Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News from EconoTimes

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Sat, Jan 31, 2026 04:27 AM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

Peter McPhee

Emeritus professor, University of Melbourne

Emeritus Professor Peter McPhee teaches and writes about the history of modern France at the University of Melbourne.

Professor McPhee was educated at Colac High School, Caulfield Grammar School, and the University of Melbourne, where he completed a BA (Hons 1st Class), Dip.Ed., MA (Hons 1st Class) and PhD. He taught at La Trobe University 1975-79 and the Victoria University of Wellington 1980-86 before returning to the University of Melbourne, where he has held a Personal Chair in History since 1993.

He has published widely on the history of modern France, notably A Social History of France 1789-1914 (London, 2002), Revolution and Environment in Southern France, 1780-1830 (Oxford, 1999), and Living The French Revolution 1789-1799 (Basingstoke, 2006). In 1999 he also published a biography of the former Chancellor Roy Douglas ('Pansy') Wright. His most recent books are Robespierre: a Revolutionary Life (2012) and (ed), A Companion to the French Revolution (2013).

Professor McPhee was Deputy Dean and Acting Dean of the School of Graduate Studies in 1994-96, then Head of the Department of History in 1996-99. He was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities in 1997. In the same year he became an inaugural 'Universitas 21' Teaching Fellow. In 2003 he was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. He was an Officer of the Academic Board 1999-2003 and its President in 2002-03. He became Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) in 2003 before being apointed the University's first Provost in 2007. He retired in 2009, but remains an active researcher and teacher. He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2012.

Global Geopolitics Series

We live in a world of upheaval. So why aren't today's protests leading to revolutions?

Nov 24, 2019 22:15 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

We live in a world of violent challenges to the status quo, from Chile and Iraq to Hong Kong, Catalonia and the Extinction Rebellion. These protests are usually presented in the media simply as expressions of rage at the...

video What is it about Versailles?

Dec 09, 2016 03:55 am UTC| Life

When the triumphant Donald Trump welcomed Nigel Farage to his $100 million penthouse apartment in Trump Tower on 13 November, the two posed in his lift of gleaming gold. Trumps hyper-bling apartment is his Versailles...

Economy

China Factory Activity Slips in January as Weak Demand Weighs on Growth Outlook

Chinas factory activity contracted at the start of the year, highlighting persistent pressure from weak domestic demand despite continued policy support from Beijing. An official survey released on Saturday showed that...

U.S. Government Faces Brief Shutdown as Congress Delays Funding Deal

The United States government was on track for a partial shutdown early Saturday after Congress failed to finalize a funding agreement before the midnight deadline. Although the U.S. Senate ultimately passed a bipartisan...

Gold and Silver Prices Plunge as Trump Taps Kevin Warsh for Fed Chair

Gold and silver prices suffered a dramatic selloff on Friday after President Donald Trump nominated former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh to replace Jerome Powell as Fed chair, easing fears about the central banks...

Wall Street Slides as Warsh Fed Nomination, Hot Inflation, and Precious Metals Rout Shake Markets

Wall Street ended Friday on a weaker note as risk-off sentiment dominated trading, driven by hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation data, a dramatic sell-off in precious metals, and major political developments surrounding...

Asian Currencies Hold Firm as Dollar Rebounds on Fed Chair Nomination Hopes

Asian currencies traded in a narrow range on Friday as the U.S. dollar rebounded modestly from a near four-year low, following comments from U.S. President Donald Trump that he would announce his nominee for the next...

Politics

U.S. Approves Over $6.5 Billion in Military Sales to Israel Across Three Defense Contracts

The United States has approved more than $6.5 billion in potential military sales to Israel through three separate defense contracts, according to announcements released by the Pentagon on Friday. The approvals, granted by...

Syria-Kurdish Ceasefire Marks Historic Step Toward National Unity

The Syrian government and Kurdish-led forces have reached a landmark ceasefire agreement that sets out a phased integration of Kurdish fighters into state institutions, easing fears of a major military confrontation in...

Putin Envoy Kirill Dmitriev to Visit Miami for Talks With Trump Administration Officials

Russian President Vladimir Putins special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, is expected to travel to Miami on Saturday for meetings with members of U.S. President Donald Trumps administration, according to two sources familiar with...

Kevin Warsh’s Fed Nomination Raises Questions Over Corporate Ties and U.S.–South Korea Trade Tensions

Kevin Warsh, President Donald Trumps nominee to lead the Federal Reserve, is drawing renewed scrutiny over his corporate affiliations as trade tensions between the United States and South Korea escalate. Warsh, a former...

Trump Nominates Brett Matsumoto as Next Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he has nominated Brett Matsumoto to serve as the next commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a key federal agency responsible for producing critical data...

Science

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Technology

Elon Musk’s Empire: SpaceX, Tesla, and xAI Merger Talks Spark Investor Debate

Speculation around a potential Musk Inc has resurfaced as Elon Musks companiesSpaceX, Tesla, and xAIexplore closer ties amid rapid advances in artificial intelligence and automation. With SpaceX expected to go public later...

SpaceX Reports $8 Billion Profit as IPO Plans and Starlink Growth Fuel Valuation Buzz

SpaceX delivered a strong financial performance last year, generating an estimated $8 billion in profit on revenues between $15 billion and $16 billion, according to people familiar with the companys results. The figures,...

SpaceX Updates Starlink Privacy Policy to Allow AI Training as xAI Merger Talks and IPO Loom

SpaceX has revised its Starlink privacy policy to allow customer data to be used for artificial intelligence training, a move that could significantly support Elon Musks broader AI ambitions. The policy change comes as...

Nvidia’s $100 Billion OpenAI Investment Faces Internal Doubts, Report Says

Nvidias ambitious plan to invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI, aimed at supporting the training and operation of next-generation artificial intelligence models, has reportedly hit a roadblock. According to a report...

Federal Judge Signals Possible Dismissal of xAI Lawsuit Against OpenAI

A U.S. federal judge has signaled she may dismiss a high-profile lawsuit filed by Elon Musks artificial intelligence startup, xAI, against rival OpenAI, dealing a potential setback to Musk in an escalating legal battle...