The Phantom Attack In the summer of 1964, the Gulf of Tonkin became the setting for one of the most consequential misunderstandings in modern American history. The destroyer USS Maddox was conducting intelligence patrols along the North Vietnamese coast when, on August 2nd, it exchanged fire with several Vietcong patrol boats. The incident was brief and inconclusive but quickly became framed as proof of North Vietnamese aggression.  Two days later, reports of a second attack

When assessing the many indelible scars left upon the Indian subcontinent by British colonial rule, Kashmir often stands out as one of the most painful aspects of British failure. This wound remains visible in modern life as a result of the Line of Control, an enabling structure of militarised control and frequent border skirmishes, and part of the legacy of Cyril Radcliffe, a stark contrast to his subsequent public life as our inaugural Chancellor at Warwick until his untime

By the 1950s, the world’s most dominant colonial powers were crumbling. The impacts of the second world war were too much to overcome, and, with ascension of two new anti-imperialist superpowers, Britain, France and the Netherlands lost their grip on their colonies. Whether it was largely peaceful resistance, like that of India or Ghana, or violent anti-colonial insurgencies, like that of Kenya and Algeria, it was certainly clear that the people wanted out. There was, however

236 years ago this week, on October 15 th , the newly elected president of the now independent United States of America, George Washington, began his first presidential tour. Washington travelled across the northern states, hoping to rally support for the newly created constitution and engage with the American public. It was decisions such as these that made Washington so revered, so unifying, and so popular.    Yet, the great nation that he set out to create has certainly di

Cuba and the Crisis of Control    By the early 1960s, Cuba had become the site of America’s deepest anxieties. The island was no longer a distant periphery, instead becoming a hostile presence within breathing distance of the Florida coast. Fidel Castro’s revolution in 1959, and his subsequent alignment with the Soviet Union, transformed Cuba into the Cold War’s most immediate fault line. For Washington, the challenge was not merely strategic but symbolic. To tolerate Castro

Following the U.S. withdrawal from Saigon in 1975, many attributed the military’s defeat in Vietnam to public opinion turning against the war and politicians refusing to send more money and troops. Whilst these were two elements that made winning the war harder for the U.S., they downplay the struggle of the Viet Cong guerrillas and the North Vietnamese Army’s (NVA) leadership, as well as the U.S. alienating their allies.   After the expulsion of French colonial rule in 1955,

The Industrial Revolution constituted a pivotal shift in Britain’s socio-economic structure, propelling the nation from a predominantly rural economy into the age of urban-industrial power. Central to this shift were technological innovations and changing production patterns. By the late eighteenth century, Britain had established itself as a preeminent commercial and industrial power.   A microhistorical examination of local industrial communities provides a more nuanced und

During World War Two, the town of Kenilworth was largely seen as a safe haven for those in the line of danger – away from the nearby industrial cities of Coventry and Birmingham which were enduring heavy bombing raids. Kenilworth’s surrounding pastures and historic past presented an ideal location to evacuate children to, and consequently, Kenilworth’s evacuee population was one of the highest in the region. Nevertheless, the early hours of the 21st of November 1940 brought t

In 1895, Warwick Castle hosted one of the grandest balls ever to take place within its walls – a fancy-dress party inspired by pre-revolutionary French aristocracy, attended by no fewer than four hundred of England’s wealthiest. The event was so extravagant it overwhelmed every high-end hairdresser and costumer in London. Its purpose? To welcome the 5th Earl of Warwick and his wife to their newly inherited estate. But while it was Francis Greville who assumed his father’s tit

In September 1973, Chilean President Salvador Allende’s elected government was overthrown in a coup led by General Augusto Pinochet, ushering in a dictatorship defined by repression, torture, and forced disappearances. Academics and students were among the hardest hit, as Chilean universities were dismantled and dissent harshly punished. In response, the UK-based NGO World University Service (WUS), with support from British universities including Warwick, created a programme

Brutalism is an architectural style that emphasises the literal expression of materials, rejecting traditional ideals of photographic beauty in favour of overt structural clarity. It is distinctly uncompromising and devoid of ornamentation, resulting in rough shapes with asymmetrical proportions composed of modern materials such as concrete, steel, glass, and brick. The movement holds particular historical significance in Coventry, although the city’s use of the style aligns

Destruction A heartland of the aircraft and munitions industries, Coventry was a strategic target during the Battle of Britain. During the Coventry Blitz, air raids escalated throughout 1940, culminating in Operation Moonlight Sonata , when more than five hundred Luftwaffe aircraft dropped high explosives, incendiary bombs, and landmines on Coventry’s compact commercial, industrial, and residential centres. Most striking was the destruction of the Cathedral Church of Saint Mi

Born in Leamington Spa on 13 October 1915, Sir Terry Frost would go on to become one of Britain’s most prominent abstract artists, with...

In the nineteenth century, Britain faced a series of devastating epidemics. Cholera, typhus, and scarlet fever claimed hundreds of...

In 1947, a cult leader named Aleister Crowley died alone in a Sussex boarding house, surrounded by occult objects and a large supply of...

The Marshall Plan, officially known as the European Recovery Plan (ERP), was announced in 1947 as part of the U.S.’ effort to secure...

This year marks seventy years since the publication of W.G. Hoskins’ The Making of the English Landscape  (1955), a work that played a...

Throughout the Cold War, the spectre of communism was as much a political ritual as it was a perceived reality, summoned whenever...

"Peace is not merely the absence of conflict, but the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means."  – Ronald Reagan    Since its...

In the autumn of 1830, the fields of southern and eastern England ignited in protest. Hayricks burned, threshing machines were smashed,...