Richard Baxell
@richardbaxell.bsky.social
British historian writing about the International Brigades.
Author of Unlikely Warriors, the British in the Spanish Civil War. Recent collection of biographies, Forged in Spain, published by theclaptonpress.bsky.social.
richardbaxell.info for more.
Author of Unlikely Warriors, the British in the Spanish Civil War. Recent collection of biographies, Forged in Spain, published by theclaptonpress.bsky.social.
richardbaxell.info for more.
Reposted by Richard Baxell
So it's that time of year when you might be thinking about a unique gift for your loved ones. Well what could be more unique than a hand-sketched or painted picture of your pets, family, best friends and/or worst enemies?
Open for festive commissions with following prices:
Open for festive commissions with following prices:
November 19, 2025 at 11:39 AM
So it's that time of year when you might be thinking about a unique gift for your loved ones. Well what could be more unique than a hand-sketched or painted picture of your pets, family, best friends and/or worst enemies?
Open for festive commissions with following prices:
Open for festive commissions with following prices:
Reposted by Richard Baxell
Boris Johnson didn't apologise to Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, even when she told him in person the lasting impact his comments about her had on her detention in Iran, her husband tells the BBC
November 23, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Boris Johnson didn't apologise to Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, even when she told him in person the lasting impact his comments about her had on her detention in Iran, her husband tells the BBC
Of course he did.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Boris Johnson took four days off as NHS warned Covid could ‘overwhelm’ system
Files show then PM was walking dog, riding motorbike and hosting guests as pandemic planning stalled in ‘lost month’
www.theguardian.com
November 22, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Of course he did.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Richard Baxell
Don't forget that tomorrow I will be giving a FREE talk on #ChurchillsSpaniards and #EspañolesContraElNazismo at the Manchester Central Hall at 2pm. Email [email protected] to guarantee a place. Thanks to IBMT Manchester & Instituto Cervantes Manchester !! #ContinuingtheFight
November 21, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Don't forget that tomorrow I will be giving a FREE talk on #ChurchillsSpaniards and #EspañolesContraElNazismo at the Manchester Central Hall at 2pm. Email [email protected] to guarantee a place. Thanks to IBMT Manchester & Instituto Cervantes Manchester !! #ContinuingtheFight
Reposted by Richard Baxell
UK Covid inquiry:
Chairwoman of the inquiry, former judge Baroness Hallett, said the UK's response could be summarised as "too little, too late"
Lockdown could have been avoided - but action came too late
'Chaotic' government with key figures criticised including Dominic Cummings & Boris Johnson
Chairwoman of the inquiry, former judge Baroness Hallett, said the UK's response could be summarised as "too little, too late"
Lockdown could have been avoided - but action came too late
'Chaotic' government with key figures criticised including Dominic Cummings & Boris Johnson
November 20, 2025 at 5:26 PM
UK Covid inquiry:
Chairwoman of the inquiry, former judge Baroness Hallett, said the UK's response could be summarised as "too little, too late"
Lockdown could have been avoided - but action came too late
'Chaotic' government with key figures criticised including Dominic Cummings & Boris Johnson
Chairwoman of the inquiry, former judge Baroness Hallett, said the UK's response could be summarised as "too little, too late"
Lockdown could have been avoided - but action came too late
'Chaotic' government with key figures criticised including Dominic Cummings & Boris Johnson
Reposted by Richard Baxell
Five years after starting it, my new book "Travels through the Spanish Civil War" is published today by @hurstpublishers.bsky.social (5 Dec in the US). Available in bookshops and whereever you get your books online. hurstpublishers.com/book/travels...
Announcing Zoom presentation soon
Many thanks!
Announcing Zoom presentation soon
Many thanks!
November 20, 2025 at 10:48 AM
Five years after starting it, my new book "Travels through the Spanish Civil War" is published today by @hurstpublishers.bsky.social (5 Dec in the US). Available in bookshops and whereever you get your books online. hurstpublishers.com/book/travels...
Announcing Zoom presentation soon
Many thanks!
Announcing Zoom presentation soon
Many thanks!
Reposted by Richard Baxell
Applications are now invited for the Society's 2026-27 Centenary PhD Fellowships for early career historians completing a doctorate bit.ly/48pWB72
Fellowships provide support of £8500 per award for 6 months and are held jointly with @ihr.bsky.social. Closing date: 31 January 2026 #Skystorians
Fellowships provide support of £8500 per award for 6 months and are held jointly with @ihr.bsky.social. Closing date: 31 January 2026 #Skystorians
Applications invited for the Society's Centenary PhD Fellowships, 2026-27 - RHS
Applications are now invited for the Royal Historical Society’s Centenary PhD Fellowships to support postgraduate historians to complete a doctorate. Two Fellowships, of six months each, are offered f...
bit.ly
November 20, 2025 at 8:13 AM
Applications are now invited for the Society's 2026-27 Centenary PhD Fellowships for early career historians completing a doctorate bit.ly/48pWB72
Fellowships provide support of £8500 per award for 6 months and are held jointly with @ihr.bsky.social. Closing date: 31 January 2026 #Skystorians
Fellowships provide support of £8500 per award for 6 months and are held jointly with @ihr.bsky.social. Closing date: 31 January 2026 #Skystorians
Reposted by Richard Baxell
Great, as always, to talk with @eoghangilmartin.bsky.social, correspondent in Spain for @jacobinmag.bsky.social, as part of the @sobremesapod.bsky.social.
open.spotify.com/episode/5LrQ...
open.spotify.com/episode/5LrQ...
Franco Anniversary: What Is His Regime's Legacy after 50 Years?
open.spotify.com
November 19, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Great, as always, to talk with @eoghangilmartin.bsky.social, correspondent in Spain for @jacobinmag.bsky.social, as part of the @sobremesapod.bsky.social.
open.spotify.com/episode/5LrQ...
open.spotify.com/episode/5LrQ...
Reposted by Richard Baxell
🎉 All stipendiary IHR Fellowships, Bursaries, & Prizes are now LIVE! 🎉
universityoflondon.smapply.io/prog/lst/
(All of our open competitions start with "IHR" in the title.)
Got a question? Please check the application page & our website for more information.
www.history.ac.uk/fellowships-...
universityoflondon.smapply.io/prog/lst/
(All of our open competitions start with "IHR" in the title.)
Got a question? Please check the application page & our website for more information.
www.history.ac.uk/fellowships-...
Programs - School of Advanced Study
universityoflondon.smapply.io
November 19, 2025 at 3:30 PM
🎉 All stipendiary IHR Fellowships, Bursaries, & Prizes are now LIVE! 🎉
universityoflondon.smapply.io/prog/lst/
(All of our open competitions start with "IHR" in the title.)
Got a question? Please check the application page & our website for more information.
www.history.ac.uk/fellowships-...
universityoflondon.smapply.io/prog/lst/
(All of our open competitions start with "IHR" in the title.)
Got a question? Please check the application page & our website for more information.
www.history.ac.uk/fellowships-...
Reposted by Richard Baxell
Inked or pencil sketches from £40 (A4)
Painted portraits from £200 (24x30cm)
Digital sketches also available from £20
Shout if you want some examples and please do share! 🙏
Painted portraits from £200 (24x30cm)
Digital sketches also available from £20
Shout if you want some examples and please do share! 🙏
November 19, 2025 at 11:39 AM
Inked or pencil sketches from £40 (A4)
Painted portraits from £200 (24x30cm)
Digital sketches also available from £20
Shout if you want some examples and please do share! 🙏
Painted portraits from £200 (24x30cm)
Digital sketches also available from £20
Shout if you want some examples and please do share! 🙏
The Silence of Others is a must-watch. Really excellent programme.
This was broadcast on tv while I was living in Spain, as victims of Spain’s 40-years under Franco organized an international lawsuit to fight the “pact of forgetting” around the crimes they suffered. A cautionary tale about fascism and the dangers of forgetting the past.
November 19, 2025 at 11:22 AM
The Silence of Others is a must-watch. Really excellent programme.
This piece by María Ramírez is excellent. As she says,
'forgetting history can make you take for granted the democratic freedoms that need constant vigilance and protection.' A lesson for us all...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
'forgetting history can make you take for granted the democratic freedoms that need constant vigilance and protection.' A lesson for us all...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
I grew up in Spain amid a collective amnesia about Franco. It is time we faced up to our dark past | María Ramírez
This week marks 50 years of Spanish democracy, but the failure to talk more about the crimes of the dictatorship leaves us vulnerable, says the journalist María Ramírez
www.theguardian.com
November 19, 2025 at 10:26 AM
This piece by María Ramírez is excellent. As she says,
'forgetting history can make you take for granted the democratic freedoms that need constant vigilance and protection.' A lesson for us all...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
'forgetting history can make you take for granted the democratic freedoms that need constant vigilance and protection.' A lesson for us all...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
'More than 21% of those surveyed felt the Franco era was “good” or “very good”.'
Not so good for those lying in unmarked shallow graves.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Not so good for those lying in unmarked shallow graves.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
‘Dangerous nostalgia’: did Spain’s ‘pact of forgetting’ after Franco leave new generation open to far right?
Events to mark the 50th anniversary of dictator’s death are intended to remind Spaniards, particularly the young, of the dangers of fascism
www.theguardian.com
November 19, 2025 at 9:07 AM
'More than 21% of those surveyed felt the Franco era was “good” or “very good”.'
Not so good for those lying in unmarked shallow graves.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Not so good for those lying in unmarked shallow graves.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Reposted by Richard Baxell
This perfectly encapsulates why we need the BBC
November 13, 2025 at 2:12 PM
This perfectly encapsulates why we need the BBC
Reposted by Richard Baxell
JOB
College Lectureship and Fellowship in Modern History and Politics (c20), Trinity College, Cambridge
[This includes a teaching requirement for International Relations]
www.trin.cam.ac.uk/vacancies/co...
College Lectureship and Fellowship in Modern History and Politics (c20), Trinity College, Cambridge
[This includes a teaching requirement for International Relations]
www.trin.cam.ac.uk/vacancies/co...
College Lectureship and Fellowship in Modern History and Politics
Applications are invited for appointment to a College Lectureship in Modern History and Politics, together with a Fellowship, tenable for five years in the first instance, with the possibility of…
www.trin.cam.ac.uk
November 11, 2025 at 9:50 PM
JOB
College Lectureship and Fellowship in Modern History and Politics (c20), Trinity College, Cambridge
[This includes a teaching requirement for International Relations]
www.trin.cam.ac.uk/vacancies/co...
College Lectureship and Fellowship in Modern History and Politics (c20), Trinity College, Cambridge
[This includes a teaching requirement for International Relations]
www.trin.cam.ac.uk/vacancies/co...
Reposted by Richard Baxell
Boris Johnson says the idea that criticism of the BBC is being organised by the right is ‘complete and utter bollocks’, which makes me think there might be something in it.
November 11, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Boris Johnson says the idea that criticism of the BBC is being organised by the right is ‘complete and utter bollocks’, which makes me think there might be something in it.
Reposted by Richard Baxell
Memorial to the Jewish volunteers of the International Brigades. It plays with Star of David and the 3-point of the IB. Around 20% (about 7,000) of Brigaders were Jewish. Fossar de la Pedrera, the mass grave of the victims of the Franco regime in Barcelona, Montjüic cemetery
November 9, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Memorial to the Jewish volunteers of the International Brigades. It plays with Star of David and the 3-point of the IB. Around 20% (about 7,000) of Brigaders were Jewish. Fossar de la Pedrera, the mass grave of the victims of the Franco regime in Barcelona, Montjüic cemetery
Reposted by Richard Baxell
NEW EPISODE!!
Spanish Football under Franco: Sportswashing Avant la Lettre
@eoghangilmartin.bsky.social talks to Alex Quiroga about the use of football as a propaganda tool under the Francisco Franco dictatorship
Spotify:
open.spotify.com/episode/6xD6...
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/es/podcast/s...
Spanish Football under Franco: Sportswashing Avant la Lettre
@eoghangilmartin.bsky.social talks to Alex Quiroga about the use of football as a propaganda tool under the Francisco Franco dictatorship
Spotify:
open.spotify.com/episode/6xD6...
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/es/podcast/s...
Spanish Football under Franco: Sportswashing Avant la Lettre
open.spotify.com
November 4, 2025 at 10:53 PM
NEW EPISODE!!
Spanish Football under Franco: Sportswashing Avant la Lettre
@eoghangilmartin.bsky.social talks to Alex Quiroga about the use of football as a propaganda tool under the Francisco Franco dictatorship
Spotify:
open.spotify.com/episode/6xD6...
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/es/podcast/s...
Spanish Football under Franco: Sportswashing Avant la Lettre
@eoghangilmartin.bsky.social talks to Alex Quiroga about the use of football as a propaganda tool under the Francisco Franco dictatorship
Spotify:
open.spotify.com/episode/6xD6...
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/es/podcast/s...
'Rosalind Franklin has been reduced to the “wronged heroine” of the double helix [but] she deserves to be remembered not as the victim of the double helix, but as an equal contributor to the solution of the structure.'
If I see one more stupid Rosalind Franklin take I'm going to lose my mind. Thank god for @matthewcobb.bsky.social and @nccomfort.bsky.social. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
What Rosalind Franklin truly contributed to the discovery of DNA’s structure
Franklin was no victim in how the DNA double helix was solved. An overlooked letter and an unpublished news article, both written in 1953, reveal that she was an equal player.
www.nature.com
November 8, 2025 at 11:41 AM
'Rosalind Franklin has been reduced to the “wronged heroine” of the double helix [but] she deserves to be remembered not as the victim of the double helix, but as an equal contributor to the solution of the structure.'
Reposted by Richard Baxell
incredible photo that's definitely worth at least 1,000 words from Andrew Harnik of Getty
November 6, 2025 at 6:10 PM
incredible photo that's definitely worth at least 1,000 words from Andrew Harnik of Getty
Looking forward to this!
www.thegardencinema.co.uk/film/land-an...
www.thegardencinema.co.uk/film/land-an...
Land and Freedom / The Garden Cinema
The screening will be followed by a conversation between Professor Paul Preston and historian and author Richard Baxell. David is an unemployed communist that comes to Spain in 1937 during the civil w...
www.thegardencinema.co.uk
November 5, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Looking forward to this!
www.thegardencinema.co.uk/film/land-an...
www.thegardencinema.co.uk/film/land-an...
Reposted by Richard Baxell
Well done Spain! It's taken a while but this is great news. Very pleased for Peter and all the other descendents around the world.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Spain grants citizenship to descendants of civil war’s International Brigades
About 32,000 volunteered to fight Franco dictatorship, including 2,500 men and women from Britain and Ireland
www.theguardian.com
November 4, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Well done Spain! It's taken a while but this is great news. Very pleased for Peter and all the other descendents around the world.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
More than one in three think he's doing a good job? Really? 🤦♂️
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Trump approval rating falls to second-term low of 37%
New CNN/SSRS survey shows decline in president’s popularity as 68% of respondents say things going badly
www.theguardian.com
November 3, 2025 at 11:17 PM
More than one in three think he's doing a good job? Really? 🤦♂️
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...