Christopher Hill: The Life of a Radical Historian
A luminous biography of one of the 20th century's most influential historians
Christopher Hill was one of his generation’s leading historians. His work fundamentally rewrote our understanding of a pivotal moment in British history: the English Revolution and the development of the modern British state. While his career earned him many of the trappings of establishment respectability – he was both a Fellow of the British Academy and the Master of Balliol College, Oxford – he was also seen as a threat by that very same establishment. As a member of the Communist Party, Hill was surveilled by the security services for decades, before being publicly accused in the 1980s of having been a Soviet agent during the war.
In this brilliant biography, Michael Braddick charts Hill’s development from his abandonment of the respectable provincial Methodism of his youth, through his embrace of Marxism, to his membership and eventual break with the Communist Party in 1957. While many of his books – not least the thrilling work of historical resurrection The World Turned Upside Down and his classic biography of Oliver Cromwell, God’s Englishman – are still widely read and admired, his intellectual reputation was damaged by sustained partisan criticism in the politically charged atmosphere of the 1980s.
Braddick’s judicious biography not only situates the life and work in their historical context but seeks to rescue Hill for a new generation of readers.
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Christopher Hill was one of his generation’s leading historians. His work fundamentally rewrote our understanding of a pivotal moment in British history: the English Revolution and the development of the modern British state. While his career earned him many of the trappings of establishment respectability – he was both a Fellow of the British Academy and the Master of Balliol College, Oxford – he was also seen as a threat by that very same establishment. As a member of the Communist Party, Hill was surveilled by the security services for decades, before being publicly accused in the 1980s of having been a Soviet agent during the war.
In this brilliant biography, Michael Braddick charts Hill’s development from his abandonment of the respectable provincial Methodism of his youth, through his embrace of Marxism, to his membership and eventual break with the Communist Party in 1957. While many of his books – not least the thrilling work of historical resurrection The World Turned Upside Down and his classic biography of Oliver Cromwell, God’s Englishman – are still widely read and admired, his intellectual reputation was damaged by sustained partisan criticism in the politically charged atmosphere of the 1980s.
Braddick’s judicious biography not only situates the life and work in their historical context but seeks to rescue Hill for a new generation of readers.
Christopher Hill: The Life of a Radical Historian
A luminous biography of one of the 20th century's most influential historians
Christopher Hill was one of his generation’s leading historians. His work fundamentally rewrote our understanding of a pivotal moment in British history: the English Revolution and the development of the modern British state. While his career earned him many of the trappings of establishment respectability – he was both a Fellow of the British Academy and the Master of Balliol College, Oxford – he was also seen as a threat by that very same establishment. As a member of the Communist Party, Hill was surveilled by the security services for decades, before being publicly accused in the 1980s of having been a Soviet agent during the war.
In this brilliant biography, Michael Braddick charts Hill’s development from his abandonment of the respectable provincial Methodism of his youth, through his embrace of Marxism, to his membership and eventual break with the Communist Party in 1957. While many of his books – not least the thrilling work of historical resurrection The World Turned Upside Down and his classic biography of Oliver Cromwell, God’s Englishman – are still widely read and admired, his intellectual reputation was damaged by sustained partisan criticism in the politically charged atmosphere of the 1980s.
Braddick’s judicious biography not only situates the life and work in their historical context but seeks to rescue Hill for a new generation of readers.
Christopher Hill was one of his generation’s leading historians. His work fundamentally rewrote our understanding of a pivotal moment in British history: the English Revolution and the development of the modern British state. While his career earned him many of the trappings of establishment respectability – he was both a Fellow of the British Academy and the Master of Balliol College, Oxford – he was also seen as a threat by that very same establishment. As a member of the Communist Party, Hill was surveilled by the security services for decades, before being publicly accused in the 1980s of having been a Soviet agent during the war.
In this brilliant biography, Michael Braddick charts Hill’s development from his abandonment of the respectable provincial Methodism of his youth, through his embrace of Marxism, to his membership and eventual break with the Communist Party in 1957. While many of his books – not least the thrilling work of historical resurrection The World Turned Upside Down and his classic biography of Oliver Cromwell, God’s Englishman – are still widely read and admired, his intellectual reputation was damaged by sustained partisan criticism in the politically charged atmosphere of the 1980s.
Braddick’s judicious biography not only situates the life and work in their historical context but seeks to rescue Hill for a new generation of readers.
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Christopher Hill: The Life of a Radical Historian
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Christopher Hill: The Life of a Radical Historian
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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781839760778 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Verso Books |
| Publication date: | 04/15/2025 |
| Pages: | 288 |
| Product dimensions: | 9.20(w) x 6.00(h) x (d) |
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