Category: Features
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Going Against the Soviet Leadership: A Timeline of the Prague Spring of 1968
Helene Chaligne discuses Alexander Dubček rise to power in Czechoslovakia, initiating the Prague Spring with his push for reforms, including “socialism with a human face.” Despite initial success, Soviet intervention crushed the movement, reinstating severe censorship. The aftermath inspired future resistance and led to the eventual democratization in 1989.
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Ethics of Looking: The Appeal of Female Agony
Ami John analyses the contentious but deeply relevant idea of female agony through the lens of the ancient Roman sculpture, Nymph and Satyr.
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Oink Oink Mr President: The Pig that Threatened War between the US and Britain
Kate Taylor recounts the unlikely chain of events in 1859 that nearly triggered a full-scale conflict between two global powers—all because of a single pig on San Juan Island
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The Day the Middle Ages Died: Rethinking the Renaissance Myth
Tara Laize challenges the classic story that Europe suddenly emerged from darkness into the Renaissance.
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The Great Emu War
Elizabeth Hall details the ‘Great Emu War’ of Australia, considering the worldwide economic instability which caused it, as well as how farmers and the Australian Government reacted.
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The Death (and Rebirth) of the British Wildcat Strike
Finley Farrell explores why the wildcat strike declined in Britain during the Thatcher era, before discussing the recent revival of this form of protest.
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Melancholy and Determinism in Early Modern Art
Abby Hughes explores what Lucas Cranach’s 1532 painting, An Allegory of Melancholy, tells us in comparison to Albrecht Durer’s 1514 print, Melencolia I.
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Inequality in Britain’s Healthcare
Lauren Hood discusses the establishment of the NHS in Britain, highlighting initial public scepticism and doctors’ concerns over financial impacts. Despite its aim to provide equal healthcare access, disparities persist, exacerbated by increased privatization. The NHS remains a source of national pride, yet faces ongoing criticism regarding service quality and accessibility issues.
Retrospect Journal 