The 20th century began on January 1, 1901, and ended on December 31, 2000.
5
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2answers
117 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").
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?
3
votes
1answer
63 views
What exactly was the Philby Plan?
From what I gather it was some sort of idea for an amicable settlement between Jews and Arabs in Palestine and somehow involved Ibn Saud. Weizmann and Churchill apparently supported it but Ibn Saud ...
5
votes
1answer
69 views
Has a country gone to war to seek payment of a debt since 1900?
Has a country gone to war to seek payment of a debt since 1900? Expansionist policies don't count although use of debt as a justification would be interesting.
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vote
1answer
60 views
What are the contributions of Professor Hans List?
Considering his academic titles, what are the contribution of the automotive engineer, Professor Dr Dr h.c.mult. Hans List? What did he invent? I could not find anything except a brief obituary.
7
votes
1answer
53 views
Which Japanese military officers helped Ho Chi Minh?
According to Wikipedia, in 1946 during negotiations between the French and Ho Chi Minh,
One demand by the French was the return to French custody of a number of Japanese military officers (who had ...
2
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0answers
53 views
(War Guilt Methodology) Who is to blame for WWI? [closed]
Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles places the blame of the war solely on Germany and her allies. This is the quote:
The Allied and Associated Governments affirm and Germany accepts the ...
4
votes
2answers
181 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
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0answers
144 views
Was the Bosnian Crisis the trigger to WWI and not the assassination?
I've read that Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1908, much to the dismay of the Serbs. Russia backed this action and was promised to have access to the Straits but were later denied. The ...
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 ...
0
votes
2answers
3k views
Did the fights in the Ip Man movie series actually occur in real life?
In a series of movies called Ip Man 1 and 2, based in WW2, a Wing Chun martial arts master called Ip Man fought with a Japanese general and a western boxer named Twister. Did these events actually ...
4
votes
2answers
163 views
How many people were affected by the Golodomor [Famine-Genocide in Ukraine]
How many people were affected during the famine? Are there any sources for Soviet records on the Golodomor?
1
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2answers
306 views
Did the Nazis regard chemical warfare as inhumane and “Jewish”?
I sometimes encounter accounts that the main reason why chemical weapons were not used in WWII was because initially they were invented by a Jew Fritz Haber, and as such Hitler expressed opinion that ...
4
votes
2answers
202 views
Did either of the World Wars involve South or Central America?
Were any South or Central American nations besides Brazil involved (not necessarily officially) in either of the World Wars? If any were, I'd appreciate information on their degree of involvement.
18
votes
2answers
266 views
Why did the USSR give Crimea to Ukraine?
In 1954 Soviets transferred Crimea from Russian Soviet Republic to Ukrainian Soviet Republic.
Why is this strange?
The whole act, at least officially, was meant to be "a gift", a token of ...
7
votes
1answer
175 views
How did diplomats of the Axis powers travel and communicate among themselves in World War II
In World War II, Japan and the European Axis powers had to communicate over strategy and other things. Also, their diplomats must have had to go to their own countries sometimes. After the USSR ...
1
vote
1answer
80 views
Is the killing between communists and Muslims in Indonesia during 1965 mutual?
During 1965, there was an anti-communist purge in Indonesia following the 30 September failed coup.
There are claims that the killing is mutual. There are claims that it's one sided.
Which one is ...
10
votes
1answer
969 views
Why did anti-Chinese riots occur during the Indonesian Reformation of 1998?
The protests and events in Indonesia in May 1998 led to the fall of the dictator Suharto, the reform of Indonesian government and political system, and a more liberal and democratic era.
During the ...
6
votes
1answer
209 views
Why did Operation Market Garden go ahead when the allies knew German armor was in the area?
Montgomery's ill-fated operation to capture the Rhine crossing at Arnhem was ingenious but fatally flawed. Evidence suggests that the Allies knew there were German armoured units in the town a few ...
2
votes
2answers
207 views
Was “Blitzkrieg” at least partly intended for trapping the Jews?
I encountered a point of view that the German tactic of "Blitzkrieg", besides purely military purpose to achieve victory as quick as possible, was in fact designed to trap the Jews so that they could ...
7
votes
1answer
152 views
1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic - Experience
From the spring of 1918 to the early months of 1919, the Spanish flu
pandemic ravaged the world, killing an estimated 50 million to 100
million people. It came in three waves, with the last ...
5
votes
2answers
628 views
How did Egypt become a protectorate of the British empire?
How did Egypt become a protectorate of the British empire in 1914?
(Feel free to add more content to this question)
12
votes
5answers
936 views
Why did Britain and France not declare war against the Soviet Union when it invaded Poland in WW2?
At the beginning of WW2, although they were slow in actually attacking Germany, Britain and France did declare war against it after Germany invaded Poland. The reason for this was the treaty where ...
3
votes
2answers
153 views
What were the causes of the “Dardenelles” fiasco in World War I
During World War II, the Allies sent supplies to the Soviet Union via Murmansk/Archangelsk in the north, via Persia and the Caspian Sea in the south, and via the Tran-Siberian railroad.
Why didn't ...
19
votes
4answers
766 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 ...
11
votes
3answers
828 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?
3
votes
1answer
79 views
When and why China started to make a difference in the superpower arena?
China is starting to be more and more remarked on the superpowers' podium, but this surely didn't happened overnight, so what would be that decade that was very auspicious for China, and why?
8
votes
2answers
196 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 ...
3
votes
1answer
78 views
The original Lord Haw Haw's life in exile (Ireland)
I am writing a bio-graphy about my great uncle "Capt Tom Smith" who fought in WW1,WW2 and the Spanish Civil War
During recent interviews the name Norman Baillie Stewart (wiki link) keeps cropping up ...
6
votes
2answers
265 views
Did Japan ever pay Russia a reasonable amount of war reparation after WW2? Why or why not?
Russia had the largest number of casualties during WW2, and Russia had taken many Japanese prisoners. So, why didn't Russia receive a reparation from Japan to help boost Russia's economy after the ...
8
votes
2answers
311 views
Did the Olympics make the Star Spangled Banner the US national anthem?
A long, long time ago, I remember watching a TV miniseries about the first Olympics of the modern era in 1896.
One of the amusing substories I remember involved the USA's National Anthem and the ...
6
votes
3answers
204 views
Chronology of Political Party Alignment with “Left” and “Right”
I once heard it said that U.S. political parties (Republicans and Democrats) have both spent the last century becoming increasingly liberal, such that 21st century Republicans now hold the same ...
16
votes
1answer
2k views
Did World War II-era bombs actually whistle?
In WWII-era films and newsreels, aerial bombs are often shown making a whistling sound as they fall; starting high pitched, then decreasing as the bomb approaches the Earth (example here, starting at ...
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 ...
13
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3answers
444 views
What do I need to know about Syria's history to understand the 2011-2012 uprising?
Syria is in the news a lot lately due to the current uprising, but it's not a country that many people know much about. It can trace its history back to the origins of civilization, and as a result ...
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 ...
7
votes
1answer
191 views
How much oil was spilled by the naval combatants during WW2?
The war at sea took a huge toll during WW2. Has there been an official estimate of how much oil was spilled into the oceans during the world wide conflict?
7
votes
2answers
350 views
Why was the US so against Japanese aggression in China but did nothing about Germany in Europe?
The US was very vocal against Japanese aggression in China in the 1930's and early 1940's but said nothing against German aggression in Europe. The US finally placed an embargo on sending oil and ...
5
votes
1answer
101 views
When was the last time period where one could travel by steam powered locomotive across the United States today?
I'm not sure that it is possible to travel the United States from coast to coast by one single steam powered train today, or that there are enough connected routes that a steam locomotive could run ...
1
vote
0answers
55 views
Looking for a book about Haile Selassie's rise to power [closed]
Is there a good English-language book about Haile Selassie's rise to power? I'm particularly interested in the strife he had with the various other nobles.
4
votes
3answers
566 views
Evolution of United States' world role? [closed]
This is a pretty big and general question, but I'm interested to hear some opinions from fellow StackExchangians:
Over the 20th century, how did the United States evolve into being a world ...
8
votes
1answer
337 views
In WW2, which midget submarine program was the most successful?
In WW2, which midget submarine program was the most successful? I know at least Great Britain and Japan had midget submarines and used them during the course of the conflict. Which WW2 combatant had ...
6
votes
1answer
135 views
Argentina's involvement with the League of Nations
Argentina was a founding member of the League of Nations. However, Argentina left in 1921 when an Argentine resolution was rejected. Why, and through what procedure (if any), was Argentina allowed to ...
3
votes
2answers
136 views
Which technologies/commodities were available during the 30s on USA?
This is for a RPG story, so I don't need too much accuracy, but the common stuff would be very useful :)
I've already found this site: http://www.paper-dragon.com/1939/ but would like more ...
3
votes
1answer
159 views
Is there a written history on the Sonderkommando Elbe?
I was watching a program called Dogfights where they were talking about the Sonderkommando Elbe and their tactic of ramming Messerschmitt Bf 109's into American bombers is a sort of suicide attack. ...
4
votes
1answer
73 views
Did Nikita Krushchev's support of Stalin's purges play a part in his removal from office?
As far as I can tell Krushchev was removed from office because of his erratic policies, and specifically their failures, but did his role in Stalin's purges also play a part in his removal?
5
votes
3answers
181 views
From whom did Gandhi learn his protest technique of non-violence?
I know that Gandhi was involved in the civil rights movement in South Africa during he beginning of the 20th century, but was there a specific person, or group, that he learned how to protest through ...
9
votes
2answers
216 views
Did Hitler make the right decision for Germany when he called off Operation Zitadelle (during the Battle of Kursk)?
On the night of 9/10 July, the Western Allies mounted an amphibious
invasion of Sicily. Three days later, Hitler summoned Günther von
Kluge and Erich von Manstein to his Wolfsschanze ...
17
votes
3answers
362 views
How was the modern geographic boundary between Europe and Asia decided?
Wikipedia puts the boundary as:
The modern definition of Europe delimits it from Asia at the Aegean Sea, the Dardanelles-Sea of Marmora-Bosporus, the Black Sea, along the watershed of the Greater ...
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 ...
