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Blog History of government
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The National Archives, Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street

Professor Patrick Salmon

What’s the context? Foundation of the German Empire, 18 January 1871

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: FCDO Historians, Foreign affairs and diplomacy, What's the context? series
Artwork showing a large group of military men in a room

This war represents the German revolution, a greater political event than the French revolution of last century. . . . Not a single principle in the management of our foreign affairs, accepted by all statesmen for guidance up to six …

What’s the context? The release of Nelson Mandela, 11 February 1990

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Foreign affairs and diplomacy, Foreign Office Historians, What's the context? series
Mandela

Nelson Mandela’s release on 11 February 1990, after 27 years in jail, symbolised the end of apartheid in South Africa. It was a tribute to one man’s endurance. It was also the result of decades of political, economic and social change that had brought apartheid to the brink of destruction.

What’s the context? The Fall of the Berlin Wall, 9 - 10 November 1989

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Foreign affairs and diplomacy, Foreign Office Historians, What's the context? series
People atop the Berlin Wall near the Brandenburg Gate on 09 November 1989

I stood in the square talking to East Germans and asked them what they were going to buy. They said first of all, Südfrüchte . . . tropical fruit, a very understandable thing because they didn’t have nearly as much …

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History of government

This blog gives insights into the history of government – its development, its departments and some of the roles and people involved. Find out more.

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