The 20th century began on January 1, 1901, and ended on December 31, 2000.
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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 ...
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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.
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992 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 ...
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480 views
What new technology/tactics allowed the breakthrough of the trenches in WW I western front?
Reading the answers to this question about WW1 Western Front, it appears that breaking through the trenches was a very difficult task to do. How did the Allies finally make it? Was it the invention of ...
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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 ...
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2answers
268 views
What factors related to the Eastern Crisis contributed to the outbreak of World War 1?
What factors related to the Eastern Crisis contributed to the outbreak of World War 1?
The Eastern Crisis pertains to problems posed by the decay of the Ottoman Empire. Primary among these problems ...
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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.
...
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2answers
218 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 ...
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908 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.
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158 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 ...
9
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1answer
195 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 ...
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494 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 ...
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1answer
115 views
What role did Lucky Luciano play in faciliting South Europe invasion?
On the night of July 9, 1943, 160,000 Allied troops landed on the extreme southwestern shore of Sicily. After securing a beachhead, Gen. George Patton's U.S. Seventh Army launched an offensive into ...
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1answer
132 views
World War 1 Indian propaganda posters
In World War 1, because war broke out between the triple entente and the central powers (and they happened to have a lot of foreign colonies), the allies made posters to recruit soldiers from all ...
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3answers
308 views
When did aircraft carriers eclipse battleships as the “King of the seas”?
During the 19th century and into the early 20th century, battleships were the Kings of the Sea, and every naval power of note had at least one. When did they lose this title to the aircraft carrier, ...
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4answers
282 views
Why did the Germans fall behind the Americans in the development of the atomic bomb after an initial lead?
I actually know certain facts about this matter, but am seeking guidance in interpreting these facts into "theories."
1) Theory 1, Economic: The Americans spent something like $2 billion (in money of ...
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4answers
355 views
Why was the Irish War of Independence in 1918 successful when other revolts failed?
In a nutshell, what events, occurrences, or mishaps took place that allowed the Irish to win the war of Independence over what could arguably be the most powerful nation of the time, when they were ...
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1answer
338 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 ...
8
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2answers
120 views
Amount of time an aeroplane could stay in the air during the last stages of WW1
I know for a fact that aeroplanes were used at the last stages of the first world war to capture images of the enemy trench system and supply lines. They were also used to alert the artillery how far ...
8
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2answers
314 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 ...
8
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1answer
1k views
Why was the Cuban Revolution (1953-1959) ultimately successful?
Communist revolutions have been attempted across the world - what were the primary reasons that the Cuban Revolution succeeded while others failed?
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2answers
116 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) ...
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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 ...
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0answers
113 views
What was the situation of homosexuals in the early Soviet Union?
Between 1917 and 1930, homosexuality was decriminalised in the Soviet Union. From the Wikipedia article on LGBT history in Russia:
The Russian Communist Inessa Armand publicly endorsed both ...
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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 ...
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4answers
752 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 ...
7
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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.
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4answers
258 views
Did the USA win the counter insurgency war in the Vietnam war?
What happened in the aftermath of the Tet offensive to the Viet Cong? Was it actually broken or did it just incorporate into the North Viet Nam army?
Edit: I am fully aware that the USA lost the ...
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4answers
367 views
Did Stalin want to restore the Russian Empire's borders?
On one hand, it seems so because the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact defined the border between the two spheres of influence to be the border of the Russian Empire before WWI. On the other hand, the USSR ...
7
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2answers
226 views
What sources or documentation exists to indicate Stalin's level of popularity in Russia today?
migrated from comments http://history.stackexchange.com/a/1710/682
To what extent is Stalin still loved and/or respected by Russians (and for extra points former USSR states)
while articles like ...
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1answer
236 views
Why did JFK give approval for the CIA to encourage Diem's deposal
In 1963, weeks before his own assassination, President Kennedy gave approval for the CIA to encourage a group of South Vietnamese generals to depose President Ngo Dinh Diem of South Vietnam. The ...
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2answers
354 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 ...
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2answers
121 views
Why didn't the Arab states industrialize?
Why didn't the states of the Arabian peninsula industrialize around the time that Europe and East Asia were? Was it simply a lack of accessible natural resources? Why not import coal?
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1answer
193 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?
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1answer
124 views
When did retailers stop wrapping purchases in paper and twine?
Listening to stories from relatives, it sounds like it was a near-universal practice (in the US, before the 1970s) to wrap retail purchases with brown paper and twine. Searching for information about ...
7
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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 ...
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1answer
153 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 ...
7
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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 ...
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1answer
92 views
What institutional precursors enabled labor unions to emerge in the United States?
What institutions and/or organizations existed in the United States before the structured and recognizable labor unions formed as a visible sign of organizations to come? How did these predecessor ...
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2answers
80 views
How did the Chinese help Khrushchev?
I read this in the source cited in this answer
Initially the Soviet assistance in China’s nuclear programme was
limited to the civil nuclear energy field. However, Moscow’s attitude
shifted in ...
7
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1answer
109 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 ...
7
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1answer
176 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 ...
7
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1answer
103 views
What was the Soviet role in Syria during the Cold-War?
It is my understanding that the Soviet Union supported governments in Syria during the cold-war primarily as a counter-balance to American influence over regional powers particularly Saudi Arabia and ...
7
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1answer
54 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 ...
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4answers
21k views
If Bill Clinton was impeached, why did he finish up his second term
I don't understand how he could have been impeached but did not have to leave office.
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4answers
264 views
Why didn’t Britain use its vast navy to get past trench warfare?
Before the start of World War I there was a large arms race between Britain and Germany and although Britain didn’t come out with the largest army – they had by far the largest navy in the world. This ...
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3answers
2k views
Is Germany responsible for World War I?
Treaty of Versailles forced Germany to accept all responsibility for the war.
What's their "moral" justification? Is it just, you lose so just agree with this or did Germany do something to start ...
6
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3answers
119 views
Were there any political checks on the U.S. executive during their covert support of the military junta of Pinochet?
U.S. secretary of state Kissinger- with the support of the executive- actively supported the overthrow of Chilean president Allende in favor of the military dictatorship of Pinochet. After the fact, ...
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3answers
341 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 ...
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2answers
273 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 ...
