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The statue of Cecil Rhodes at Oriel College, Oxford has been at the epicentre of debates over Britain’s imperial past. To some, he is an inspiring pioneer and philanthropist. To others, he represents everything wrong with colonialism. So should Rhodes fall? To find out, Steven Edginton is joined by Professor Nigel Biggar of Oxford University. Watch Professor Nigel Biggar's interview: https://youtu.be/qgKl3rhMYdY | Read more from The Telegraph’s award-winning comment team: www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/ | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/audio | See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When Field Marshall Douglas Haig died in 1928, many thousands came out to mourn the death of a great hero of the First World War. Yet today, the overwhelming view of the general is one of a mass murderer: A donkey who led millions of lions to their pointless deaths in the trenches for mere feet of land. To discuss Haig’s life and controversies Steven Edginton is joined by the military historian Nick Lloyd. Watch Professor Nick Lloyd's interview: https://youtu.be/Vx-LAenEmVc | Read more from The Telegraph’s award-winning comment team: www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/ | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/audio | See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

By all accounts, Robert Baden-Powell was an extraordinary man. He lived many lives; from his time as a spy to the Victorian hero of the Boer War, and finally as the founder of the international Scouts movement. However, his detractors accuse him of having Nazi sympathies, and of committing terrible crimes in Colonial Africa. To discover the truth about Baden-Powell Steven Edginton interviews Scouting historian Tony Ransley in the latest episode of History Defended. Watch Tony Ransley's interview: https://youtu.be/_OMedwEz6jo| Read more from The Telegraph’s award-winning comment team: www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/ | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/audio | See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Horatio Nelson, perhaps Britain’s greatest naval commander, ensured his country was secure from French invasion, and his death immortalised his name forever in British national identity. Yet today there are some who claim Nelson was no hero at all. In fact, they demand his statue is pulled down, his name be removed from street signs and to see him as an imperialist who supported the slave trade. In the latest series of History Defended, Professor Andrew Lambert of King’s College London takes on the attacks on Lord Nelson. Steven Edginton sits down with Lambert to discuss the life and controversies of the naval hero of the Napoleonic wars. Watch Professor Andrew Lambert's interview: https://youtu.be/U9bWTvs32lM | Read more from The Telegraph’s award-winning comment team: www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/ | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/audio | See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Brutal dictator or the saviour of Parliamentary democracy? Genocidal fanatic, or brilliant military strategist? Historian Paul Lay joins Steven Edginton in the final episode of the first series of History Defended to discuss accusations against Oliver Cromwell. Watch Paul Lay's interview: https://youtu.be/8k-ESCWoTrU| Read more from The Telegraph’s award-winning comment team: www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/ | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/audio | See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

He's been compared to Stalin, Pol Pot and even Hitler. But accusations he committed war crimes are simply "ignorant", according to the world's most published historian, Jeremy Black. He joins Steven Edginton to decide whether Harris was a murderer or a great commander. Watch Jeremy Black's interview: https://youtu.be/AvbsuXb26Gg | Read more from The Telegraph’s award-winning comment team: www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/ | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/audio | See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Was Clive of India a corrupt, violent bully or a military genius and British hero? A looter or a British self-made success story? Acclaimed historian Zareer Masani joins Steven Edginton in the latest episode of History Defended to find out the truth behind the controversial colonial figure. Watch this episode: https://youtu.be/WzEhZx7qBRw | Read more from The Telegraph’s award-winning comment team: www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/ | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/audio | See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

To many, Winston Churchill is the man who saved not only Britain, but the world from Nazi tyranny. But to some, Churchill represents the evils of the British Empire: racism, colonisation and violence. The wartime prime minister’s statue in Parliament Square was even tarred with the words “racist” after the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020. So, hero or villain? Steven Edginton is joined by Churchill’s biographer, Andrew Roberts to decide. Watch this episode: https://youtu.be/IwnWgp_QIj4 | Read more from The Telegraph’s award-winning comment team: www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/ | For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/audio | See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A new podcast from The Telegraph. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.