Stalin’s Apostles: The Cambridge Five & the making of the Soviet Empire

BRLSI’s Democracy Under Threat series invites you to pause and take stock by surveying the wealth of history and political thinking which underpins our long-held democratic systems and institutions. It explores the laying down of democratic principles from Ancient Athens to the present day, and takes in current scenarios in international geopolitics, while considering Britain as its own small island with its own set of political traditions.

And what of those de-stabilizing democracy by working for the other side? Seventy five years ago, two British diplomats defected to the Soviet Union, and shocked the world. Evidence emerged about a spy ring ended in the British establishment: the Cambridge Five. But who were they? 

In an upcoming talk, Antonia Senior will tackle the myths surrounding Kim Philby, Guy Burgess, Anthony Blunt, Donald Maclean and John Cairncross. Her talk addresses an overlooked question: How did the Five’s intelligence help Stalin achieve his strategic aims? And she will make it clear that this was not a victimless crime, but a dark and bloody betrayal, felt most acutely by the people of Eastern Europe who came under Stalin’s yoke.

Antonia Senior is a writer, critic and journalist. She has been the historical fiction reviewer at The Times for the past 14 years. She is a former deputy Business Editor and Leader Writer at the same paper. Her columns and journalism have appeared in, among others, The Guardian, The Spectator, Unherd and others. On becoming freelance, Antonia published three novels, two of which are set during the English Civil Wars. She podcasts as co-host of The History Bok Buffs, which reviews history books and interviews authors on a range of topics, including espionage. Antonia’s first work of non-fiction is Stalin’s Apostles: The Cambridge Five and the Making of the Soviet Empire, which considers the role of the most famous spy ring in history in advancing Stalin’s strategic aims. 

A discount of 20% is on offer to all those purchasing five tickets or more from the series, excluding the conference on the 4th of July.

To learn more about Democracy Under Threat and the exciting range of speakers coming up as part of the programme, don’t forget to follow our Democracy Under Threat Webpage: https://www.brlsi.org/democracyunderthreat/