A look at how we catorgorise UK politicsl parties and what a Party system is and how we could approach an essay defining the type of party system that best describes the UK.

In this episode I look at the events in Eastern Europe in 1988-89 that resulted from Gorbachev's New Thinking and how they would lead to the collapse of the Warsaw Pact and freedom and political changes that would effectively end the Cold War in Europe.

A look at Gorbachev and his New Thinking, including rhe impact it had on the Soviet Union, the Warsaw Pact and the Cold War with America.

A look at the period 1980-85 and the changing leadership in the USSR

Looking at Reagan’s more aggressive stance and the beginning of a more aggressive period in the Cold War after Detente.

A look at the rise of Solidarity in Poland in the ewrly 1980s, consdering its importance for the rest of the Cold War

An episode looking at the wvents around the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Sometimes described as the USSR’s Vietnam, it ended detente and drained the USSR leading to the eventual collapse of Communism in Europe.

A look at what detente was and why it happened. Its a vague idea thet reflects a concept more than an wvwnt but I’ll be looking at the impact it had on the Cold War, the key events within it and touch in its ending

A look at the development of penicillin in the fight against infections.

A look at the attitudes, causes and treatments around lung cancer in the UK targetted for the GCSE course and how it shows the devleopment in medical practice and attitudes.

In this episode, which links in with the previous one on the civil war, we look at the developmwnt of oppresive means of control and the rise of the Res Terror as the Bolsheviks establish a totalitarian dictatorship across Russia and the newly established USSR

A look at the Civil War and its impact on Russia and the Bolsheviks.

Following on from the Bolshevik seizure of power in October 1917, we look here at the decrees and actions taken to secure their control over the whole of Russia and how this in turn triggered a rise in anti-Bolshevik opposition that would lead to the Civil War.

A look at the work of the Provisional Government between February and October 1917, covering the early hopes and successes, the military failings, Lenin’s return from exile, the July Days and Kerenskey’s rise. Ultimatley we will see how the Provisional Government failed to take its chance and allowed the Bolsheviks to seize power in October 1917z

A look at how World War I changed things in Russia, leading to hige discontent and eventually the February Revolution and end of Tsairst rule.

A look at the retun to autocratic rule following the 1905 Revolution ans how the Tsar tried to ignore the demands for change. All of this helps explain why, when things went so wrong in World War I it lead to the Tsar losing all control and power in the February Revolution if 1917.

A very quick look at the Tsarist regieme, the problems it faced and of Russia as a whole up to and including the Revolution of 1905.

A quick look at Cholera and the outbreaks in 19th century London. The work of John Snow in identifying dirty water as the source and the attempts to improve the water supply.

In this episode I take a look at the work of Edward Jenner and the development of vaccines at the end if the 18th centruy and how vaccines became popular and successful at ending small pox in the UK.

In this episode we look at the work of William Harvey which disproved Galen’s theory thet the liver pumped blood and made dramatic increases in the development of anatomical understanding and medical reseach, if not in diagnosis and treatment during the 17th century.