Collapse and rise

I n 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. That, at least, is what the famous rhyme tells us. Memorising such dates is a common experience of being taught history – a cliché superbly lampooned by the w

How the Qin forged a great power from the fragments of the Warring States

So did Gerry and the Pacemakers. Still, suppose we should, after Portia in The Merchant of Venice, afford them some Quality of Mersey. I’ve previously [FT255:17] surveyed the archæology and history of

I greatly enjoyed your interview with Alice Roberts about her new book Domination, (Books Interview, September), and its argument that the church was essentially Rome rebadged, with its structures and

Daniel Johnson worries that an illiberal America and a war-torn, world-weary Europe are failing to champion our Western civilisational values of liberty, democracy and the rule of law

The strong social norms of Britain’s working class helped generations of immigrants integrate. But today’s fractured society makes that far harder, with worrying implications for the future