Politics and Society
Understanding the world helps us to understand our place in it. Learn about the important political and social events and people that have shaped, and are shaping, our world. Referendums and elections, democracy and dictatorships, recessions and depressions come to life when we explore the people whose power politics, passions and obsessions are unpacked.
Available Classes
King/Queen Makers
<p>Kingmakers are often described as "Machiavellian" or "Svengali like", Dougie Smith is feared as a mysterious backroom "Tory Fixer"” in the UK in recent years but we hear very little about him.
...Available Classes
The Silk Roads
<p>The "Silk Roads" is a term that conjures images of romance and the exotic. And it was all of that. But it was more. It joined the East and the West for over 2,000 years. It was a conduit, not just
...The Silk Roads
<p>The "Silk Roads" is a term that conjures images of romance and the exotic. And it was all of that. But it was more. It joined the East and the West for over 2,000 years. It was a conduit, not just
...Available Classes
France on Trial 1945-2025
<p>France is still coming to terms with the events of 1940-1945 when the Vichy government of France led by “the hero of Verdun,” Marshal Petain, collaborated with the Nazi government of Germany.
...Available Classes
From Alexandria to Canton - Sailing the Monsoon Route
<p>From early in the first millennium BCE the Incense Route wound its way from the vast groves of frankincense and myrrh in “Arabia Felix” to the shores of the Mediterranean. Following the ‘discovery’
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Available Classes
Discovering Juneteenth
<p>Until recently, ‘Juneteenth’ was largely unknown outside African-American communities in the United States. It is now an official national holiday and has become known around the world. It began
...Discovering Juneteenth
<p>Until recently, ‘Juneteenth’ was largely unknown outside African-American communities in the United States. It is now an official national holiday and has become known around the world. It began
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Available Classes
Political Parties or Candidates - For Whom Should Australia Vote?
<p>Join Sandy Killick from Democracy Matters to consider if Australian voting habits are fit for purpose. Where does voting for a major political party get us in the 21st century? Do you choose a
...Available Classes
The Wages of Destruction - Economies of the Main Combatants in WWII
<p>For all the reams that have been written on the terrible conflict on WWII, surely the most significant event of the 20th century, the macroeconomic perspective is often overlooked. Learn how
...Available Classes
The Lost Kings of England
<p>The eldest sons of Henry I, Edward III, Henry VII and James I all died before their fathers. What if William (drowned in the White Ship) had succeeded and there had been no civil war between
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Available Classes
Scam Awareness - Your Best Defence
<p>Scamwatch received 301,791 scam reports in 2023. On top of that, many scams go unreported. Learn what goes on behind these scams, the steps that you can take to avoid being scammed and what to do
...Available Classes
The Amazing Bess of Hardwick (1527 - 1608)
<p>Bess of Hardwick, or the Countess of Shrewsbury, was born in 1527 to minor gentry. First widowed at 16, she went on to have four husbands and build Chatsworth House. In 1568, Elizabeth I required
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