Category Archives: European History

U.S. Diplomats Lose Access to News and Information

Posted on February 19, 2025 by briansandberg

The foreign policy of the United States is being seriously harmed by the Trump administration’s political imperatives and vendettas. In the latest move, the State Department is banning access for diplomats and staff to fundamental news and information sources. “The … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, Empires and Imperialism, European History, Globalization, History in the Media, Information Management, Political Culture, State Development Theory, Strategy and International Politics, United States Foreign Policy, United States History and Society, World History | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On Kleptocracy and Imperialism

Posted on February 16, 2025 by briansandberg

The Trump administration is now promoting a foreign policy based on kleptocracy and imperialism. The Washington Post reports that “Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected a Trump administration request this week that Kyiv hand over 50 percent of its rare-earth mineral … Continue reading →

Posted in Empires and Imperialism, European History, European Studies, European Union, History of Violence, Political Culture, Political Theory, Strategy and International Politics, United States Foreign Policy, United States History and Society, War, Culture, and Society, World History | Leave a comment

The Great War and Modern Memory at 50

Posted on February 15, 2025 by briansandberg

Paul Fussell’s The Great War and Modern Memory, a classic study of British soldiers’ writings about trench warfare on the Western Front during the First World War, is now 50 years old. Dwight Garner, a book critic at The New … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural History, European History, European Studies, French History, Historiography and Social Theory, History of the Western World, History of Violence, Museums and Historical Memory, Public History, Strategy and International Politics, War and Society, War, Culture, and Society | 1 Comment

On the Growing Strength of the French Far-Right

Posted on February 14, 2025 by briansandberg

The far-right Rassemblement National (National Rally) Party continues to grow in France, threatening to topple the current government, led by centrist François Bayrou, and preparing for the next presidential election. David Broder, an political analyst who publishes on far-right movements … Continue reading →

Posted in Contemporary France, European History, European Studies, European Union, French History, Human Rights | Leave a comment

On Political Favor and Conflicts of Interest

Posted on January 17, 2025 by briansandberg

On President-elect Trump’s glaring conflicts of interest…. “During his first administration, President-elect Donald J. Trump’s global business empire created an unprecedented number of conflicts of interest for a sitting president. Ethics experts worried that opportunists could try to curry favor … Continue reading →

Posted in Court Studies, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern France, Early Modern World, European History, French History, Noble Culture and History of Elites, Political Culture, Political Theory, Reformation History, Renaissance Art and History, State Development Theory, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On the Army of God and Religious Politics in the U.S.

Posted on January 9, 2025 by briansandberg

A new report in The Atlantic focuses on the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) in contemporary Christianity and its growing influence in the political culture of the United States. Stephanie McCrummen writes: “A shift is under way, one that scholars have … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, European Wars of Religion, French Wars of Religion, Intellectual History, Political Activism and Protest Culture, Political Culture, Reformation History, Religious Politics, Religious Violence, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

France’s Far-Right Embraces Jean-Marie Le Pen

Posted on January 8, 2025 by briansandberg

French far-right political leader Jean-Marie Le Pen died this week. In 1972, Le Pen founded the Front National (National Front) and gradually built it into the preeminent far-right political party in France. Jean-Marie Le Pen was a former military intelligence … Continue reading →

Posted in Contemporary France, European History, European Studies, European Union, French History, Museums and Historical Memory, Political Culture | Leave a comment

History of Science and Versailles

Posted on January 8, 2025 by briansandberg

London’s Science Museum is currently displaying an exhibition on Versailles: Science and Splendour, which draws on recent studies in the history of science in early modern France. The Financial Times reports that “The engine of the exhibition is the relationship … Continue reading →

Posted in Court Studies, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern France, Early Modern World, European History, European Studies, French History, History of Medicine, History of Science, Museums and Historical Memory, Women and Gender History, World History | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Death of Front National Founder Jean-Marie Le Pen

Posted on January 7, 2025 by briansandberg

Jean-Marie Le Pen, the firebrand far-right French politician and one of the key architects of the modern neo-fascist movement in Europe, has died. The New York Times reports that “Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founding father of France’s modern political far … Continue reading →

Posted in Atrocities, Contemporary France, Empires and Imperialism, European History, European Studies, European Union, French Empire, French History, Genocides, History of Violence, Human Rights, Laws of War, Political Culture, War, Culture, and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Remembering the Charlie Hebdo Attacks

Posted on January 7, 2025 by briansandberg

Remembering the victims of the Charlie Hebdo Attacks on 7 January 2015 in Paris. I was living nearby in the Marais at the time and remember that terrible day and its aftermath vividly. It is hard to believe that 10 … Continue reading →

Posted in Contemporary France, European History, European Studies, European Union, French History, History of Violence, Museums and Historical Memory, Political Culture, Terrorism | Leave a comment