History & Memory

The British Empire Was Not a Vibes-Based Institution.

The question is not whether empire was good or bad.

Aug 17 • Tom J. Elston

Munich, Suez, and the Curse of the Easy Analogy.

The curse of the easy analogy is not that it remembers the past. It is that it remembers the past just well enough to stop thinking.

Jul 27 • Tom J. Elston

The Past Was Not Simpler. You Just Know Less About It.

"Things were simpler then."

Jul 6 • Tom J. Elston

The New Jerusalem Was Built with Ration Books.

Why we keep misremembering Attlee, 1945, and the post-war settlement.

Jun 29 • Tom J. Elston

Sykes-Picot and the Comfort of a Bad Explanation.

The borders they didn’t draw, and why we pretend they did.

May 28 • Tom J. Elston

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