*Most of our courses are available online via Zoom sessions
Founder and Director of Studies
The late 18th and early 19th centuries were full of great upheavals both global and domestic. William Pitt (1759- 1806) was the youngest PM of Great Britain and served under George III who reigned from 1760-1820. Age and youth faced a volatile world full of revolution and war;
William Pitt was neutral regarding the re-instatement of the French monarchy after the execution of Louis XVI. Domestic problems abounded with a monarch who
became increasingly incapacitated and an indulgent George IV; reform loomed as Britain was submerged in debt with a rising population and angry Luddites resisting the advent of machines.
£220
Starting: 9/09/24 10 am -12 pm
Weekly on Mondays (10 weeks)
Founder and Director of Studies
The Persian Civilisation is greatly underestimated perhaps because the first period was relatively short c560-323BCE. It is one of many civilisations that rose from the ancient near east and extended its empire through the eastern Mediterranean into Thrace and Macedonia up to south of the Danube. Persia had an extensive culture which was much admired by Alexander the Great who went ‘native’ dressing as a Persian. The Romans respected the Persians for their logistical and communication skills.
£220
Starting: 11/09/24 10 am -12 pm
Weekly on Wednesdays (10 weeks)
During the years between the two world wars, many democracies in Europe fell victim to Fascist ideology. It took on many guises—Fascism in Italy, Nazism in Germany, Arrow Cross in Hungary, Falange in Spain, Rex Party in Belgium, Iron Guard in Romania, Action Francaise in France, among others. The course explores the meaning of Fascism, what were its characteristics and the reasons why it erupted with such violence. The question is also relevant to right- and left-wing movements in the contemporary world.
£120
Starting: 10/09/24 2 pm -4 pm
Weekly on Tuesdays (5 weeks)
This course revisits the closing years of the Cold War from the late 1970s and dominating international relations between the Unted States and the Soviet Union in the 1980s When it ended in 1991 it seemed at the time to presage the dawn of a new era of global peace, concord and international amity. The conflicts that have been fought in the world since then, most significantly the on-going Russian war in Ukraine, have cruelly made a mockery of those hopes and dreams. How this rivalry ended and the reasons why it ended – without war- remains a subject of controversy and debate.
£120
Starting: 29/10/24 2 pm -4 pm
Weekly on Tuesdays (5 weeks)
Founder and Director of Studies
Love them or hate them, cats have been human companions for centuries. Worshipped, respected and admired, ancient societies have had a complex relationship with felines. This course will persuade you to view ‘Tiddles’ in a very different way!
£50
Starting: 27/11/24 10 am -1 pm
Weekly on Wednesdays (2 weeks)
