Radical History Blog

The story of how student protests led France to the brink of full-scale revolution... Students of radical history always end up at the same question: why is it always Paris?

“How can we expect righteousness to prevail when there is hardly anyone willing to give himself up individually to a righteous cause?” Time and again, students have led the fight against oppression and totalitarianism.

How a song led to the overthrow of Portugal's fascist regime... At 10:55am on 24 April 1974, Paulo de Carvalho's song “E Depois do Adeus” was played on Lisbon radio.

The story of John Muir, the Father of the National Parks... America was a country built on immigration, so it seems only right that one of the most influential Americans ever was in fact a man from Scotland.

The revolutionary leader who liberated his people and took on Napoleon's army... Though fallen thyself, never to rise again, Live, and take comfort!

We've all heard of William Wilberforce - but what about the lesser-known abolitionist hero, Thomas Clarkson?Few people knew Georgian England better than Thomas Clarkson (1760-1846).

The story of how Mexico regained control over its natural resources...

They're incredibly relevant to today's political and economic landscape - but who exactly were the Luddites? What is “progress”? Is it new technology, making daily life more efficient than ever before? Machines that can do our own jobs for us? Maybe.

Everyone's heard of the French Revolution - but did you know there was more than one? Revolutions don’t usually begin with dinner parties. By 1848, France had been the European champion of revolutionary politics for half a century.

How a group of university students became leaders in the anti-Nazi resistance By the time Hitler invaded Poland in 1939, organised anti-fascism in Germany had been long-since crushed.