The 20th century began on January 1, 1901, and ended on December 31, 2000.
4
votes
1answer
317 views
Were Flappers Important in American History? If so, why?
Closing in on western history of cosmetics- more specifically, American history of cosmetics- I was guided to the Flapper image of the 1920s. However, I cannot piece together exactly how this change ...
1
vote
3answers
655 views
What is the oldest movie theater in the US that has been in continuous use as a movie theater?
It appears from Wikipedia that the oldest theater in continuous use is in Denmark, but since so much of the film industry is dominated by Hollywood, I was wondering what is the oldest movie theater in ...
4
votes
0answers
31 views
Pre-1950s views of West European Socialist parties on the welfare state
The eminent Robert Paxton writes in a recent article, somewhat in passing:
Continental European Marxists opposed piecemeal welfare measures as
likely to dilute worker militancy without changing ...
5
votes
1answer
79 views
Why did Egypt forbid entry of Israeli ships into the Suez canal in 1956?
In 1956, as a response to withdrawal of American aid for the High Aswan dam, Nasser nationalized the Suez canal giving freedom of transit through it to all countries except Israel. Why did they do ...
12
votes
4answers
191 views
Why were the Prague Spring leaders treated more leniently than Nagy and his colleagues?
Following the Warsaw Pact's 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia the lead Czech reformer Alexander Dubček was dismissed and given a lowly job with the forestry commission.
A decade or so earlier, the ...
26
votes
4answers
2k views
Why did Chamberlain act to appease Hitler leading up to the outbreak of World War 2?
There are accounts that British Prime Minister Chamberlain sought to appease Hitler because he just didn't want Britain involved in a war at that time. Others also argue that Chamberlain was naive and ...
11
votes
3answers
840 views
What caused the Iranian 1979 revolution to become Islamic?
How did an initially anti-Shah revolution become an Islamic revolution? Was it because of Khomenei's return to Iran such that he seized the Iranian revolution?
7
votes
2answers
12k views
How many troops died on D-day?
How many troops (allied and axis) died at Normandy beach on June 6th, 1944? I've searched all over the internet, but can't find an accurate number.
4
votes
1answer
76 views
Why didn't Ronald Reagan become Republican candidate for the President of the USA in 1976?
I'd really like to know, how did it happen that Ronald Reagan lost the Republican Party presidential primaries in 1976, against Gerald Ford.
It's easier for me to understand that he could fail in the ...
30
votes
2answers
1k views
How did Israel win the Six-Day War?
Considering Israel fought several Arab countries, which had troops largely outnumbering the Israeli, how did they manage to win the war decisively, with much fewer casualties than the Arab countries?
...
5
votes
2answers
231 views
Could you help me identify this photograph that was taken shortly after World War 2?
Could you help me identify this photograph?
All I know is that it was taken shortly after World War 2.
8
votes
2answers
177 views
Ethnic Germans in Russian service in Poland
General Brusilov wrote in his memoirs that a few years before the war he was serving in a high military position in Russian-controlled Poland and that he was appalled by the fact that all Russian high ...
4
votes
2answers
84 views
Was there anything like African American architecture style or symbolic in the beginning of 20th century?
At the beginning of 20th century, large masses of black people were migrating to North or between districts of the same towns (like in New York from Tenderloin or San Juan Hill to Harlem, previously ...
6
votes
4answers
138 views
How would Eastern European emigres have traveled across Eastern Europe to Warsaw in the early 20thC?
I was looking back at my grandmother's voyage to America, she made the trip from Zbaraz in the Ukraine through Warsaw and then on to Gdanks and through steerage class to the New York. I know she took ...
4
votes
2answers
182 views
Italian History from 1870-1913: Why did Italy have such a hard time becoming a Great Power like Germany
Both Italy and Prussia-Germany were united from the years 1870-1871. Instead of small provinces, the country became united under one political leadership. Their unification received the help of France ...
2
votes
2answers
105 views
Was India's independence inevitable after Cripps Mission?
In 1942, the British government had sent Sir Stafford Cripps to negotiate with the Congress. According to most sources (though this was not made public at that time), the Cripps Mission had proposed ...
9
votes
2answers
493 views
What happened to the S.A. (Sturmabteilung; “Stormtroopers”) after The Night of the Long Knives?
I'm reading The Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany by Warren B. Marris, Jr. (Nelson-Hall, Chicago), 1982 for an eassay. It outlines the power that the Sturmabteilung (abbreviated S.A., trans ...
10
votes
5answers
493 views
What was Finland's position in World War Two?
What was Finland's position in World War Two? Apparently, they were fighting against the Soviet Union, but not as Nazi Germany's ally. Are there reasons for this, and were they actually on Germany's ...
6
votes
1answer
106 views
Why was the movement for Austro-German unity less successful than that of Italian unity? [closed]
Primarily, I am looking at the differences between say, the movements for German unity and that of Italian nationalists.
The record shows that the people of Austria had accepted without much ...
9
votes
2answers
157 views
What was the contemporary German public opinion on the Herero Genocide?
The genocide took place during 1904-1907, organized by General von Trotha. Wikipedia says:
Von Trotha's methods caused a public outcry which led the Imperial
Chancellor Bernhard von Bülow to ask ...
6
votes
3answers
337 views
Why so many Italians immigrated to Argentina?
On 13th of March, 2013, archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, became new pope of Catholic Church. He was born and raised in Argentina with Italian origins.
There are more than 24 ...
7
votes
4answers
748 views
Where was the pre-war (ww2) border between Poland and Germany?
I am interested in mapping the pre-war (WWII) border between Poland and Germany.
Is there any data available in a public resource? Can anyone describe waypoints along the border in terms of modern ...
3
votes
3answers
170 views
Why did George H. W. Bush select Dan Quayle as his running mate in 1988?
I've just been revisiting some quotes from Dan Qualyle. For example:
I believe we are on an irreversible trend toward more freedom and
democracy – but that could change.
and
We are ready ...
6
votes
2answers
94 views
Why did Churchill accept the Order of the Garter in 1953?
Churchill had refused the Order of the Garter in 1945, quipping that he couldn't accept the garter from the king after the people gave him the boot. But in 1953 he relented and accepted the honour? Is ...
11
votes
2answers
271 views
Why did the USA stay out of the League of Nations?
Woodrow Wilson, who was President of the USA at the time of the League's creation, was the person who pushed for the inclusion of the League in the Treaty of Versailles in the first place. Why is it ...
6
votes
1answer
75 views
Why did the Arab League re-admit Egypt in 1989?
Wikipedia:
During the years 1979-1989, Egypt was suspended from the Arab League
in the wake of President Anwar Sadat's visit to Jerusalem and 1978
Camp David Peace Accords between Egypt and ...
-3
votes
3answers
145 views
Hitler's Religion or Atheism [closed]
There seems to be even amongst some Historians and even this forum an unclear approach to Hitler and his Religion or the lack there of is there any clear history that establishes Hitler's religious ...
8
votes
2answers
115 views
Is the steel pan the only acoustic musical instrument to be invented in the 20th century and used widely around the world?
I have seen claims that the steel pan (commonly called steel drum) was the only acoustic instrument developed in the 20th century. Is this true? There are related instruments (the Hang or hand pan) ...
9
votes
2answers
211 views
Did Hitler really support Subhash Chandra Bose's cause and did he do anything to help Bose?
Bose had come to realize that Gandhi's doctrine of non-violence was not doing much in forcing the British to retreat. He went to Germany to seek Hitler's assistance in India's struggle for freedom.
...
6
votes
3answers
229 views
Why the difference of opinion about the disappearance of Subhas Chandra Bose
A year back, Harvard professor Sugata Bose released a biography of the Indian leader Subhas Chandra Bose which claimed to lay all speculation regarding his death to rest. However, last week, a veteran ...
9
votes
1answer
902 views
German Government branches during World War 2
During World War 2, what government branches, if any, existed in Germany? I've always heard about the Third Reich and Hitler, but I never heard about the rest of the government.
19
votes
4answers
779 views
Why didn't France and UK invade Germany September 3rd 1939?
On September 3rd 1939, when UK and France declared war on Germany, both ordinary Polish people and government officials became enthusiastic. There were spontaneous demonstrations of support for the ...
5
votes
2answers
119 views
What was the reaction of Western Communist Parties to Kruschev's 1956 speech denouncing Stalin?
I am also curious about the reactions of left-leaning intellectuals (aka "fellow-travellers").
7
votes
1answer
106 views
What was Gandhi's post-factum view of the Partition?
Gandhi was vehemently opposed to the Partition of India and tried to avoid it. But what was his stance on it once it had happened? Did he accept it as fait accompli or did he envision some scheme for ...
9
votes
5answers
1k views
What was wrong with Hitler's left hand?
So I was watching Downfall last night (good movie by the way) and I noticed that whenever Hitler walked around, the movie always showed him with his left hand behind his back and it was always kind of ...
10
votes
5answers
256 views
What factors contributed to the popularity of Eastern cultures in the USA in late 20th century?
Question says mostly all. To be more concrete, I am talking about the popularity of Krishna and Buddhism on the religious side, and stuff like yoga on the more practical side. Some other things might ...
8
votes
2answers
197 views
Were any of the major battle plans in WWII changed last minute by officers on the ground?
I haven't found any consistent reference to a particular battle wherein the battle plans were changed by a lower level officer on the ground at the last minute. Specifically, a major battle plan, not ...
15
votes
1answer
163 views
North Korean Famine
I have just read an article (in Russian) about the most recent weird news from N.Korea: women are (again) not allowed to ride bicycles.
After you've finished splitting your sides with laughter, allow ...
7
votes
2answers
242 views
Why is Thailand considered an Axis power in WWII?
I read a Wikipedia article about military history of Thailand and it left me a taste of anti-Thai bias.
It is known that Thailand in 1940 (after the fall of Paris and establishment of Vichy ...
6
votes
0answers
35 views
Did Britain briefly recognize Mahmud Barzanji as King of Kurdistan?
I am trying to find out about the Kurds after WWI and the internet so far proved to be disappointing as a reliable source of information on this topic.
The wiki entry on Mahmud Barzanji is very ...
34
votes
8answers
3k views
Why didn't Imperial Japan attack the Soviet Union during World War 2?
Japan and the Soviet Union shared a common border in Manchuria and the German invasion of the Soviet Union weakened the Soviets greatly. In view of the advantages to Japan in seeing the Soviet Union ...
3
votes
2answers
156 views
Are Zoot suits considered an element of the 1940s Hipster subculture?
Are Zoot suits considered an element of the 1940s Hipster subculture?
Wikipedia: Hipster, as used in the 1940s, referred to aficionados of jazz, in particular bebop, which became popular in the ...
10
votes
5answers
571 views
Were there any war movies made during WW2 that were well regarded by front-line American soldiers?
I've read in a few places that American soldiers during WWII (meaning men who had actually seen combat, not rear echelon troops) preferred light comedy or romance movies to the sanitized propaganda in ...
5
votes
2answers
107 views
Where does the tradition of Christmas gifts comes from?
Where does the modern tradition of exchanging gifts from Christmas comes from? I've heard that it's inspired by a similar tradition the Ancient Romans had on one of their festivals, is that true?
9
votes
1answer
191 views
What do “zones of influence” mean, according to the Treaty of Sevres after WWI?
After its defeat in World War I, European powers partitioned the Ottoman Empire, annexing some of its territories, and setting up other territories as their "zones of influence". What do the zones of ...
12
votes
1answer
129 views
How did the existence of the Alps impact the development of Switzerland?
Can anyone tell me what was the role of Alps and Alpine region in Swiss development of Switzerland?
20
votes
1answer
445 views
Did the end of the British Raj in India create an economic loss for Britain?
I know the economic downturn of the World War and the victory of the Labour Party played some role in Britain deciding to quit India. Did GB have any serious economic implications because of this? ...
0
votes
6answers
491 views
What was the reason of extreme anti-Communism in the first half of 20th century? [closed]
It is often alleged that a grand part in the success of the Nazi and fascist movements in Europe was their hard-line anti-Communism. Thy used anti-Communist sentiments to gain popularity and even many ...
10
votes
1answer
610 views
What was Lenin's major criticism of or differences with Marx?
I'm interested in what specific differences in Lenin's writing might address what he perceived to be the shortcomings of Marx's work. Wikipedia is weak on this topic.
7
votes
1answer
80 views
What was the procedure for prosecuting criminals in England between the World Wars?
I'm doing some research on court procedures during the '20's and '30's in England. I understand that at that time there was a Director of Public Prosecutions, and some of the resources I have found ...
