History
The History Group is currently meeting in a hybrid format with face to face meetings at Brinksole House, Kingspit Lane, Petworth GU28 0HF and simultaneously via Zoom. It meets at 2pm on the fourth Thursday of each month.
We have begun a study of Ancient Civilisations with a look at the 4th millennium BCE developments in the Indus Valley. Sessions on Ancient Egypt, Assyria, Democracy in Ancient Greece and Alexander the Great will follow as we further consider civilisation in Egypt, Greece, China, the Mediterranean and Near East as well as Meso-America.
A list of recent topics is shown below and we keep an archive of available material from past presentations. If you would like to see any of our presentations to get a flavour of what we do please message Norman Kirby (the group leader) via our Contacts page.
American Caesars – 12 US Presidents – FDR to George W Bush
The History of China – introduction and various talks from ancient times to Mao Zedong
Chinese painting
Chinese gardens
Bayeux Tapestry
Book of Kells
The North Sea:
Geology
Anglo-Saxons
Vikings
Middle Ages
Charlemagne
History of Scotland
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Stephen & Mathilda
Reformations
Minoan Civilisation
The History of Russia
Introduction
Kievan Rus
Golden Horde
Rise of Muscovy
Ivan the Terrible and Boris Godunov
Peter the Great
Catherine the Great
Alexander I and Napoleon
Peter the Great
The end of the Romanovs
Russian revolutions
Russia 1917-1941
Stalingrad
Russia in World War II
The Cold War
Russia post Stalin
Glasnost, perestroika and Gorbachev
Boris Yeltsin
Vladimir Putin
Florence Nightingale
Mongol Empire
Tamerlane
History of Persia
Towns on the Silk Road
English Social History
Introduction
Social history 800-1200
Medieval literature
Titus Salt
Poverty and the Poor Law
Social Reformers