“Teaching the history of the British Empire links in with that of the w...” — Antony Beevor Quote

“Teaching the history of the British Empire links in with that of the world: for better and for worse, the Empire made us what we are, forming our national identity. A country that does not understand its own history is unlikely to respect that of others.”

“When I started to write, I realised that you need a bit of both: the overall context as well as the individual's experience.”

“One has this image of the Soviet state and the Red Army as being extremely disciplined but in the first four months of 1945 their soldiers were completely out of control.”

“I just love the days when you come out of the archives with half a dozen excellent descriptions or poignant accounts of personal experiences.”

“I have come across both inspiring teachers of history and deplorable ones over the years, so one cannot generalise, except perhaps to observe that the profession seems to encourage anti-militarist sentiments.”

“I used to write in a room overlooking the valley from where I could see too much, whether checking the sheep and alpacas or seeing the trout rise on the lake.”

“The oppressed peoples can liberate themselves only through struggle. This is a simple and clear truth confirmed by history.”

“There was no United States before slavery. I am sure somebody can make some sort of argument about modern French identity and slavery and North Africa, but there simply is no American history before black people.”

“You can't supervise your own history.”

“I think really, China, Chinese, I think they really have a long history of civilization, rich culture.”

“History repeats itself, and so does fashion.”

“I've done some analysis of the biblical stories as part of my psychological work. I knew that I had more to do, and every time I've done it, it's been extremely valuable. It makes me a better teacher because I have a richer understanding of cultural history.”