This is a history essay book. Past & Present is a British historical academic journal, which was a leading force in the development of social history. It was founded in 1952 by a combination of Marxist and non-Marxist historians. The Marxist historians included members of the Communist Party Historians Group, including E. P. Thompson, Christopher Hill, Eric Hobsbawm, Rodney Hilton, and Dona Torr. It is published four times a year by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Past and Present Society, a British historical membership association and registered charity.