Murderous History

A perennial problem in the sociology of crime is how crime changes over time. Is there more now than in the past? Was there ever a golden age, when crime was rare and people lived in peace and harmony, and you could go out and leave the back door open? This week’s Thinking Allowed on Radio 4 contains an interview with a historian who argues that the murder rate was higher in the Middle Ages than it is now and discusses the factors which promote high levels of violent crime.