21st Century

Expert history articles and analysis about the global events of the 21st century…

Fires burn in Baghdad following an attack on the Iraqi capital, March 2003. The motives for the war continue to spark controversy (Photo by Mirrorpix/Getty Images)

“The early 2000s was a strange era of fear and terror”: remembering the Iraq War 20 years on

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Pod Hilary French WL

How ballroom dancing gripped Britain . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A montage of images, including: Ukrainians in Rome protest against the Russian invasion; 2: Chinese Nationalist leader Chiang Kai- shek (right) in 1949, when he retreated to Taiwan; 3: The future Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III, 1950; 4: Former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng and prime minister Liz Truss, October 2022

2022: The historians’ view

Santa_Surveillance_s Glen McBeth

Q&A Why did NORAD begin tracking Santa Claus in the Cold War?

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Catherine Nixey, Rana Mitter and Michael Wood, photographed by Fran Monks for BBC History Magazine

“A vintage year for history books”: historians choose their best books of 2022 . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Tiya Miles

“Superbly written” story of women’s experiences of slavery wins the 2022 Cundill History Prize

Young woman sitting besides christmas present, smiling, portrait

20 Christmas gift ideas for history lovers

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Pod Matthew Taylor WL

World Cup history: everything you wanted to know . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Argentinian midfielder Mario Kempes celebrates a goal in the 1978 football World Cup final between hosts Argentina and Netherlands

Sportswashing: a historical perspective on a current trend

David Dimbleby commands the studio during the May 1997 general election

BBC at 100 Into the digital age

A still from American-made war epic All Quiet on the Western Front

All Quiet On The Western Front Why its lessons still matter today

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Pod Philip Murphy WL

Writing the history of the modern monarchy . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Queen Elizabeth II sends her first Tweet during a visit to the 'Information Age' Exhibition at the Science Museum on October 24, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

How did the world change during Queen Elizabeth II’s reign?

Princess Diana in 1994, attending an event at London’s Serpentine Gallery (left), and Elizabeth Debicki as Diana, portraying the same moment in the so-called 'revenge dress' in The Crown

Free-spirited drama or fake news? How The Crown morphed from ‘safe’ territory to controversy

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Pod Fern Riddell N Tallis WL

Are period dramas damaging history? . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.