The 20th century began on January 1, 1901, and ended on December 31, 2000.
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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 ...
19
votes
4answers
496 views
When did the practice of formally “declaring war” cease and why?
Here's a detailed description of ambassador Neville Henderson being received by the foreign ministry in Berlin in 1939. Perhaps the most famous example.
He came in looking very serious, shook ...
15
votes
3answers
242 views
What were the reasons for making Prohibition a constitutional amendment?
What were the reasons that the Prohibition in the United States was passed as a constitutional amendment, rather than a normal federal law, or a set of state laws?
14
votes
3answers
834 views
What were Hitler's religious beliefs?
Hitler is often cited as an example of an evil atheist (along with Stalin and Mao). But there are several quotes from him that seem to indicate he believed in the Christian God - and even used this to ...
51
votes
15answers
4k views
Why did Hitler attack the Soviet Union when he was still busy fighting the United Kingdom?
This has always bothered me. Everyone knows that having to fight on two opposite fronts at once is bad... and it's also a well known fact that every European country which tried to invade Russia has ...
23
votes
3answers
884 views
Has Britain's 1940 invasion of Iceland been downplayed by historians?
On the face of it Operation Fork (Britain's invasion of Iceland in 1940) wasn't so terribly different from Germany's territorial landgrabs in 1939 and 1940.
Britain and her allies will have ...
8
votes
4answers
284 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 ...
7
votes
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 ...
4
votes
0answers
41 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 ...
15
votes
2answers
3k views
Why did Italy abandon its alliance with Germany in WW1 and join the Allied side?
Before WW1 Italy was part of an alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary, yet it didn't join them when the war started and it even joined the Allied side later during the war. Why did Italy do this? ...
9
votes
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 ...
4
votes
3answers
580 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 ...
3
votes
1answer
160 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. ...
12
votes
2answers
334 views
Why was the Western Front so static in World War I?
Once the German advance was halted, neither side could seriously advance for two years. This seems like an extraordinarily long time. Why didn't anyone succeed at going around the trenches or striking ...
11
votes
3answers
874 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?
9
votes
1answer
137 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 ...
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?
5
votes
2answers
649 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)
