War and peace in the 20th century

Qualifications Duration Start dates Application period
PhD
(MPhil also available)
Full time: 3–4 years
Part time: 6–8 years
February and October January to April
Qualifications
PhD (MPhil also available)
Duration
Full time: 3–4 years
Part time: 6–8 years
Start dates
February and October
Application period
January to April

We have a wide range of expertise on conflict, war and politics in the 20th century, supported by the Centre for War and Peace in the Twentieth Century. Professor Annika Mombauer and Dr Vincent Trott work on the history of the First World War; Dr Frances Houghton specialises in the experience, representation and memory of Britain's armed forces during the Second World War; Professor Paul Lawrence's research interests include: history of nationalism; Dr Luc-André Brunet works on the history of the Second World War, the Cold War, and peace activism. There is also overlap with the Empire and Post Colonial research area with Professor Karl Hack’s work on 20th-century imperial and colonial conflicts and insurgency; and with the International Centre for the History of Crime, Policing and Justice.

We welcome applications in areas that correspond with current staff research interests. We look for detailed and proposals, which set out specific research questions and outline the originality of your topic or approach. We strongly encourage you to contact us to discuss your ideas informally before submitting an application. 

Entry requirements

Most successful applicants to the PhD programme have a masters degree in history or a related discipline, and/or a first class history degree with a substantial original-source dissertation. However, applicants can still be considered if they demonstrate evidence of the ability to pursue research and write at a high level in some historical field.

Current research projects

  • Gareth Bryant – Nuclear Disarmament and the Breakup of Britain: Nationalism and Internationalism in the Peace Movement, 1979–1992 
  • Sophie Dubillot – Ce n'est pas une blague: Purposes and limits of humour in early post-war France, 1944–46
  • Ann Gillan – We do not wish to impose our ideas on other nations: Promoting the aims of the Third Reich to an international audience. A study of the National Socialist journal Freude und Arbeit, 1936–1939.

Potential supervisors

Fees and funding

UK fee International fee
Full time: £4,712 per year Full time: £11,958 per year
Part time: £2,356 per year Part time: £5,979 per year

Some of our research students are funded via the Open-Oxford-Cambridge AHRC Doctoral Training Partnership; others are self-funded.

For detailed information about fees and funding, visit Fees and studentships.

To see current funded studentship vacancies across all research areas, see Current studentships.

Links

Vintage political cartoon
 

How to apply

Get in touch

If you have an enquiry specific to this research topic, please contact:

Professor Dr Luc-André Brunet
Email: Fass-History-Enquiries
Phone: +44 (0)1908 653266

Apply now

If you’re interested in applying for this research topic, please take a look at the application process.