Dr Marcus
Papadopoulos

Marcus Papadopoulos is a British historian, author and commentator. His work explores the history behind foreign policy, national identity and political power, with a particular focus on Russia, Britain and the Balkans.

Background & education

Marcus studied Law and Modern History at London Guildhall University, then completed a master’s in Modern History and a PhD in twentieth-century Russian history at Royal Holloway, University of London. His doctoral research examined British official perceptions of the Red Army between 1934 and 1945.

He has worked as publisher and editor of Politics First. His books examine Russia’s international role and British assessments of Soviet military power. He also writes about the former Yugoslavia and British politics.

Editing & documentary work

Alongside his historical research, Marcus has worked as editor of Government Gazette. At Politics First, he interviewed public figures including journalist Jon Snow, with their conversation appearing in the September/October 2015 issue.

His interest in the former Yugoslavia also features in his screen work. He appears as an interviewee in Boris Malagurski’s documentary The Weight of Chains 2 (2014).

Research & speaking

His 2021 paper, One Eye on Hitler, the Other Eye on Stalin, examines British attempts to assess a possible alliance with the Soviet Union in the months before Operation Barbarossa. It appeared in Obshchestvennye nauki i sovremennost’, no. 3, pp. 136–150.

Read the research paper ↗

In 2016, he spoke at the House of Lords about tensions between America and Russia. His broadcast work includes BBC News, Sky News Australia, RT, Al Jazeera, Press TV and Al Mayadeen.