Richard Millington

Dr. Richard Millington is a Senior Lecturer in German and History at the University of Chester, affiliated with the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. He joined the university in 2012 as a Visiting Lecturer, became a permanent Lecturer in German in 2018, and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2021.

His research focuses on history, memory, and dictatorship studies, with a specialization in East German history. His PhD explored the 1953 East German uprising, and he continues to examine crime and criminality under state socialism, as well as collective memory conflicts related to slavery in Liverpool. He has been awarded grants from the British Academy and the German History Society for projects on East German criminality and the 1953 uprising.

Teaching encompasses German language, culture, and politics, alongside modules on East German history and UK crime history. He has supervised numerous undergraduate and postgraduate students. Dr. Millington’s work bridges academic research and public engagement, with active contributions to debates via platforms like BlueSky and LinkedIn.

• Key Projects: 'Criminal Motives Under State Socialism: Petty Theft in East Germany' (British Academy, 2019–2022), 'Tanks on the Streets: The Uprising of 17 June 1953' (German History Society, 2023).
• Consulting: Advises the Bundesstiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur (Federal Foundation for the Study of the Communist Dictatorship in Germany).
• Teaching: Courses include Crime Histories, German Language and Society, European Politics and Culture, and the History Dissertation.

His publications span journals like History Today, German History, and Central European History, with a monograph on the 1953 uprising’s memory politics. His work critically examines state narratives, citizen resistance, and the interplay between history and memory in authoritarian contexts.