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Tom Holland is in the chair for this edition of Â鶹Éç Radio 4’s popular history magazine programme. He’s joined by:

Reader in Medieval History at King’s College London.

author of Our History of the Twentieth Century. 

Fifty years ago and hot on the heels of the so-called ‘summer of love’ came a year of protest and political change. The Vietnam war was the chief target of student protest around the world, though in Paris there was a more deep-seated rage against the establishment. To get a flavour of the age, Tom talks to Martin Shaw who is Professor Emeritus at the University of Sussex, but back in 1968 was a student at the London School of Economics.

If there was one political story that captivated the world in 1968 it came in Czechoslovakia where, exactly 50 years ago on the 5th January, Alexander Dubcek became First Secretary of the Czech Communist Party replacing Antonín Novotný. There followed an eight month period of political and social liberalisation which is commonly referred to as the Prague Spring. The world held its breathe as it wondered how the Soviet Union would react to events in its satellite country. In August that year Moscow’s patience was at breaking point and Brezhnev, the Soviet leader, sent in the tanks.

Helen Castor talks to the former head of Â鶹Éç World Service, the Czech-born journalist John Tusa and Professor of Modern History at Cardiff University 

The author, Henrietta Marshall, portrayed Britain as a precious stone set in a silver sea, and the rise of her institutions as a stirring tale of heroism and triumph. But what is the resonance of such a vision today, when the future of the United Kingdom appears as contested and uncertain as it has ever done?

Making History asked the French journalist Agnes Poirier to consider this question.

Our Island Story by Henrietta Marshall is published by Orion Books. ISBN: 9781780228921

Iszi Lawrence, who presents the history podcast ‘The Z List Dead List’, goes on-line to research the origins of the phrase ‘hair of the dog’ and discovers some rather bizarre hangover cures from our past. Helping Iszi is: one of Â鶹Éç Radio 4’s favourite gardeners, Bob Flowerdew; the historian of quack doctors, ; and the whisky expert Rachel McCormack 

Fort William are back and face the historic might of Greenwich, will the Scots be triumphant in their quest to lay claim to be top for history in the UK? 

To suggest a town email making.history@bbc.co.uk

Making History is a Pier Production for Â鶹Éç Radio 4