The 20th century began on January 1, 1901, and ended on December 31, 2000.
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206 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 ...
6
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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 ...
6
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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 ...
6
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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 ...
6
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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 ...
6
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1answer
123 views
What aternative locations were considered for the United Nations?
When reading up on the United Nations on wikipedia, I noticed that Navy Island near Niagara falls was being considered at the time of the groups creation for it's location. I'm wondering what ...
6
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3answers
230 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 ...
6
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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 ...
6
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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 ...
6
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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 ...
6
votes
1answer
196 views
Did Erwin König Exist?
Erwin König Was a sniper supposedly killed by Vasily Zaytsev in the Battle of Stalingrad. The diary of Vasily Zaytsev mentions killing Erwin Konig, and there is a sniper scope in Russia, but there is ...
5
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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.
5
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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").
5
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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 ...
5
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1answer
151 views
What is this strange uniform?
Colonel John Tiltman wears a very strange uniform in this picture, dated 1919.
The original webpage where I saw the picture is http://www.colossus-computer.com/colossus1.html.
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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?
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2answers
640 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)
5
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2answers
151 views
How besieged was Leningrad after Operation Iskra?
Wikipedia's timeline for the siege of Leningrad is a little puzzling. It has:
12–30 January 1943: Operation Iskra penetrates the siege by opening a
land corridor along the coast of Lake Ladoga into ...
5
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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 ...
5
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1answer
91 views
How big was the percentage of white people in the USA who were not against granting the blacks equal rights?
How big was the percentage of white people in the USA who were not against granting the blacks equal rights at the time when the blacks finally got the equality of rights (which I think was in 1964).
...
5
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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.
5
votes
1answer
270 views
What rank is S. SGT in the Army Air Force during WW2?
I am looking over my Grandfather's DD214 (Military Discharge Paperwork) from WW2. His grade says "S. SGT" I am trying to figure out his rank conclusively. Nowhere on the DD214 does it display an E-5 ...
5
votes
1answer
70 views
What were acceptance criteria/process to the Vienna Fine Arts Academy in 1906-7?
One famous applicant rejected by the Vienna Fine Arts Academy was of course, Hitler. I got to thinking: so who was accepted instead?
To make sense of this we would need to know how was the admission ...
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 ...
5
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0answers
66 views
Resistance in 1938 Czechoslovakia
I wonder if someone might help me. I'm writing a novel. My protagonist is a dual national (English born, German parents) bio chemist contracted to work for Freiburg University 1938. At the time ...
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 ...
4
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3answers
574 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 ...
4
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2answers
205 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.
4
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2answers
74 views
Did the break up of AT & T in 1984 lead to technological innovation?
Are there examples of technologies developed since 1984 that would not have been likely to be developed had the Bell system stayed intact rather than being broken up by the US government?
UPDT: To ...
4
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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?
4
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1answer
187 views
Why the USSR insisted on ban of the 1943 German film Munchhausen in Nuremberg?
After the war, many German films were shown in the USSR, popularly known as "trophy films", this included the 1944 "The Woman of My Dreams" which was shown until mid-1950s.
At the same time the ...
4
votes
1answer
99 views
Was it worthwhile for Britain to side with the USA in the Canada-Alaska border dispute?
In 1903 the Canada-Alaska border dispute was decided by a tribunal of 3 American members, 2 Canadian members, and 1 British member. The British member sided with the Americans with the stated goal of ...
4
votes
1answer
109 views
Machine gun specs in WW1
I know that machine guns were a vital part of world war 1. I know that they were mainly used in the trenches as fixed position weapons. However, I would like some specifications about the machine gun ...
4
votes
1answer
43 views
Were members of Soviet Republican Communist Parties also members of the CPSU?
I know that each Soviet Republic X had its own Communist Party of X. Question is: were members of these parties also members of the CPSU?
I am interested here only in the formal side of things - I'd ...
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?
4
votes
1answer
89 views
What is the best way to describe the form of Japanese government during the years before and during world war 2?
Prior to the great depression, how much political power did the military, the emperor, and the prime minister of Japan have? Is it a form of monarchy, or does it resemble a military dictatorship? Did ...
4
votes
1answer
89 views
Nationalisation during wartime in the West: With or without compensation?
I was just reading about the forerunner to Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (Bavarian Aircraftworks, who designed and manufactured the legendary ME/BF-109 fighter).
Apparently the owner, Herr Otto, was ...
4
votes
1answer
80 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 ...
4
votes
1answer
318 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 ...
4
votes
1answer
170 views
What are the scholarly opinions on the idea of the “European Civil War”?
On Wikipedia, I ran into an article talking about World War I to World War II and some of the adjacent wars before WWI as being a "European Civil War" or a "Second Thirty Years War". What is the ...
4
votes
1answer
112 views
Is there any evidence of Edward VIII trying to influence the UK Government?
Edward VIII was King of the UK, however he abdicated because he wanted to marry a divorced woman.
Someone told me that the "real reason" was that he was trying to influence the UK government and/or ...
4
votes
1answer
65 views
How were dogs used in WW1
I know that dogs were used in WW1. I know that they weren’t vital, but didn’t play a reasonable role in helping the soldiers in the trenches. However, there is one thing that confuses me: How were ...
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 ...
4
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0answers
40 views
What family or other connection bound Chiang Kaishek and Cai Yuanpei, two ideological opposites?
Politically, Nationalist China's Chiang Kaishek must be considered a "strange bedfellow with Cai Yuanpei. Chiang was a disciplined, narrow-minded conservative of the type one might expect from a ...
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 ...
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
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 ...
3
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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 ...
3
votes
1answer
67 views
Did the Germans lose the U-Boat war in World war II because of a shortage of quality, rather than quantity?
In the "Battle of the Atlantic," the Germans lost almost 800 of their 1200 submarines (nearly two-thirds) sinking 3,500 Allied merchant ships and 175 warships. ...
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 ...
