The communist regime in East Germany preferred “socialism” to “communism” when talking about the GDR. Were they deliberately avoiding “communism”? If so, why?

I would like to learn about the Mediterranean trade between 1200s-1500s. The trade routes, things they traded, different nations having different policies about trade like republics and monarchies. Effects of constant war. How different cultures got effected because of trade. Actual income for the different jobs in the field like a regular sailors, Advisers, merchants etc. I know its a lot to cover so Im looking for books and other resources.

I'm a person of Native-American ancestry, and while I don't consider myself one because I'm mixed, I've always had an interest in Native-American culture and just tribes in general. Me and my family were talking about things we'd like to study, and I brought up history-- this eventually led me to wonder if there were any fields on the history of Native-Americans or indigenous peoples, and I was eventually led to etnohistory. I've never heard of it before, and my family says that neither have they.

I'd really, really like to know more about this specific field and I'd like to hear from someone who has seen/done it firsthand.

I was reading up about Goldie and the Gingerbreads, who are claimed to be the first all-female rock & roll band signed to a major label, and the claim was that all-female bands were considered a gimmick up until this point. Is that accurate? Was the music industry (or the music-consuming public) biased against women in rock?

Since the 1980s, specialists in Chinese history have largely rejected the idea that the Opium War should serve as the watershed from which 'modern' Chinese history begins, as part of a general move towards a more Asia-centric understanding of the dynamics of the Ming, Qing, Republican and Communist periods. Alternative candidates for the beginning of the process of Chinese 'modernity' have, for instance, included the outbreak of the Taiping War in 1851 and the Qianlong-Jiaqing transition in 1796-9. My cursory understanding of 19th-century Japanese history, however, seems to suggest that Western influence is afforded a far higher role in contemporary assessments. Is it just that I'm forming this impression from outdated and/or pop-history-leaning views on Japan (similar how to a Eurocentric view of Chinese history remains common in popular spaces despite its rejection from academia) or is there genuinely a significant and current historiographical difference?

I did a ctrl-f search on the askhistorians book-list with no luck so I decided to make a post.

I've held a particular interest about eugenics for some time now and was hoping you incredibly knowledgeable folks could provide some book recommendations so I could learn more about the history surrounding the topic.

I'd like to tag /u/restricteddata in particular as their posts regarding this subject is what initially sparked my interest.

growing up I was given the impression that Hubert hoover was a laissez-faire capitalist who caused the great depression and tried to do nothing to end it. however, reading more about him in the book "America in the Twenties: A History" by Geoffrey Perret has totally reshaped my view on him. to me, he seems less like some sort of libertarian smuck who just told America to be rugged individuals and then pissed off for 4 years and more a hard-working and intelligent man who had the potential to become one of America's most effective presidents only to enter the oval office at the worse possible time because of factors far beyond his control. I am well aware that he made some major mistakes like accepting the farmers demands for the Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act and his failed government schemes to give private enterprise the tools to self regulate, but overall he gave it his all to fight the depression, the problem was that his 'all' wasn't good enough nor would anyone elses if they were put in the same position as he was.

but id like to hear this subs opinion on the matter.

I've seen many fascinating questions being posted on this sub, and eagerly opened it looking for conversation regarding the topic. What I typically find are nothing but [Deleted] posts. I've made it halfway through fascinating responses (with references) only to get booted due to moderator deletion. My question is: What are the historical number of redditors leaving such poorly moderated subreddits due to overly zealous moderators?

I think of Pyrrhus for his phyric victories against the Romans, which clearly weren't all the great. Earlier on he had some victories among the The Diadochi, but they certainly didn't seem to be anything particularly spectacular compared to the achievements of Alexander.

But he must have done something really fantastic to be ranked by Hannibal so highly. What are we missing about Pyrrhus?

As it’s the 250th anniversary of the Boston Massacre, I am wondering if the killing of Crispus Attucks, a man of African and Indigenous descent, was racially motivated. From what I understand, the British soldiers opened fire on hecklers, and Attucks was the first of 5 killed. Was his death being first coincidental or was his race a factor in the British opening fire?

I would also like to ask, are there examples in American history where such a thing was done? From what I understand, after the conclusion of the civil war many freed slaves went back to working on plantations for very little money and accumulated debt, essentially becoming indentured servants.

Obviously at the time, 1880's Japan likely would not be able to venture further than India or Russian Central Asia. However, would a united Asian Pacific be able to defend its sovereignty and interests like the United States's Monroe Doctrine and later Good Neighbor policy?

I had a teacher in high school who had a world map with the south pole at the top of the map, to show that north being up is just a social convention and not some physical property of the universe. When did this convention come about?

I suppose humans have always had some sense of direction due to the movements of the sun, but why see the sun as moving side-to-side instead of top-to-bottom? Are there any historical examples of maps where the text does not correspond with north being up?

Having recently rewatched Band of Brothers, can someone tell me how accurate the show is?