Why Republics Die

Jul

Thursday, July 30, 2026 at 05:00 PM

Location

ZOOM

Event contact

Stephanie Holt

Threats to democratic and republican regimes in the contemporary world have caused historians to reflect on how they fail. Are they vulnerable to authoritarian and military threats, or are they victims of their own shortcomings? Three historians of very different periods in world history join with host Peter McPhee to discuss this fundamental issue.

Our host:

Professor Peter McPhee is the Chair of the History Council of Victoria. He was appointed to a Personal Chair in History at the University of Melbourne in 1993. He was Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) and then the University's first Provost in 2007-09. He is now an Emeritus Professor. He has published widely on the history of France since 1770, most recently Robespierre: a Revolutionary Life (2012); Liberty or Death: the French Revolution (2016); and An Environmental History of France: Making the Landscape 1770-2020 (2024).

Our speakers:

Frederik Vervaet - Reform Unwillingness and the Death of the Roman Republic

Frederik Vervaet (PhD Ghent, Flanders) is Professor of Ancient History at the University of Melbourne where he specializes in Roman sociopolitical and institutional history and its ceaseless relevance to our modern era. He is one of the editors of the collection, How Republics Die: Creeping Authoritarianism in Ancient Rome and Beyond.

Dr Ángel Alcalde - Fascism and the Destruction of European Democracies in the 1930s

Dr Ángel Alcalde is Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Melbourne. His recently completed book The Global Rise of Fascism is under contract with Cambridge University Press.

Dr Julia Bowes - Make America Great Again? A Historical Perspective on the Right and the Decline of Democracy in the United States

Dr Julia Bowes is a Lecturer in Gender History at the University of Melbourne. Her first book, Every Man’s Home A Castle: Parental Rights and the Makings of Modern Conservatism, will appear with Princeton University Press this April.

We thank the series sponsors, Monash University Publishing, the Monash University History Program and the Old Treasury Building.

Posted by on April 09, 2026

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The History Council of Victoria Incorporated (HCV) is the peak body for history in the Australian state of Victoria. Its vision is to connect Victorians with history and to inspire engagement with the past, their identity and the world today. The HCV champions the work of historians and the value of history. It recognises that history can be written about any place, any person, any period. The HCV advocates why history matters.

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Summary

The HCV was formed as an advisory body in 2001 and incorporated in 2003. It comprises representatives from cultural and educational institutions and heritage bodies; history teachers and curriculum advisors; academic and professional historians; and local, Indigenous, community and specialist history organisations.

As the peak body for history, the HCV has both ‘outward-looking’ roles (including advocacy and representation to government and the wider community, consultation, community education, and networking with allied interest groups) and ‘inward-looking’ roles (including member support, information dissemination, and networking between members).

Credits

The History Council of Victoria acknowledges the State Library of Victoria and the Public Record Office Victoria for supply of the archival images that appear on this website.

We acknowledge the National Film and Sound Archive for the right to use of the video footage on the home page, titled "Melbourne: Life in Australia (1966)".

Image credits

Italian sailors on ship at Port Melbourne 1938, Argus Newspaper Collection of Photographs, State Library of Victoria
Chinese procession in Collins near Elizabeth Street 1901, Harvie & Sutcliffe, photographers, State Library of Victoria
People’s homes, Aboriginal station Coranderrk 1878, Fred Kruger Photographer, State Library of Victoria
Chinese nurses at Children’s Hospital under scholarship 1947, Argus Newspaper Collection of Photographs, State Library of Victoria
Ladies physical culture class VRI Melbourne c1931, Public Record Office Victoria VPRS 12903/P0001, 011/02
Melbourne Cup, Derby and Oaks Day, Flemington Racecourse 1936, Public Record Office Victoria VPRS 12903/P0001/4802, 372/30
Flinders Street viaduct at foot of Market Street with advertisement for McRobertson’s Chocolate on bridge, Public Record Office Victoria VPRS 12800/P0003, ADV 1342