q_id stringlengths 5 6 | title stringlengths 3 301 | selftext stringlengths 0 36.6k | document stringclasses 2
values | subreddit stringclasses 1
value | url stringlengths 4 113 | answers dict | title_urls list | selftext_urls list | answers_urls list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1j6g8i | Did the U.S. really need to ration as much as it did during WWII? | I heard semi-recently that a lot of the rationing of goods in the U.S. during WWII was more to solidify and unite the country for the cause than it was to conserve things for the war effort itself. Is this true?
After all, right after the war, the rationing ended in the U.S. where we started building cars, refriger... | NONE | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1j6g8i/did_the_us_really_need_to_ration_as_much_as_it/ | {
"a_id": [
"cbbl1z9"
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"score": [
5
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"text": [
"I can only speak to your final question about the UK at the moment. \n\nIn some part, rationing continued after the war in the UK due to the destruction wrought by the war. Beginning in 1944, the UK went into a sharp recession that didn't end unt... | [
"NONE"
] | [
"NONE"
] | [
[
"http://www.amazon.com/Postwar-History-Europe-Since-ebook/dp/B000SEGSB8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374959724&sr=8-1&keywords=post+war"
]
] |
ba5w40 | During the Spanish Civil War how did the Nationalists, notorious for their brutality towards defeated Spanish Republicans, treat captured foreign fighters? | I'm half way through reading Paul Preston's 'The Spanish Holocaust' and it seems that it was fairly regular practice for captured Spanish opponents of the Nationalists to be subject to brutality including abuse and execution, but were captured foreign fighters including from Western countries like the US and UK treated... | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/ba5w40/during_the_spanish_civil_war_how_did_the/ | {
"a_id": [
"ek9egzf"
],
"score": [
40
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"text": [
"Excellent question!\n\nWhile there’s a fair amount of variety, depending on the context of the capture, the timing or the nationality of the volunteers in question, there’s no doubt that Franco’s Nationalists could be quite brutal towards the fo... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
163z4b | Can we predict future with history? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/163z4b/can_we_predict_future_with_history/ | {
"a_id": [
"c7sigxr",
"c7slj5n"
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"score": [
8,
2
],
"text": [
"We can temper our expectations of human behavior with history. We can see the heights of human kindness and the depths of human evil. We can see how crowds have behaved and how others have behaved regardless of contemporary ... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | ||
4ob5iu | [META] an AskHistorians IRC | I'm not sure if this idea has been brought up before, but have you guys considered using an AH IRC where flaired and non-flaired users would interact and discuss history or questions or things relevant to their fields. I know many flaired users aren't around often but I for one would be pleased to have an interesting d... | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/4ob5iu/meta_an_askhistorians_irc/ | {
"a_id": [
"d4b3mz7"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"To be honest I really like the idea, engaging with the lay community seems to be one of the big goals to AH and this seems a great way to go about doing that. Though I'm sure there'd be issues with timing, security, et al."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
xf7jk | What was the physical training of Roman Legionaries like? What kind of exercises did they do? | Exactly what it says on the tin. What was the physical training of a roman soldier like? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/xf7jk/what_was_the_physical_training_of_roman/ | {
"a_id": [
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"c5lzwlu",
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"c5m7k7h"
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"score": [
9,
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333,
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],
"text": [
"I would recommend that you read Legionary: The Roman Soldiers Unofficial Manual by Philip Matyszak. It's humorous, but contains some surprisingly spot-on information about the d... | [] | [] | [
[],
[
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Re_Militari"
],
[
"http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/xh64d/can_anyone_describe_to_me_vividly_the_mayhem_that/"
],
[]
] | |
bdxdg5 | Specifically, "Why does immigration in the United States become more restrictive over time?" | I'm currently writing a historiographical paper over immigration in the United States, and after debating upon different sources for doing three paradigm shifts have hit a dead-lock on the subject, as this is the first time I have ever written a history paper. I've been mainly focusing on demographics, but realized th... | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/bdxdg5/specifically_why_does_immigration_in_the_united/ | {
"a_id": [
"em300ck"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"Here's an update to where I am at,\n\nI've switched from closing doors to the assimilation-pluralism dichotomy debate, and have chosen the following literature to support it through three paradigm shifts.\n\n1st Paradigm\n\nBecoming American : an... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
1k1v8x | Was life really as uncomfortable and boring in pre-Modern times as it's made out to be? | It seems like so many books and museum exhibits are dedicated to showing us gruesome medical instruments and scratchy clothing, and other things that are supposed to make us say to ourselves, "how did people *live* like that?
But since humans have remained functionally the same and presumably sought out comfort and en... | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1k1v8x/was_life_really_as_uncomfortable_and_boring_in/ | {
"a_id": [
"cbkqaln"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"/r/AskAnthropology is a better place to ask \"What was daily life like during X time and Y place?\" questions."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
3h95lv | What did the Axis powers think of the M1 Garand during World War 2? | General Patton was reportedly a big fan, did any of his adversaries share his views? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3h95lv/what_did_the_axis_powers_think_of_the_m1_garand/ | {
"a_id": [
"cu5q6ol",
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"score": [
10,
39
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"text": [
"The only Axis nation I know of that felt the effects of the Garand and decided to implement a version like it were the Japanese. They created a ten round rifle called the \"Type 4\". It was essentially a carbon copy but wi... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | |
d1qgs3 | In the 1700s many people came to the American colonies for religious freedom yet they were mostly different sects of Christianity. What I’m wondering is if there was any record of people who followed other religious other than Christianity? What discrimination did they face, if any? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/d1qgs3/in_the_1700s_many_people_came_to_the_american/ | {
"a_id": [
"ezpe8mb",
"ezpm6zu"
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"score": [
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8
],
"text": [
"There were three main groups of non-Christians who partook of 18th century American society: enslaved Africans (of whose religious practices I know very little), Native Americans, and Jews. Native Americans typically receiv... | [] | [] | [
[],
[
"https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/aqihgn/crypto_jews_in_northern_mexiconuevo_leon_coahuila/egha94n?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x",
"https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/c2386a/many_early_european_settlers_who_came_to_the/eriadb1?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x... | ||
69s7lh | In a TIL post someone comments that the British lied to the French about planning to withdraw by Dunkirk. Is there any truth to that? | "In 1940 France lost 100 000 men, fallen fighting against the Germans on the field of battle. The British lost about 1/10th of that, and half of those (5000) because the Luftwaffe sank one of the ships they were fleeing in. Churchill's cabinet had ordered that they abandon the fight and, to make this worse, hide it fro... | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/69s7lh/in_a_til_post_someone_comments_that_the_british/ | {
"a_id": [
"dh9f1ij",
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"score": [
42,
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"text": [
" > The British lost about 1/10th of that, and half of those (5000) because the Luftwaffe sank one of the ships they were fleeing in\n\nThe British Expeditionary Force (BEF) lost much closer to 50-60 thousand men killed, mi... | [] | [] | [
[
"https://www.amazon.com/Dunkirk-Retreat-Victory-Julian-Thompson/dp/162872515X",
"https://wordery.com/forgotten-soldiers-brian-moynahan-9781847243874?currency=AUD&gtrck=dGk5NzhPSkZTNy9OMllSWkdpRTF4OU1lenkvc0hPNmt5Qktab0h0WUFwS2FOS2NPaWNzUVR0U2JhYVVva2NWbmIyMjhEZ0JFQnRJb0oyUC9qMFZ2ZlE9PQ&gclid=CKzqg... | |
2in1xm | What medieval people thought about greek ideas of democracy? | Of course I know most never heard about them, but what about scholars? And Byzantines? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2in1xm/what_medieval_people_thought_about_greek_ideas_of/ | {
"a_id": [
"cl3xmmn"
],
"score": [
34
],
"text": [
"Unfortunately I cannot answer your question directly. \n\nIn the West, very very few people read Greek and there was hardly any Greek for them to read, so any notion of Greek democracy they had came from Romans who generally thought Athenian dem... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://droitromain.upmf-grenoble.fr/Anglica/vespas_johnson.html"
]
] | |
14fyjq | Why were Native Americans more completely displaced in British colonial areas than in Spanish/Portuguese colonial areas? | I know that diseases wiped out a huge percentage of the Native population across all of the Americas. So how did it come about that Latin America still has a high percentage of people of Mestizo and Native ancestry, while British North America (USA and Canada) are primarily of European ancestry? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/14fyjq/why_were_native_americans_more_completely/ | {
"a_id": [
"c7cq05m",
"c7cq4ku",
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"score": [
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67,
22,
9,
6,
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"text": [
"I wouldn't say that about Portuguese colonies, both the US and Canada have more Natives th... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[
"http://books.google.com/books?id=RSPE2oaa8ZkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=indian+conquistadors&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Rk3CUNTMCon29gSD3YDQDg&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA",
"http://books.google.com/books?id=2hMp9z_OsUMC&printsec=frontcover&dq=seven+myths+of+the+spa... | |
3ltjhv | During Alexander the Great's conquests, why did some cities, such as Tyre, vehemently oppose Alexander and remain loyal to the Persians even when confronted with annihilation? | Many cities gave in to Alexander and welcomed him whereas others were willing to die before giving in. I'm just wondering why Tyre and Gaza were more loyal to Persia than the other cities of the region.
The author of the biography I'm reading pretty much chalks it up to those cities thinking they had a "chance" at de... | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3ltjhv/during_alexander_the_greats_conquests_why_did/ | {
"a_id": [
"cv9kg69"
],
"score": [
74
],
"text": [
"Our best ancient account of Alexander's conquests is Arrian's *Anabasis*, which talks about the reactions of Tyre and other local leaders to Alexander's advance. Arrian was a Greek historian and politician born in Roman Asia Minor in the late 1s... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
1vi1wl | What were the largest population centers in pre-Columbian times in the land now occupied by the United States and Canada? How dense were they? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1vi1wl/what_were_the_largest_population_centers_in/ | {
"a_id": [
"ceufntx"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"Pre-Columbian population figures are a matter of considerable debate. New information is constantly being uncovered, and old colonial era documents once thought to be hyperbole are more often then not validated in the process. The numbers are alw... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://geology.com/state-map/maps/florida-rivers-map.gif",
"http://www.alef.net/ALEFAncientPlaces/AmericaCahokia/CahokiaMap02.Gif"
]
] | ||
46prsk | After assassinating Hitler, what did German military officials who tried to kill him plan to do with the Third Reich? Take power for themselves and continue the war effort, make peace with the allies, etc... | During the Second World war, along with other nations and resistance groups, there were multiple attempts by German military officials to assassinate Hitler, all of which obviously failed. What I'm wondering is: what was their vision as to why Hitler needed to die and what did they plan to do with the Third Reich after... | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/46prsk/after_assassinating_hitler_what_did_german/ | {
"a_id": [
"d07h4mf",
"d07rv41"
],
"score": [
13,
3
],
"text": [
"I am not sure if there were other organized parallel resistance cells within the German military during wartime, but at least for the most famous and successful one - which I will call the Stauffenberg-Tresckow group (the o... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | |
6srkqq | How common was speaking two or more languages in the middle ages? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/6srkqq/how_common_was_speaking_two_or_more_languages_in/ | {
"a_id": [
"dlfuh9q"
],
"score": [
45
],
"text": [
"As with so much in the Middle Ages, the answer depends on when and where. Famously, for instance, there are the Oaths of Strasbourg vowed in 842 between the sons of Louis the Pious, Charles the Bald and Louis the German, in their war against the... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://www.mondes-normands.caen.fr/angleterre/archeo/Italie/sculpture/149.htm",
"http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/sacredtexts/tripsalter.html"
]
] | ||
2c5e5j | What are examples (confirmed or rumored) of drugs/alcohol that impacted the decisions of historical figures? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2c5e5j/what_are_examples_confirmed_or_rumored_of/ | {
"a_id": [
"cjc4fmt"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"This is the third question of this caliber which I've had to remove today. We do not allow broad or unspecific questions in this subreddit. Every question has to ask about a specific time period or in your case, a specific historical figure."
]... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
46ja1l | Why didn't Hitler use his V2 rockets against the USSR? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/46ja1l/why_didnt_hitler_use_his_v2_rockets_against_the/ | {
"a_id": [
"d05nd4j"
],
"score": [
98
],
"text": [
"The V2 rockets were a strategical weapon, not a tactical one. Accuracy was horrible and they barely managed to hit a target as close and as large as Greater London.\n\n[BBC has a map on the rocket hits on London](_URL_0_). Note how spread out th... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/wwfeatures/1600_900/images/live/p0/26/bv/p026bvdd.jpg",
"http://www.privateletters.net/MAPS/ETO/SovietOffensives%2819August-31December1944%29.png"
]
] | ||
1pyvkp | What caused the spike in the Dutch economy at the end of the 16th/start of the 17th century? | Did the Netherlands had something special to offer initially? Or was there a certain way they made deals that helped? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1pyvkp/what_caused_the_spike_in_the_dutch_economy_at_the/ | {
"a_id": [
"cd7h9m3"
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"text": [
"I do not have the books in front of me, but I seem to remember that Parker's study of Phillip II and his work on the military suggested that the Army of Flanders spent a surprising amount of Spanish silver and gold in the Netherlands. The Dutch a... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
40z2cp | How combat effective was the British Army in WW2? | From what I know, at least in the early years of the war, the British Army seemed to lurch from one failure to another, at least when fighting German forces. How did the quality of British training, leadership and equipment compare to that of their axis adversaries? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/40z2cp/how_combat_effective_was_the_british_army_in_ww2/ | {
"a_id": [
"cyyancs"
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27
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"text": [
"* ['Colossal Cracks'] (_URL_1_), thesis by Stephen A. Hart\n* [Monty's Legions] (_URL_2_), thesis by C. J. Forrester\n* [*British Armour in Normandy*] (_URL_3_), by Jonathan Buckley\n* [*Montgomery's Scientists*] (_URL_0_), edited by Terry Copp\... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://lmharchive.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/The-Full-Monty2.pdf",
"https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/files/2927568/283396.pdf",
"http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/1753/1/C.J.Forrester_PhD_History_Montgomery_and_his_Legions.pdf",
"http://ir.nmu.org.ua/bitstream/handle/123456789/144243/b6a70fba3f36... | |
4z0is9 | What were the different firing drills for musketeers in the 18th and 19th centuries | What firing drill formations did different nations use in this period eg. Maurician volleys rank by rank, or three rank volley with first rank crouching, 2nd standing and 3rd firing over 2nds shoulders etc. and when did they adopt/discard them? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/4z0is9/what_were_the_different_firing_drills_for/ | {
"a_id": [
"d6ru5qk"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"The British Army of the 18th and 19th centuries theoretically operated on a system of \"platoon firing\", outlined in Sir Henry Dundas' *Principles of Military Movement*: the 1000-man battalion was split into ten units of 100 men each known as co... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
1x58a6 | Where did the misconception of no technological progress during the "Dark Ages" originate? | It is clear that Europe developed during the Medieval times through the European Agricultural Revolution, windmills, watermills, and universities. In high school, the Middle Ages were described as a stagnant time, but the reality is much different. Where did the misconception arise? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1x58a6/where_did_the_misconception_of_no_technological/ | {
"a_id": [
"cf89s35"
],
"score": [
5
],
"text": [
"The term \"The Dark Ages\" was first used by Caesar Baronius. He was an Italian Cardinal and Catholic church historian.\n\nIt was in his twelve volume history \"Annales Ecclesiastici\" 1588-1607, that he used the term \"The Dark Age\" (\"Saeculum... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesar_Baronius"
]
] | |
1l1wd1 | What effect (if any) did the Crusades have on European music? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1l1wd1/what_effect_if_any_did_the_crusades_have_on/ | {
"a_id": [
"cbv00k7",
"cbv08pz",
"cbv2qy5"
],
"score": [
34,
288,
22
],
"text": [
"The german poet [Walther von der Vogelweide](_URL_2_) wrote a song called \"Palästinalied\" (\"song about palestine\" in english) about the crusades which can be seen as a very early piece of propag... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INJ1A5R4nbU",
"http://turba-delirantium.skyrocket.de/bibliotheca/walther_vogelweide_palaestinalied.htm",
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walther_von_der_Vogelweide"
],
[],
[
"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IXH0JWq2oQ",
"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDxgPd... | ||
8bz4j2 | How has/does Greece view(ed) the Byzantine Empire? | How much is taught about it? Is it a source of proudness in the same way as Greek nationalists use the Antique Greeks? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/8bz4j2/how_hasdoes_greece_viewed_the_byzantine_empire/ | {
"a_id": [
"dxarnq8"
],
"score": [
4
],
"text": [
"This is a very interesting topic. During the struggle of independence in the 19th most people focused mainly on Ancient Greece (most Europeans were crazy about Ancient Greece as well) and some Greek scholars also demonstrated a negative view of B... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
13dgnj | What is the typical lifetime of governments? | Are there any good statistics available on the longevity of governments in world history? I read about a paper that modeled the governing time of cabinets in the modern Italian government with an exponential model (the half-life was only about eight months) and I'm wondering if anyone has done a similar analysis at the... | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/13dgnj/what_is_the_typical_lifetime_of_governments/ | {
"a_id": [
"c731sqf"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"Here's my short crack at responding to this question, if not answering it.\n\n**Problem with the metaphor.** \n\nI think it's usually best to avoid anthropomorphizing non-human entities. Your question is predicated on using a person as a metaphor... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_J._Toynbee",
"http://i.imgur.com/JN5HF.png"
]
] | |
b6goqg | How were units formed and what were they composed of in the Sengoku Jidai era of Samurai Warfare | I'd also like book recommendations or any illustrations showing this information accurately if possible. As I understand, their warfare was nothing like games and movies depict it and I'd love to read or see accurate depictions of how battles were fought. | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/b6goqg/how_were_units_formed_and_what_were_they_composed/ | {
"a_id": [
"ejm9076"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"The concept of a 'unit' does not really exist in the modern sense for most of the Sengoku period. Each daimyo has multiple vassals, who when called upon to war, will bring a certain number of men - samurai, ashigaru (yari, teppo, depending on the... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
6y1ikx | How did the concept of an "honorable fight" develop into what it is? | I'm not talking about boxing, but street fights.
Generally, the idea of a fair fight is a fight between 2 people (1-on-1) of the same size and sex, who are unrestrained and looking toward one another when the fight begins. To have the opponent held back so that he cannot hit back or block, or to hit him from behind i... | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/6y1ikx/how_did_the_concept_of_an_honorable_fight_develop/ | {
"a_id": [
"dmklgru"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"Firstly, \"honour\" is dependent on context. That means that there are always rules sensitive to time period, culture, social class, and other factors. Secondly, it's worth noting that various words for \"honour\" in various historical contexts a... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://wiktenauer.com/wiki/Hans_Talhoffer/W%C3%BCrttemberg"
]
] | |
4obyzz | How were Roma people treated by republican and anarchist Spain? | In the [Spanish Civil War AMA](_URL_0_) I came across this quote of Orwell (about Barcelona):
> There was no unemployment, and the price of living was still extremely low; you saw very few conspicuously destitute people, and no beggars except the gypsies.
Which seems to imply that the Catalan revolution did not ext... | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/4obyzz/how_were_roma_people_treated_by_republican_and/ | {
"a_id": [
"d4coa5z",
"d4kimno"
],
"score": [
3,
2
],
"text": [
"In general left republican Catalanism has looked favorably upon the Roma. In north Catalonia around Perpignan they are the only people who speak Catalan as a first language. \n\nIt seems likely that Orwell may have been conf... | [] | [
"https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2nrbiq/panel_ama_the_spanish_civil_war/"
] | [
[],
[
"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fko5fYIBJFU"
]
] | |
35zsnq | What country in history adopted the most purely laissez faire-type economic policy? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/35zsnq/what_country_in_history_adopted_the_most_purely/ | {
"a_id": [
"cr9dwnu"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"A good case could be made for Victorian England. The repeal of the Corn Laws, the reduction in other tariffs (leading to complete free trade), the eradication of most indirect taxes and a minimal income tax all led to a tiny role for government. ... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
4157gq | Any good books on nationalism? | Hi, I'm looking for some books about nationalism - either books about periods of history characterized by nationalism, or about nationalism in general. Thanks! | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/4157gq/any_good_books_on_nationalism/ | {
"a_id": [
"cyztoi6"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"Benedict Anderson, R.I.P., *Imagined Communities*, one of the most influential books on the topic."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
3ea51e | How big were European armies in the Renaissance era? | On average, how many troops could the big players like the Holy Roman Empire, the Italian City-states, Spain, etc. raise for a war? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3ea51e/how_big_were_european_armies_in_the_renaissance/ | {
"a_id": [
"ctd5xrm"
],
"score": [
6
],
"text": [
"This month, *Amable Sablon du Corail*, the director of Middle-Ages and Ancien Régime departments at the French National Archives and author of *1515, Marignan* wrote an article in the paper *'L'Histoire nb 68*. The edition is dedicated to King Fr... | [] | [] | [
[
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culverin",
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landsknecht"
]
] | |
1gtcxw | Were the more complex societies of pre-Columbian North America aware of the existence of writing in Mesoamerica? | I'm always amazed that a complex society like the Iroquois League or any of the various Mississippian cultures could successfully organize itself without any literacy. Did these societies know about literacy, perhaps through long-distance contact with the Aztecs and/or Mayans? If so, what might have kept them from adop... | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1gtcxw/were_the_more_complex_societies_of_precolumbian/ | {
"a_id": [
"canoatw"
],
"score": [
3
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"text": [
"A) Mesoamerica **is** North America. Much of it falls into what is now Mexico; however, even Central America is part of North America.\n\nB) Mesoamerican societies actively traded with Ancestral Pueblo societies. While northern groups did not ha... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://www.amazon.com/Casas-Grandes-Pre-Columbian-Pottery-Decoded/dp/0912329165/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1371851588&sr=1-1&keywords=Christman+casas+grandes",
"http://www.nps.gov/cagr/index.htm"
]
] | |
5mgzo2 | Wine culture in ancient Rome... what were some of the "vintage" years in ancient Rome, and how was their wine different that what we drink today? | I heard today in 'The History of Rome' podcast by Mike Duncan, some rather interesting bits about common Roman life, including that the ancient Romans were very likely more wine-conscience that we are today, and that there were vintage years that wealthy Romans would focus on. Also, he described wine as a sort of conc... | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/5mgzo2/wine_culture_in_ancient_rome_what_were_some_of/ | {
"a_id": [
"dc4bq6z"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"Yes, [Pliny the Elder](_URL_0_) mentions the wine from the year of the consulship of Lucius Opimius (122 BCE) as noted to be particularly good. This was of course two hundred years before Pliny wrote, and as he himself notes it is quite undrinkab... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0137%3Abook%3D14%3Achapter%3D6"
]
] | |
4xyny7 | What, if any, was the involvement of the United States in the lead-up to WWII? | The r/AskHistorians twitter alerted me to [an answer on Chamberlain's policy of appeasement](_URL_0_) at the time, and it mentioned the US and Roosevelt briefly, which got me thinking. Was the US involved in the build-up to the war? What were its reactions to the actions of Germany (rearmament, the Anchlusss, the Sudet... | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/4xyny7/what_if_any_was_the_involvement_of_the_united/ | {
"a_id": [
"d6jmpix"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"Answered here: _URL_0_ by /u/coinsinmyrocket\n\nTL;DR - FDR was for entering the war and the US provided aid to the allies, but the US had strong isolationist ideals at that time."
]
} | [] | [
"https://twitter.com/askhistorians/status/765447788402319361?s=09"
] | [
[
"https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1wx6w9/would_the_us_have_still_gone_to_war_with_germany/cf6g970"
]
] | |
2crynl | Around when did guns became useful and widespread enough that they became a factor in street crime? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2crynl/around_when_did_guns_became_useful_and_widespread/ | {
"a_id": [
"cjirbuc"
],
"score": [
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"text": [
"Guns being used in crime (generally robberies) preceded the advent of modern \"street crimes\" (i.e., getting mugged walking home from work) as we think of them, because guns preceded the heavy urbanization that was a prerequisite for most such ... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flintlock"
]
] | ||
22549g | I'm the captain of an allied naval vessel (cruiser, destroyer etc) escorting a merchant convoy in ww2. What is the protocol for when a u boat is detected or a ship is torpedoed? | What were the tactics for hunting and killing the u boats once detected? Would it have been suicidal to attack an escorted convoy? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/22549g/im_the_captain_of_an_allied_naval_vessel_cruiser/ | {
"a_id": [
"cgjgw53"
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"text": [
"It depends on the time period of the war. German submarines went from being a terrible menace early in the war to being a mostly contained threat by late 1943.\n\nEarly on, the weapons available to escorts were depth charges (basically bombs that... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/rep/ASW-51/ASW-11.html",
"http://www.uboat.net/"
]
] | |
2856om | Why doesn't the United States have a tradition of playing British sports, such as soccer and Cricket? Why does the United States have so many sports unique to the United States? | Especially I am interested to know why soccer has such little popularity compared to other countries | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2856om/why_doesnt_the_united_states_have_a_tradition_of/ | {
"a_id": [
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"score": [
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"text": [
"What sports are you referring to that are unique to the United States? The typically cited popular sports in the United States are ice hockey, basketball, baseball, and American football; all of these are played outside t... | [] | [] | [
[],
[
"http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1o9uga/why_did_cricket_not_catch_on_in_canada_like_it/",
"http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1u5p6l/why_is_football_not_a_major_sport_in_many/",
"http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1lis3f/why_and_how_did_football_soccer_skip... | |
1kywhk | in 1800 america if a black slave slept with or raped a white women (I expect in terms of his fate it makes little difference) and she got pregnant, would the child be born legally free? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1kywhk/in_1800_america_if_a_black_slave_slept_with_or/ | {
"a_id": [
"cbu25m4",
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"score": [
78,
2
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"text": [
"If the woman is free, then the child is free. Same happens if a freed female slave had a child. Since the mother has no owner, neither does the child. \n\nThe only thing I am not sure of, is if hypothetically the mother is ... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | ||
1eiv6v | What are the differences between Russian/Eastern countries communism and Latin America communism? | I was having a discussion with my friend the other day and I'm not really informed in Latin America communism. I know about Russian and Eastern countries how communism was a dictatorship and people were poor with no food to eat(most of them). My friend kept insisting that Latin America(Venezuela, Cuba) communism is dif... | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1eiv6v/what_are_the_differences_between_russianeastern/ | {
"a_id": [
"ca0q43m"
],
"score": [
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"text": [
"I think this is pushing into politics much more than history.\n\nAsking if people are 'actually happy' is not historical, it's subjective, and you're talking about today, not historically.\n\nMany people 'really were' happy in 1950s Russia. Or 19... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
284abt | Did a duel actually go on for a while? Like we see in the movies? | You know the scenes we see in the movies and on tv, opponents exchange blows for a long time before one gets the upper hand? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/284abt/did_a_duel_actually_go_on_for_a_while_like_we_see/ | {
"a_id": [
"ci7fewo"
],
"score": [
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"text": [
"There are a lot of variables here, and I'm mostly just addressing the latter years of dueling, from the late 1700s onwards. [I've written previously about the etiquette of a duel](_URL_1_), which I'll repeat here as it will help with the answer:\... | [] | [] | [
[
"https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=e68nuAcSuWQ",
"http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1l6pz5/tuesday_trivia_its_simply_not_done_historical/cbwfy6v",
"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uL9BWkN-Wcg",
"http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1s2w6n/tuesday_tr... | |
1lnw0e | What was the Whig Party like? Can it be compared to any modern-day political parties? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1lnw0e/what_was_the_whig_party_like_can_it_be_compared/ | {
"a_id": [
"cc12zhv",
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94,
19
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"text": [
"The Whig party was built by three distinct groups. The first, and by far the largest and most important, was the National Republican party which was one of the two factions of the old Jeffersonian Republican party ( the ot... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | ||
3v4yeq | What is/are the most unbiased source(s) for me to learn about the conflict in the Middle East? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3v4yeq/what_isare_the_most_unbiased_sources_for_me_to/ | {
"a_id": [
"cxkcu6h",
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"score": [
5,
24,
12,
6,
9
],
"text": [
"I have studied the Middle East for a long time and I don't think you will find an unquestioned source. Almost all historians, researchers, and journalists a... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/home.html"
],
[],
[
"http://www.amazon.com/History-Modern-Middle-East-5th/dp/0813348331/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1449082241&sr=1-4&keywords=Modern+Middle+East%3A+A+History",
"http://www.amazon.ca/The-Arabs-History-Eugene-Rogan/dp/0465025048"... | ||
2nge79 | Are the claims about this "Aztec whistle" accurate? | Saw [this video](_URL_0_) on the front page and I became suspicious, can any Mesoamerican historians shed light on his claims? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2nge79/are_the_claims_about_this_aztec_whistle_accurate/ | {
"a_id": [
"cmdln4e"
],
"score": [
7
],
"text": [
"I can't comment to the accuracy of this particular reproduction however there are several prehispanic Mesoamerica wind instruments that have been called \"Death Whistles.\" While it is likely that these instruments were used for ritual purposes, ... | [] | [
"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9QuO09z-SI"
] | [
[
"http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/music/death-whistle"
]
] | |
1dd0eu | What did pre-Colombus Native- and Meso-American peoples call the world? | I run into this a lot when writing fictional civilizations or peoples. We call the world "Earth" but what did ancient peoples call it? Did they even have a word for our planet? Please feel free to throw in any ancient civilization, could use the Meso- or Native-American perspective but will settle for anything, really.... | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1dd0eu/what_did_precolombus_native_and_mesoamerican/ | {
"a_id": [
"c9q4yi9",
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"score": [
4,
6,
7
],
"text": [
"Don't know about pre-Columbian, but Choctaw people called the earth \"yakni,\" which can also mean country/nation, land, homeland, dirt, ground, dust, or coast.",
"The world for Earth in Ojibwe is A... | [] | [] | [
[],
[
"http://ojibwe.lib.umn.edu/main-entry/mikinaak-na"
],
[]
] | |
crglmh | Einstein as a unique villain to Nazi Germany | Albert Einstein was a jew that left Germany to work with Germany’s enemies. I also believe he had pacifist and socialist tendencies. Did the Nazis at any point try to use him personally as propaganda as an example of Jews betraying Germany? Or were they determined to make the Jews as faceless and nameless and inhuman a... | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/crglmh/einstein_as_a_unique_villain_to_nazi_germany/ | {
"a_id": [
"ex79js7"
],
"score": [
4
],
"text": [
"Yes, in the infamous propaganda film \"The Eternal Jew\", Einstein is characterized as follows:\n\n\" The relativity-Jew \\[Relativitätsjude\\] Einstein, who concealed his hatred of Germany behind an obscure pseudo-science.\"\n\nHere are academic... | [] | [] | [
[
"https://phdn.org/archives/holocaust-history.org/der-ewige-jude/stills.shtml",
"https://scilogs.spektrum.de/relativ-einfach/relativitaetstheorie-antisemitismus/",
"https://phdn.org/archives/holocaust-history.org/der-ewige-jude/"
]
] | |
1hpom0 | You always hear about Italian/Irish/Russian mobs in America but has there ever been any major problems with gangs associated with countries like Germany, France, the Dutch or other European/Asian nations in American history? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1hpom0/you_always_hear_about_italianirishrussian_mobs_in/ | {
"a_id": [
"cawr5fx"
],
"score": [
7
],
"text": [
"While they weren't 100% criminal organizations, Tongs in Chinatowns throughout the U.S. participated in gang-like activity until about the 1910s.\n\nEarly on, the Tongs (especially the Hip-Yee Tong) participated heavily in sex trafficking of Chin... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
329an5 | Did the US/GB/Canadian government pay to have soldier's bodies shipped home after WWI? | In the American cemeteries here in France, I noticed that about 60% of the families opted to have their sons sent home. Who paid for it? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/329an5/did_the_usgbcanadian_government_pay_to_have/ | {
"a_id": [
"cq93x1s"
],
"score": [
3
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"text": [
"I can't speak for the American side of this, but in the case of Great Britain, at least, this option was not actually given to the bereaved. A massive scheme of universal interment was devised by the Imperial War Graves Commission under the guid... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1iuwrx/were_many_people_upset_when_they_announced_they/cb8bich"
]
] | |
1t9684 | Language learning before modern times? | Hey everyone. I posted the following on /r/languagelearning, but I was told that this subreddit was the right place for my questions. So I will repost it here:
I've been curious about this for some time, but it's been hard for me to find detailed answers to my questions...
How did people acquire languages (outside of... | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1t9684/language_learning_before_modern_times/ | {
"a_id": [
"ce5nk1y",
"ce61ynu",
"ce62g58"
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"score": [
26,
7,
2
],
"text": [
"I will do a brief write up of rhetorical education in the c.4th century Roman West. This would include training in Greek. Famous rhetoricians from this time include pagans like Ausonius and bishops lik... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[]
] | |
1afuum | History essay on why the U.S. joined WW2. | I am doing a history essay on why the United States joined the Second World War. The three points of my essay will be Pearl Harbor, the economics and also American ships being attacked by the Germans before America was in the war. Does anyone know of any books or online books that have good information?
I have some bo... | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1afuum/history_essay_on_why_the_us_joined_ww2/ | {
"a_id": [
"c8xpd9w"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"Not sure of what academic level you are on. If you haven't already go look on _URL_0_ and search for some journal articles for what you need also just go on google books and and see if any books are available. Helped me when I first started writi... | [] | [] | [
[
"jstor.org"
]
] | |
19ui3r | How exactly did Greeks call themselves Greek during Ancient Greece? | I think this will need more explaining.
I'm wondering how Greek, city states, called themselves Greeks because all the city states were very different and warred often. And plus Greeks didn't recognize Macedonia as greek when they were pretty similar?
I hope this makes more sense lol | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/19ui3r/how_exactly_did_greeks_call_themselves_greek/ | {
"a_id": [
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10,
19,
8,
2
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"text": [
"They didn't. They called themselves by their City State. Spartans for Sparta, Athenians for Athens etc. It is my understanding they didn't make much distinc... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[
"http://www.amazon.com/Life-Greece-Story-Civilization/dp/B000JTHRHG/ref=sr_sp-btf_title_1_12?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1362672422&sr=1-12&keywords=the+life+of+greece+will+durant",
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Durant"
],
[],
[]
] | |
30npid | When was the first recorded instance of people using their hair as a way to express themselves? How was it different to how we use it? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/30npid/when_was_the_first_recorded_instance_of_people/ | {
"a_id": [
"cpu9ml3"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"It may be worth x-posting this one to our sister sub, /r/AskAnthropology "
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
26f592 | What impact did Marcus Licinius Crassus have on society after his death? | I'm researching Crassus for a history assignment and I can't seem to find any insight on this. Sources would also be helpful. | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/26f592/what_impact_did_marcus_licinius_crassus_have_on/ | {
"a_id": [
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"score": [
4,
2,
2
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"text": [
"I'm on my phone but I must say this makes my heart happy. \n\nYou might try Alan Mason Ward's \"Marcus Crassus and the Late Roman Republic\" as a good start. Maybe Plutarch's Lives as well. \n\nI hop... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[
"http://www.southwestern.edu/departments/classics/images/zanker145.jpg"
]
] | |
2mlrut | What was the contemporary perception of the UN plan to divide Palestine? | I know that the arabs didn't like it at all, but what was the attitude to the plan from the US, the USSR and the European Countries? Did anybody believe the plan to be viable? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2mlrut/what_was_the_contemporary_perception_of_the_un/ | {
"a_id": [
"cm5om14"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"Well, the US was a strong supporter publicly. It assisted the Zionist groups in getting the plan passed, sometimes through methods that are reported to have been less than acceptable. These included threats, bribes, and strong-arms. President Tru... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/un/res181.htm"
]
] | |
2l4np2 | Why didn't Bermuda participate in the American Revolution? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2l4np2/why_didnt_bermuda_participate_in_the_american/ | {
"a_id": [
"clrx7rj"
],
"score": [
7
],
"text": [
"Why would they want or need to? Their trade and indeed their whole economy was dependent upon Britain. There also wasn't the emerging economic and political elite in Bermuda, such as existed in the 13 Colonies, who saw personal advantage in separ... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
af6nl5 | When and why did Nestorian Christianity stop being practised by the Mongolians? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/af6nl5/when_and_why_did_nestorian_christianity_stop/ | {
"a_id": [
"edwx0vn"
],
"score": [
7
],
"text": [
"Follow-up question, if allowed: how widespread was Nestorianism in Asia at its peak?"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
2aei69 | Why isn't Charlemagne considered a great general like Hannibal or Alexander the Great? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2aei69/why_isnt_charlemagne_considered_a_great_general/ | {
"a_id": [
"ciujhzd",
"cium7pj"
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"score": [
2,
13
],
"text": [
"What is the context of your question? Whose standards are you referring to? Who has called the latter two great generals but not the former? \n\nHave you considered the importance of Charlemagne's role as Holy Roman Emperor... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | ||
17xkb5 | What were European cities that weren't Rome like around the time of the fall of the Republic? | So I've been reading a decent amount about the fall of the Roman Republic, and I keep imagining Gaul as completely barbaric. Were there major cosmopolitan cities in Gaul/Germania/Britain/Spain at the time or were they pretty provincial? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/17xkb5/what_were_european_cities_that_werent_rome_like/ | {
"a_id": [
"c89s3ql",
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"score": [
21,
2
],
"text": [
"Beyond Greek colonies like Massilia (Marseilles), none. Gallic society was organized around *oppida* (\"hillforts\") which are often called \"proto-urban areas\" because they fulfilled the social and political role of citie... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1-VCm6RwIOg/T6SNPsH6BRI/AAAAAAAAM2E/mXWKGYmojHE/s1600/mirror.jpg"
],
[]
] | |
6cudie | I was told in a lecture that no two (true) democratic states have ever gone to war. How true is this, and what examples are there? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/6cudie/i_was_told_in_a_lecture_that_no_two_true/ | {
"a_id": [
"dhxu1v9",
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"score": [
63,
10
],
"text": [
"It's largely a definitional question. As long as you can define democracy tightly enough you're golden.\n\nAll in all there are probably two to three dozen decent candidates for democracies going to war with each other. In... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | ||
3e9qpg | Which is the cause of Europe being the predominant region in the world post-Middle Age? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3e9qpg/which_is_the_cause_of_europe_being_the/ | {
"a_id": [
"ctcx82p"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"What do you mean by predominant, and how would you measure that? Predominant politically? Economically? What about entities like the Ottoman Empire that spurred European oceanic exploration? Are they not as important?\n\nYour question is extremel... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
1mz6ge | Monday Mysteries | Suggestion Thread (please read) | **Previously:**
- [More research difficulties](_URL_9_)
- [Most outlandish or outrageous historical claims](_URL_12_)
- [Inexplicable occurrences](_URL_18_)
- [Lost (and found) treasures](_URL_20_)
- [Missing persons](_URL_10_)
- [Mysterious images](_URL_5_)
- [The historical foundations of myth and legend](_URL_13_)
... | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1mz6ge/monday_mysteries_suggestion_thread_please_read/ | {
"a_id": [
"ccdy0n8",
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],
"score": [
5,
6,
13,
2,
9,
2
],
"text": [
"This may fall under missing documents or research problems, but I would be interested in knowing more about gaps in the historical reco... | [] | [
"http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1cvbaz/monday_mysteries_missing_documents_and_texts/",
"http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1hv6me/monday_mysteries_literary_mysteries/",
"http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1hfffk/monday_mysteries_contested_reputations/",
"http://www.redd... | [
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[]
] | |
2lpp1i | How did so-called First Triumvirate (Caesar-Pompey-Crassus) and their actions undermine the Roman Republic? | Recently watched HBO's Rome and I'm intrigued in all of this. I have a few questions regarding the First Triumvirate and the events that eventually led to Caesar declaring himself as the Dictator of Rome.
1) In the show, it only focused on the tension between Caesar and Pompey with little to no mention of Crassus. Ho... | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2lpp1i/how_did_socalled_first_triumvirate/ | {
"a_id": [
"clxb4xy"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"I can shed some light on Crassus. Once Sulla came into power after his war with Marius, Crassus, who had always been loyal to Sulla, got put in charge of Sulla's proscriptions. That is to say, Crassus was in charge of killing all of Sulla's polit... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
6lo435 | The cold war ended in 1991, so why were American and Soviet space agencies cooperating in the mid 70's? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/6lo435/the_cold_war_ended_in_1991_so_why_were_american/ | {
"a_id": [
"djvcfe1"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"[This](_URL_0_) article pretty much covers the entire history of US-Soviet cooperation during the Cold War, including the political reasoning on both sides for actually going along with this cooperation, in spite of the apparent antagonism betwee... | [] | [] | [
[
"https://www.nasa.gov/50th/50th_magazine/coldWarCoOp.html"
]
] | ||
143fan | How was the formation of Israel in 1948 received by the American public? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/143fan/how_was_the_formation_of_israel_in_1948_received/ | {
"a_id": [
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"text": [
"Id actually like this answered, but im more interested how it was received globally.",
"I don't know anything on this more than... | [] | [] | [
[],
[
"http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2009/01/mad-men-on-the-ambivalence-of-zion/9463/"
],
[],
[],
[],
[]
] | ||
19jo97 | Did the Romans give up on the idea of conquering Parthia/Persia? Why? | In the Roman–Parthian War of 161–166 the Romans hit a huge blow to the Parthians, sacking their capital. It seems that the Romans at that time were not considering conquering Persia as a whole?
Why not? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/19jo97/did_the_romans_give_up_on_the_idea_of_conquering/ | {
"a_id": [
"c8oq6d6"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"I'd say there was never an abiding philosophy in Roman minds throughout the Empire's long history geared towards conquering Persia. \n\nI think the shortest answer is probably the most sensible (I'll give way to better-informed explanations). Per... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
fdp4vi | Were records about jews in Russia destroyed during/after the bolshevik revolution? | My great grandparents escaped persecution while the Czar was still in power. I want to learn more about them and there ancestors but my mom told me all records about jews were destroyed. | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/fdp4vi/were_records_about_jews_in_russia_destroyed/ | {
"a_id": [
"fjk1q0z"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"The problem is that there were frequent violent pogroms against Jewish villages. It isn’t so much that anyone set out to destroy the records themselves; it’s that everything got destroyed with depressing regularity. Further, post-revolution, reli... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
1qv4xg | Why did King George V wait to long to change his name from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor? | I mean the war began in 1914, and German sentiment was, as I understand, high in the UK to begin with. So why did King George wait until 1917 to go and change his family's name? Was there growing anti-German sentiment, or anything in particular that made him decide that was a good time to do it? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1qv4xg/why_did_king_george_v_wait_to_long_to_change_his/ | {
"a_id": [
"cdguog8"
],
"score": [
10
],
"text": [
"[I'm not supposed to be here, but I couldn't resist...]\n\n > ...or anything in particular that made him decide that was a good time to do it?\n\nThe most popular reason I've seen cited for this is the escalation of the German bombing campaign ... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Gotha_G_IV_na_Lawicy.jpg"
]
] | |
6393zf | Does the Civilization series offer a "Whig" interpretation of history? | I was watching a [podcast](_URL_0_) where this topic was discussed. I understand that the term carries some negative connotations amoung historians.
The games do (particularly the 5th and 6th iterations) seem to support a progressive form of history, however. As technology advances, inventions such as fertilizer impro... | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/6393zf/does_the_civilization_series_offer_a_whig/ | {
"a_id": [
"dfsem2l"
],
"score": [
16
],
"text": [
"The main historical sin of the _Civilization_ series (in my mind) is that it is unabashedly technologically deterministic. It is entirely about the driving of society/culture/history by technology, especially (but not exclusively) in war, to the... | [] | [
"http://www.historyrespawned.com/civilization-vi/"
] | [
[
"http://alexwellerstein.com/publications/wellerstein_reviewciv6(endeavour\\).pdf"
]
] | |
67no8r | What was last unit to surrender at Stalingrad? | I want to know what was the last unit since my uncle told me about few weeks ago that it was part of Croatian 369th inf. at stalingrad airfield like 14 or 15 days after Paulus. Is this true if not what was the last unit? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/67no8r/what_was_last_unit_to_surrender_at_stalingrad/ | {
"a_id": [
"dgrrtge"
],
"score": [
5
],
"text": [
"At the end of the Battle of Stalingrad, the Sixth Army was split in to two pockets, North and South. Later a Central pocket was formed. The South and then Central pockets surrendered first. The Northern sector was the last to hold out in the city... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
873bci | Why did the Italian merchant republics not seek out colonial empires? | After reading about the Mediterranean trade empires of Venice and Genoa, it seemed weird that neither of those nations would push for an opportunity of a new revenue source, and to further the fiscal benefits I imagine they’d already be getting from their existing Mediterranean colonies. Would the fact that both states... | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/873bci/why_did_the_italian_merchant_republics_not_seek/ | {
"a_id": [
"dw9xu4z"
],
"score": [
12
],
"text": [
"In 1522, Sebastian Cabot, a rather important man in discoveries for kings of England and Spain, himself born in Venice (to a Genoese born John Cabot who moved to Venice and obtained Venetian citizenship before moving to Bristol in 1490s and disc... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/columbus/Columbus-Journal.pdf"
]
] | |
4pgwvc | Floating Feature | What historical event or biography should be adapted for the next Tony Award Winning Musical? | Now and then, we like to host '[Floating Features](_URL_0_)', periodic threads intended to allow for more open discussion that allows a multitude of possible answers from people of all sorts of backgrounds and levels of expertise.
Today, our theme is to pitch **Historical Musicals**! With "*Hamilton*" racking up the ... | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/4pgwvc/floating_feature_what_historical_event_or/ | {
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"d4ktjl8",
"d4ktzdn",
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"d4l5y14",
"d4ll3kp",
"d4lqkwb",
"d4mbve8",
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],
"score": [
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11,
10,
3,
10,
5,
22,
10,
7,
10,
5,
4,
... | [] | [
"https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/features/floating"
] | [
[],
[],
[
"http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/barney-frank-stage-debut-fiorello-article-1.1249585",
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiorello"
],
[
"https://stoa.wordpress.com/2009/01/23/the-women-of-heinrich-schliemann/"
],
[
"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czyG-58_vLk",... | |
fq13po | Where does history end and the present begin? | I ve been thinking about this a lot lately. I know that history starts with the presence of written artifacts but were does it stop? Does digital technology and archives interrupt history in the sense that everything will be documented so well that historic study won’t be need after say the 2000? Or will history adapt... | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/fq13po/where_does_history_end_and_the_present_begin/ | {
"a_id": [
"flofj48",
"flohs86"
],
"score": [
2,
3
],
"text": [
"unfortunately i’m not sure when history becomes the present—or if it ever stops! however, historians studying the digital age will still be 100% necessary because history isn’t just about trying to figure out what happened, ... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | |
9xe6ca | Wheres an iron maiden used? | Was it used in medieval manors, royal or church court? Thanks so much!!!!! | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/9xe6ca/wheres_an_iron_maiden_used/ | {
"a_id": [
"e9rlgv5"
],
"score": [
5
],
"text": [
"While there were was an account from the book \"City Of God\" in the 5th century about a person being forced into a nail-studded box as a form of torture, and a similar account by Polybius in 100 BC, these accounts are suspect at best. There's l... | [] | [] | [
[
"https://www.livescience.com/55985-are-iron-maidens-torture-devices.html"
]
] | |
2bdehb | How likely was it that Jesus was influenced by the ideas of the Buddhism and Jainism? | As was answered in another question, the trade routes were to the East. Isn't it likely that the historical Jesus got his ideas from the East. The core of his concepts notwithstanding the cosmology were similar to Buddhism. We know that King Askoka sent emissaries through the region. _URL_0_ True it was 200+ years b... | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2bdehb/how_likely_was_it_that_jesus_was_influenced_by/ | {
"a_id": [
"cj48jrb"
],
"score": [
19
],
"text": [
"It's incredibly unlikely.\n\n1. We have some, though very little, evidence of Buddhist ideas appearing in the Hellenistic world. However to influence Jesus you would need even more than this, you would need some evidence of engagement or impact ... | [] | [
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashoka"
] | [
[]
] | |
1st069 | How much (if any) of the cold war actually started before 1945? | I know stalin and the west were "uneasy" allies and there was a lot of political ideas fighting against each other, but I'm curious as to what an extent the west thought about the communist threat and visa versa. Also, how important were the neutral countries (like sweden, switzerland, spain and so on) to the cold war ... | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1st069/how_much_if_any_of_the_cold_war_actually_started/ | {
"a_id": [
"ce1b1z4"
],
"score": [
18
],
"text": [
"Definitely not my area of expertise, but it should be said that one of the most famous sections of an already-famous book, [Alexis de Tocqueville's *Democracy in America*](_URL_0_), accurately predicted in 1835 that the U.S. and Russia would eve... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_in_America"
]
] | |
baomi9 | Why did Odoacer not try to be the Roman Emperor? | I am an ethnic Chinese who is way more familiar with Chinese history. In Chinese history, the end of a Dynasty was often very dramatic. When the Song Dynasty fell, the Prime Minister grab the child Emperor and commit suicide by jumping into the sea. When the Ming Dynasty fell, Chongzhen Emperor commit suicide by hangin... | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/baomi9/why_did_odoacer_not_try_to_be_the_roman_emperor/ | {
"a_id": [
"ekdmejo"
],
"score": [
8
],
"text": [
"There's roughly two factors playing there.\n\nFirst, a matter of political and cultural identity : the distinction between a Barbarian and a Roman in the Vth wasn't necessarily cultural (Barbarians being increasingly \"Romanized\", not unlike Lat... | [] | [] | [
[
"best.It"
]
] | |
4n562p | Why didn't Prussia try to get its former polish territories in the Congress of Vienna? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/4n562p/why_didnt_prussia_try_to_get_its_former_polish/ | {
"a_id": [
"d417mj9"
],
"score": [
4
],
"text": [
"The Polish issue was one of the more contentious ones of the Congress of Vienna and as such it has a tendency to obscure some of the other areas of negotiation. One of the initial goals of Prussia's diplomats at the Congress was to have Prussia a... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
3aonsr | Question about the legality of the Confederate states during the American Civil War. Was the succession legal or not? | I was listening to the radio today and heard a quote that was attributed to Abraham Lincoln that said...
"This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or exercise their ... | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3aonsr/question_about_the_legality_of_the_confederate/ | {
"a_id": [
"csenlwh"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"It's from his [first state of the union](_URL_0_), and he's expressely saying that while revolution is justified if the constitution is being negated, it is not justified by policies as regard slavery (at this time he's not talking about emancipa... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://www.bartleby.com/124/pres31.html"
]
] | |
32zz2h | Was there a function to cave paintings beyond art for art's sake? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/32zz2h/was_there_a_function_to_cave_paintings_beyond_art/ | {
"a_id": [
"cqgbvy2"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"hi! while's it's possible you may get answers here, this question would be worth x-posting to /r/AskAnthropology"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
2gv2x9 | How much of US Cold War foreign intervention were economically motivated? | To what degree do we have evidence that politicians actually feared the the spread of communism/wanted to spread democracy for ideological purposes compare indications of to economic motivations? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2gv2x9/how_much_of_us_cold_war_foreign_intervention_were/ | {
"a_id": [
"ckn7aa9",
"ckn9p91"
],
"score": [
2,
4
],
"text": [
"I can recommend a great book on the topic: The Brothers, by Stephen Kinzer. A biography of the Dulles brothers, who concurrently served as the sec. of state and the head of the CIA, it explains their motivations -- many of t... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | |
1sj8bl | What are the major reasons there hasn't been a 'World War 3' | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1sj8bl/what_are_the_major_reasons_there_hasnt_been_a/ | {
"a_id": [
"cdy6oz1",
"cdy7bh4"
],
"score": [
2,
2
],
"text": [
"The question ist basically unanswerable in the manner you posited it. To provide any meaningful answers we would need more clarification. Are you asking: \"Why did the Cold War never get hot on a global scale?\" or \"Why was... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | ||
6ijmg2 | How did the Ming Vase become the deFacto "priceless" object often broken in comedy? Why specifically Ming Dynasty crockery? How is it exceptional, yet common enough for a bunch of people to own? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/6ijmg2/how_did_the_ming_vase_become_the_defacto/ | {
"a_id": [
"dj6y7u9"
],
"score": [
3006
],
"text": [
"Awesome question. **An answer to your question lies at the crossroads of the rising middle class in 19th century Western society, Western fascination with the Orient, and noir detective novels.** I'll refer you to Stacey Pierson's *From Object... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9401E5DB133FE533A25750C2A9649D94679FD7CF",
"http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F06E4D6103DEE32A25750C0A9639C946397D6CF",
"http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=950DE4DE1439E233A25756C0A9659C946796D6CF",
"https://www.red... | ||
6pjl8q | Did those dual-swinging western style saloon doors really exist? What did they do when it got cold? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/6pjl8q/did_those_dualswinging_western_style_saloon_doors/ | {
"a_id": [
"dkq9s23"
],
"score": [
13
],
"text": [
"the \"batwing\" saloon doors did exist, but they weren't quite as hollwood westerns depict.\n\nfor one, they were usually much larger than in the movies (big enough that they could be locked after hours to keep out intruders). in ronald james' \... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
4k6m0s | Was "Beatlemania" really any different to the frenzy for performers such as Elvis, or bands like the Backstreet Boys? If so, in what ways? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/4k6m0s/was_beatlemania_really_any_different_to_the/ | {
"a_id": [
"d3e7vb8"
],
"score": [
8
],
"text": [
"At one level, the 'frenzies' for performers like The Beatles, Elvis and the Backstreet Boys have clear similarities to each other: it's hard not to notice the demographic of teenage females when they're screaming that loudly. Clearly each of them... | [] | [] | [
[
"https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/4f2zm2/when_did_the_band_name_come_around_as_in_a_group/d25saeh",
"http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1964-04-04"
]
] | ||
fmvkyl | How has China been able to have similar culture over such a large area for thousands of years? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/fmvkyl/how_has_china_been_able_to_have_similar_culture/ | {
"a_id": [
"fl6oh6l"
],
"score": [
5
],
"text": [
"The premise of the question is just false. China is, even today, hugely culturally, linguistically and ethnically diverse, and there has been immense change over time. [Just have a gander at what we have in the FAQ](_URL_0_) and you should find t... | [] | [] | [
[
"https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/asia#wiki_china",
"https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/doylzp/in_disneys_mulan_how_would_mulan_have_brought/f5uwp8k/"
]
] | ||
4xug1s | Monday Methods: The past is a foreign country | Although the metaphor has lost some of its edge in the times of cheap plane tickets, L.P. Hartley's almost proverbial sentence "The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there" still works as an introduction to the idea that historical actors can perceive the world and understand its staples fundamental... | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/4xug1s/monday_methods_the_past_is_a_foreign_country/ | {
"a_id": [
"d6ii4yz",
"d6ii5qe",
"d6iqbge",
"d6jclil"
],
"score": [
12,
20,
15,
2
],
"text": [
"Dealing with this in my next big project, which addresses the racism of H. P. Lovecraft and his contemporaries like Robert E. Howard and Clark Ashton Smith - along with ancillar... | [] | [
"https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/4nnz82/in_game_of_thrones_sam_tarly_is_constantly_mocked/d466arq"
] | [
[],
[],
[],
[]
] | |
1je5c9 | Wikipedia claims that the siege of Baghdad by the Mongols (1258) was the end of the Islamic "golden age". Is this true? How are the Mongols remembered in modern Islam? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1je5c9/wikipedia_claims_that_the_siege_of_baghdad_by_the/ | {
"a_id": [
"cbdy1wy",
"cbdy6oc",
"cbdy7ap",
"cbdy93c"
],
"score": [
33,
10,
25,
7
],
"text": [
"[All my knowledge comes from the book Destiny Distrupted](_URL_0_)\n\nTamim Ansary goes into great length to describe the fortifications of Baghdad saying that in his opinion it... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://www.amazon.com/Destiny-Disrupted-History-Through-Islamic/dp/1586488139/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1375260200&sr=8-2&keywords=islam+history"
],
[],
[
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/As-Saffah"
],
[]
] | ||
2fmy8f | Why would a black person have fought for the confederacy in the civil war? Did that kind of thing ever happen? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2fmy8f/why_would_a_black_person_have_fought_for_the/ | {
"a_id": [
"ckary3o",
"ckas8yn",
"ckat8rz"
],
"score": [
32,
3,
6
],
"text": [
"People make a lot of claims about there being black confederates. Recently [Virginia got in a controversy about their 4th grade textbook repeating the claim that there were thousands.](_URL_1_) Mostly ... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2011/09/black-confederates/",
"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/19/AR2010101907974.html"
],
[],
[
"http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1z6em9/dr_james_mcpherson_author_of_battle_cry_of/cfr74c7"
]
] | ||
7x1w14 | Hitler's Jewish Ancestors? | I've heard a rumor that Adolf Hitler's father, Alois Hitler, was either Jewish or of Jewish ancestry. Is there any validity to this claim or is it just a wild claim? If false, what would be the purpose of someone perpetrating it as if it were fact? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/7x1w14/hitlers_jewish_ancestors/ | {
"a_id": [
"du5rdsr"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"No discouraging any from contributing any new information, but this question has come up before\n \n* /u/Georgy_K_Zhukov in [Did the Nazis ever question Hitler's Jewish ancestry?](_URL_0_)\n\n* /u/skirlhutsenreiter in [Did Hitler actually have an... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/25ly14/did_the_nazis_ever_question_hitlers_jewish/",
"https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/4917ij/did_hitler_himself_have_a_jewish_grandparent/",
"http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1fyhga/did_hitler_actually_have_any_jewish_origin... | |
3j4do1 | Why did Colombia remain a democracy during the Cold War? | If anything, the "communist threat" there was much more real than in other South American countries that would eventually become military dictatorships, like Brazil and Argentina. Why did they stay a democracy? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3j4do1/why_did_colombia_remain_a_democracy_during_the/ | {
"a_id": [
"cumlria"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"I don't have a clear answer for this, but let me ask in return: What makes you think that Colombia had a greater communist threat than other South American countries?"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
4os237 | What is the difference between Canaanites and Phoenicians? | While researching about this, I found that some websites seem to use both names interchangeably, while others imply they are completely different peoples. What exactly is the difference between the two, and what is it that causes this confusion? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/4os237/what_is_the_difference_between_canaanites_and/ | {
"a_id": [
"d4fbvgu"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"There's no real confusion, it's just a quirk of Indo-European language naming conventions.\n\nPhoenicians were a sea-faring Semitic civilization the existed along the coast of the Fertile Crescent in the modern Middle East. They founded a lot of ... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
ablpd0 | How to find out more about my great-grandfather's WW2-era photography? | Probably not the right subreddit for this, but I asked about a framed letter that's hanging above the mantle of my folks' place that is from President Roosevelt thanking my great-grandfather for some photo albums he put together for Roosevelt's kids.
When I inquired about it, I was directed to some large photos in a p... | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/ablpd0/how_to_find_out_more_about_my_greatgrandfathers/ | {
"a_id": [
"ed183re"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"I also see that that parrot picture is floating around in a couple places, and even the cover of a book(!), but isn't actually attributed to a specific person anywhere, rather being attributed to the newspaper it was printed in, so I'm wondering ... | [] | [
"https://imgur.com/W95vawP.jpg",
"https://imgur.com/hPuze6B.jpg"
] | [
[]
] | |
3xn2c3 | Why is Prince Charles considered of House Windsor (but his father is of House Glücksburg) while the descendants of Queen Victoria kept Albert's Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and not her Hanover? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3xn2c3/why_is_prince_charles_considered_of_house_windsor/ | {
"a_id": [
"cy678sl"
],
"score": [
13
],
"text": [
"Royal houses are traditionally like surnames -- the children inherit that of the father, hence Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII, George VI and Elizabeth II are members of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. SCG was changed to Windsor during Wor... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://www.royal.gov.uk/ThecurrentRoyalFamily/TheRoyalFamilyname/Overview.aspx"
]
] | ||
15tho9 | "We never find a dictator who acted otherwise than well for the [Roman] republic" - how true is this? | The quote comes from Book I, Chapter 34 of Machiavelli's Discourses on Livy. He argues that the dictators of Rome, since the people freely gave them their power in accordance with Roman law, were not at all the cause of the Republic's transition into tyranny - "it is not those Powers which are given by the free suffrag... | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/15tho9/we_never_find_a_dictator_who_acted_otherwise_than/ | {
"a_id": [
"c7prnrv",
"c7py67u"
],
"score": [
9,
2
],
"text": [
"The office of Dictator in the Republic was not the same in all instances. Not all had the same *causa*. The most common one was *rei gerundae causa* (\"for the matter to be done\") indicating that the dictator's extraordinar... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | |
5213zn | During WWI, how confused between the two sides could the trench systems get? What was the distance between the opposing 1st line trenches? and what was the distance between the 1st and second line trenches of the same side? | Im reading Poilu and Journey to the End of the Night and they keep mentioning accidentally running into German troops/patrols(?). Another entry details Celine's character trying to find out if the Germans had captured a town or not. Wouldn't it be obvious where the line between French and German lines were? Or not? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/5213zn/during_wwi_how_confused_between_the_two_sides/ | {
"a_id": [
"d7gtlen"
],
"score": [
7
],
"text": [
"If you look at [this map](_URL_2_) of a fairly typical trench layout, you'll see that the trenches themself are not that confusing. The no man's land ranged from a couple of hundred yards to, in some extreme cases, ten to twenty yards. ([Source](... | [] | [] | [
[
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trench_warfare#Trench_defensive_systems",
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trench_warfare#Implementation",
"http://www-tc.pbs.org/greatwar/images/ch1_trenches_top.jpg"
]
] | |
1rp7oh | Why did Gandhi fast? | I am reading 7 habits of highly effective people and they used Gandhi as an example for why being proactive was a good thing. It also talked about his fasting and now that I think back on it, I can't seem to figure out how fasting changed anything in India. Can someone explain? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1rp7oh/why_did_gandhi_fast/ | {
"a_id": [
"cdpjrgm"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"In India there is a concept called \"Bhookh Hartal\" (literally \"hunger strike\"). When people go on strike/protest they sometimes declare that they wont eat food until their demands are met. This is essentially negotiating/blackmailing with a g... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
2mdodw | Have there been any nuclear weapons that have been lost and never recovered ? | Lost as in "we don't know where are today" | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2mdodw/have_there_been_any_nuclear_weapons_that_have/ | {
"a_id": [
"cm38eu9"
],
"score": [
8
],
"text": [
"Yes, a few. Search for \"lost\" and \"loss\" on [this page](_URL_0_) and you'll find a few. In some cases, it is not always clear whether the weapons had nuclear cores in them, and in some, it is only components that have been lost (e.g. the seco... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_military_nuclear_accidents"
]
] | |
3cuwxn | Is the U.S. Civil War uniquely famous among the world's civil wars? | And if it is, what makes it so?
Asking from within the U.S. as someone who's only ever lived here. It seems like it's not uncommon to hear the U.S. Civil War and it's facets mentioned by figures from all over the world in a fairly familiar tone.
Is it because we were one of the last nations to abolish slavery and tha... | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3cuwxn/is_the_us_civil_war_uniquely_famous_among_the/ | {
"a_id": [
"csza49d",
"cszf9qa",
"cszk9oi",
"cszmdsj",
"cszol50",
"cszopjm"
],
"score": [
117,
54,
2,
14,
2,
10
],
"text": [
"I can't make a direct comparison, but Paul Preston claims that the Spanish Civil War has created nearly as much volume of English l... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[]
] | |
2jo5a5 | Did the Byzantine empire ever try/want to reclaim the west? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2jo5a5/did_the_byzantine_empire_ever_trywant_to_reclaim/ | {
"a_id": [
"cldip0j"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"The largest campaign to reclaim the west was undertaken under the reign of Justinian in the 6th century, most famously under the leadership of General Belisarius. The campaigns were successful in reclaiming Italy, as well as the southern coast of... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
4479po | How was Flevoland populated? | When the Netherlands drained parts of the Zuiderzee to create the province of Flevoland (and added the Wieringermeer to North Holland), how did the government distribute the newly-reclaimed land? Were there enticements to move into the new province? Were there any major trends about who moved to Flevoland (outsized mig... | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/4479po/how_was_flevoland_populated/ | {
"a_id": [
"czoq98g"
],
"score": [
5
],
"text": [
"As a native of the northern part of Flevoland (Noordoostpolder) I can tell you something about how it worked for my area. \n\nFlevoland was populated by having people apply to be settled there. Applying for settlement was popular because it gave ... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
5lrfzm | Did any pirates preferentially target slave ships during the time period of the transatlantic slave trade? | I am curious if, during the specific time period of the transatlantic slave trade, there were pirates who preferentially targeted slave ships. In particular, I would like to know if during this time period, there were any accounts of pirates who commandeered a vessel and freed its captives. | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/5lrfzm/did_any_pirates_preferentially_target_slave_ships/ | {
"a_id": [
"dby72z2",
"dbyod3p"
],
"score": [
9,
5
],
"text": [
"The best resource for this would be the [Trans-Atlantic Slave Voyage Database](_URL_1_), which is freely accessible online. If you go through the filters on the left of the page in the \"General Variables\" section, you can... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://slavevoyages.org/voyages/3oqvLAaQ",
"http://slavevoyages.org/"
],
[]
] |
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