Hot answers tagged united-kingdom
36
I'm not sure there is any direct evidence that it was strategically a bad idea. Strategically it made sense to attack the Soviet Union while they were weak and unprepared for war. Hitler knew that as he made progress on the Western front that Stalin grew more and more nervous everyday about the growing power of Nazi Germany.
What must be remembered is ...
34
Because Russia had been at war with Britain for most of the preceding two decades.
One of Russia's problems in owning Alaska was defending it against it being used as a British route to invade Russia (militarily insane - but that's politics) - remember Canada was British at the time.
By selling it to America they installed one of Britain's adversaries in ...
19
By this time, Germany controlled the entire European peninsula, and it was very hard to see the Allied forces coming back from that.
Hitler told one of his generals in June 1940 that the victories in western Europe "finally freed his hands for his important real task: the showdown with Bolshevism" [from here].
Reasons to attack the Soviet Union ...
16
The Phoney War (Sitzkrieg, Drôle de Guerre, etc.) seems destined to remain one of the great mysteries of history. It is difficult to comprehend now, after the fact, how such an astonishing combination of missed opportunities, wishful thinking, and indecisiveness on the part of not just one, but two great powers, could have carried on for more than half a ...
13
Germany always wanted to attack and defeat Soviet Russia. There is an ideological battle between Fascism and Communism. Germany really thought that Russia was the enemy of the world. Some Germans believed, such was the evil of Communism, that when they started the eastern front, the English would come over to there side to fight Communism rather than ...
13
Churchill was not Prime Minister when the MRP was announced or when it went into effect. He wasn't even in the government at all. He was in Parliment, but mostly an exile due to his bellicose views. It was the war that forced the Conservative government to take him in, and he didn't become Prime Minister until after France was invaded, well after the ...
13
While Queen may refer to both Queen regent (sovereign) or Queen consort, the King has always been the sovereign. There are historical reasons for this hierarchy --in a long line of English monarchs you will find more Kings than you would find Queens. In fact, if you do not recognize Matilda's and Lady Jane's claim to the throne of England then Queen Mary I ...
12
Russia and America (the Union) were allies during the Civil War. The implied enemies were the South (Confederacy) and Great Britain.
Although Russia wanted to "monetize" Alaska, she also wanted it in "friendly" hands. The (re-united) U.S. fit the bill. Great Britain did not, after having allied with France and Turkey in the Crimean war.
12
The first attempt at unification was sparked by succession disputes, after Margaret of Scotland died in 1290. This lead to a series of conflicts, spanning from 1296 to 1357, known today as the Wars of Scottish Independence. Scotland retained its status as an independent nation after the end of the wars.
The claim of Mary, Queen of Scots to the English ...
9
It was not a factor - both the UK and Argentina had signed the Antarctic Treaty, placing all territorial claims south of 60 degrees in abeyance indefinitely.
The full text of the original treaty
I am not aware of either nation having expressed a wish to go back on that treaty, and it was signed over 20 years before the Falklands War.
9
In Common Sense, Thomas Paine wrote, "there is something very absurd in supposing a continent to be perpetually governed by an island."
The United States, Canada, and Australia (New Zealand to a lesser extent), were all countries of continental size, far away from England. As such, they naturally wanted to have their own destinies.
Scotland, Wales, and ...
9
My answer is confined to the current structure of the United Kingdom.
I recommend you watch this short five minute explanation of all the countries/territories that are governed by the United Kingdom, and the Crown.
Since you are referring to "British" politics I am assuming that you are talking about the United Kingdom which comprises four separate yet ...
8
The most important "paradigm shift" of the early 19th century was the Industrial Revolution. That was the harnessing of the steam, and later, internal combustion engines, for manufacturing advances that led to an "order of magnitude" gains (five to ten times) in the standard of living. The great powers of the time were also among the earliest beneficiaries ...
8
Unfortunately, we cannot ask Hitler about that and he didn't leave any written notices about his reasons. So every answer to that question is a speculation and I've seen a number of such speculations.
The official Soviet version states an ideological war between fascism and communism that prompted Hitler to attack the Soviet Union without considering ...
8
It was a slow process but it did begin with trade, most notably Southern cotton. This was followed by grain from the growing Mid-West. As the US became more industrialized, trade in other areas increased.
In the interest of keeping trade going and avoiding being entangled in the war, the British were careful to avoid taking sides in the Civil War and ...
8
There are two types of queens. A Queen Consort is the wife of a King. A Queen Regnant is a ruler in her own right, a "female king" of you will.
The husband of a Queen Consort is just the King, per the above. But the husband of a Queen Regnant is a Prince Consort. "Prince" is one level below King, and the Consort's title is held at a level below the Queen's.
...
7
Were British fears of Russia using Afghanistan as a staging post for an invasion of India unfounded?
I think everyone who has posted here (@ihtkwot, @mgb, @Russell) have all brought up important points. I agree with @ihtkwot and @Russell that Russia simply did not have the military capacity to challenge Britain's hold on India (a territory that the British would have vigorously defended). Also, Russia seemed far more interested in territories to the west ...
7
Hitler turned his attention from Britain to the Soviet Union because he lost the Battle of Britain and because Nazi ideology left him no other choice.
In the summer of 1940, Hitler launched a massive air campaign to destroy the RAF and pave the way for Operation Sea Lion, the invasion of Britain. Hitler believed that to get past the Royal Navy he needed ...
7
"The nail that sticks out gets hammer down" While a Japanese saying, it holds true for all the super powers. Be their outside enemies, inside corruption, or just economic bad luck, the hammers are numerous indeed.
Spain in particular, was cripple by mega inflation due to all the gold coming from the Indies. Portugal was assimilated into Spain and then ...
7
The secret protocol was known to the US government as early as 24 August 1939. It was passed to US diplomat Charles Bohlen by Hans von Herwath, a German diplomat.
The US ambassador in Moscow Laurence Steinhardt passed that information to US secretary of state Cordell Hull on the same day.
Hull immediately informed British minister of foreign affairs Edward ...
7
Simple answer - it's complicated!
The world was very different in 1776 than it was in 1867 or 1900.
The US war of independance followed the movement/ideas that led to the French revolution and was a real political/philosophical difference in how you should run a country. It was also concentrated in a few large cities with a large established political ...
7
Iran was never a British colony. British actions may have inadvertently aided the Islamization of Iran, though the most critical time period appears to me to be the Mossadegh government ('51-'53), not the Second World War or prior.
Also, you say
I am sure that the Islamization of today's Iran is the result of Great Britain's policy on Iran before the ...
6
Although various countries have laid "claims" to various portions of Antarctica, those claims are basically unenforceable, because it is basically uninhabited, except for the occasional visitor, scientist, etc. It's hard to imagine this being worth fighting for.
The Falklands (Malvinas) on the other hand, are a different story. They have some 3,000 people ...
6
Yes, indeed! During the Penal Law period of the 18th Century, there were laws in Northern Ireland designed to "protect Protestants against the pollution of Popery" (Akenson, 111)
You might find this history of marriage in the west interesting. Marriage started as a pact between families, and was a purely secular matter following the Roman patriarchal ...
6
I think the legislatures in many countries have the same structure. A quite distant example is the Supreme Council of the USSR which also had two chambers, the Council of the Union and the Council of the Nationalities. The former was elected by the population at rate of 1 deputy per 300000 people while the later represented the constituent republics.
I ...
5
After Soviet performance in the Winter War in Finland, it was believed that the Soviet army could be rapidly and easily defeated. The Red Army had started to undergo significant reforms based on its experiences, as well as modernizing much of its equipment, particularly tanks.
While Germany was unlikely to become significantly stronger over time, the Red ...
5
Several reasons (my answer is based mostly on the book "Dreadnought" by Robert Massie).
The English and Americans spoke the same language and, in those times, their cultures were much closer to each other than, say, English and French or English and German. The increasing wealth of the United States generated increasing respect on the other side of the ...
5
Preparing for war takes place over a matter of months, if not years. This is true physically, logistically, and psychologically. Basically, the Germans were ready for war in September 1939, the Allies were not.
One advantage enjoyed by the German army was the "practice" it had obtained in the occupation of both Austria and the modern Czech Republic ...
5
Firstly, I think you may be getting a little confused between life peers and hereditary peers.
Life peers are given a peerage or title for their lifetime only. It is not hereditary and it cannot be handed down to their children. When that person dies, the peerage or title dies with them. They are not expected to maintain a country estate or multiple ...
4
Based on my research, I can posit what I believe to be a satisfactory answer in terms of US terminology. The US refers to the U.S. supreme court members as "justices" all the way back to the Judiciary Act of 1789. The more salient point is in Article II. section 2 of the US Constitution gives the presidency the uncontested authority to appoint the "Judges ...
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