WELCOME

Back in our second issue, at the start of 2017, we asked if the Cold War ever really ended. Since then, tensions between Russia and the west seem only to have increased. In March, diplomats on both sides were expelled following the poisoning, suspected to have been carried out by Russian agents, of a former KGB officer in the British city of Salisbury. By mid-April, Moscow’s UN ambassador was warning that the UK “will be sorry” for its reaction to the incident, and Russia was suggesting there may be “consequences” for British, French and American military intervention in Syria.

This issue, we’ve put together a package of features exploring the longer historical context of Russia’s relationship with the rest of the world. From page 14, a specially extended Big Question feature brings together nine leading experts to explore some of the key factors behind recent events. Has Russia always played by its own rules? Why does it often seem to want to operate outside of international conventions? And to what extent has this approach been directly informed by its relationship with the west?

Elsewhere, we look back 35 years to 1983, when relations between Russia and the rest of the world were perhaps even more volatile. You can read that

ISSUE 10

on page 56. And, on page 6, we ask whether recent cyberwarfare attacks suspected to have been carried out by Russia against targets in the west are so different from tactics used by other nations throughout history.

The past is nothing if not varied, though, and other features visit different places and different times. On page 40, historian and BBC presenter Christopher Harding explores the dark side of Japan’s modernisation, bringing to the surface the human stories sometimes lost amid the race to rebuild an entire nation. And, staying with the theme of everyday life in extraordinary times, we look at how totalitarian regimes shaped the experiences of their citizens in the first of a two-part feature, starting on page 22. And, if that’s still not enough reading, we tasked a panel of historians and authors to recommend the books you must read to make sense of today’s world.

That’s on page 71.

Finally, to mark this, our tenth issue, we’ve launched a reader survey to find out how we’re doing. We’d love to know what you think – good or bad – and you can tell us your thoughts on page 69. Ma￿ Elton Editor, BBC World Histories

Together with two regular titles, the BBC History Magazine team also produces a bi-weekly podcast, live events and a range of special editions exploring specific topics and periods

Available around the world, BBC History Magazine is published 13 times a year in print and many digital editions. Turn to page 79 for our latest subscription offer.

COVER ILLUSTRATION: DAVIDE BONAZZI–SALZMANART. INSIDE BACK COVER: V&A IMAGES. THIS PAGE: STEVE SAYERS–THE SECRET STUDIO

Launched in 2016, BBC World Histories complements BBC History Magazine and is published every two months.

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