa from the Rise of the...

In this series of videos, produced by Royal Holloway, University of London, staff and students examine two of the most important reform movements of the early nineteenth century: Chartism and the Anti-Corn Law League, contrasting their tactics, leadership and success. The playlist also contains a number of readings of Chartist...

In this series of videos, produced by Royal Holloway, University of London, staff and students examine the campaigns to abolish both the slave trade and slavery itself, including a number of actor readings of pamphlets and speeches that help illustrate key arguments made by abolitionists and defenders of slavery. The...

In this series of videos, produced by Royal Holloway, University of London, staff and students explore the history of radicalism in the nineteenth century, including the Spa Fields Riots, the Pentrich Uprising, Luddism, the Swing Riots and the March of the Blanketeers. The playlist also provides an overview of key...

In this series of videos, produced by Royal Holloway, University of London, staff and students explore the Great Revolt of 1381, better known as the Peasants’ Revolt, through a combination of animations, dramatised primary sources, and short presenter-led videos. This includes videos looking at the causes of the revolt, its...

In this series of videos, produced by Royal Holloway, University of London, staff and students look at the development of trade unionism and workers’ rights in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The playlist includes videos examining the Tolpuddle Martyrs, New Unionism, the London Dock Strike and the Match Girls’ Strike...

In this podcast Professor Peter Fearon of the University of Leicester discusses the economic and social impact of the Great Depression in the United States.

In this podcast Professor Peter Fearon of the University of Leicester looks at the economic transformation of the United States in the years before the Wall Street Crash and the Great Depression.

In this podcast Dr Christopher Phelps of the University of Nottingham discusses the origins of the American Trade Union and Labour movements and looks at how they developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

In this podcasts Dr Christopher Phelps of the University of Nottingham discusses how did the United States developed into being the dominant economic power of the early 20th century.

In this podcast Dr Anne Murphy of the University of Hertfordshire looks at the early origins of the European financial markets from the Italian Renaissance to the present day. Dr Murphy also provides a useful introduction to finance, the stock market and the bond market.

In this podcast Dr Anne Murphy of the University of Hertfordshire looks at the origins and significance of the South Sea Bubble, one of the earliest modern financial crises.

In this podcast Professor Patricia Thornton of Merton College, Oxford examines the successes and failures of the Communist governments first decade in power.

In this podcast Dr Glyn Redworth looks at the factors that led to the Spanish Empire in the new world, why Ferdinand and Isabella backed Columbus and discusses how Spain was able to consolidate an Empire of such magnitude.

In this podcast Professor Trevor Burnard of the University of Warwick looks at the the primary forces which led to the development of the British Empire, the role of commerce and trade, the role of war in imperial expansion during this period and the importance of the slave trade.

In this podcast Professor Gad Heuman of the University of Warwick examines the origins of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, the triangular trade, race, slave society and the changing interpretations of the abolition of the slave trade. (See also podcast The business of slavery: Economic history in the classroom from the HA's Britain and...

In this podcast Dr Jon Wilson of King's College London looks at the origins of the British Empire in India, the importance of the East India Company, Anglo-French rivalry in India, the significance of relations between the British and the Indian princes for the expansion of British rule, the Governor...

In this podcast Dr. Yangwen Zheng of the University of Manchester looks at the origins, theatre and consequences of the Opium Wars. Dr Yangwen Zheng's essential textbook Ten Lessons in Modern Chinese History is now available. Written for university entry-level students and A-level teachers and students, it uses primary sources to tell the story...