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DECEMBER 2013

CONTENTS

Features

The Plantagenets ruled England for 331 years. To discover the secrets to the dynasty’s longevity, turn to page 30

20 Alfred the Great: a lucky king? Alex Burghart considers whether the Anglo-Saxon ruler’s victories over the Vikings were the result of good fortune

30 England’s ultimate family drama Robert Bartlett explains how the Plantagenet dynasty clung on to the throne of England for over 300 years

36 A Tudor of rare talent Alison Weir champions Elizabeth of York, whose marriage to Henry VII helped establish the Tudor era

43 The Cold War in your living room Dominic Sandbrook reveals how international tensions dominated British culture in the postwar period

50 JFK: style over substance? Mark White assesses the short, but dramatic, presidency of John F Kennedy, 50 years a er his assassination

56 What if Kennedy had lived? Expert historians o er their opinions on how the world might have been di erent had JFK not been killed

Every month

7 HISTORY NOW 7 The latest history news

10 Backgrounder: high-speed rail 12 Lessons from history 13 Past notes

14 ANNIVERSARIES 18 LETTERS 27 MICHAEL WOOD’S VIEW 61 BOOKS Experts review new releases, and

Margaret MacMillan discusses her book on the First World War

73 TV & RADIO 7 3 The pick of this month’s history programmes 76 History on lm: Wells and Shaw

78 OUT & ABOUT 78 History explorer: Simon Thurley on the rise of the factories 82 Ten things to do in December 84 Ye olde travel guide: Ballarat, 1854

91 MISCELLANY 91 Q&A and quiz

94 Prize crossword

98 MY HISTORY HERO AlMurrayonBernardMontgomery

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USPS Identification Statement BBC HISTORY (ISSN 1469-8552) (USPS 024-177) December 2013 is published 13 times a year under license from BBC Worldwide by Immediate Media Company Bristol Ltd, 9th Floor, Tower House, Fairfax Street, Bristol BS1 3BN, UK. Distributed in the US by Circulation Specialists, Inc., 2 Corporate Drive, Suite 945, Shelton CT 06484-6238. Periodicals postage paid at Shelton, CT and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to BBC HISTORY, PO Box 37495, Boone, IA 50037-0495.

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