In reading about the wartime experience of civilians in the UK during the second world war, a really common theme is the presence of GIs and interaction between GIs and the British populace. The stereotype of 'oversexed, overpaid and over here' and the phenomenon of GI brides comes up fairly frequently, but so too does this idea of (I presume generally southern) black soldiers coming from an environment in which Jim Crow laws were legally enforced, to a country which didn't practice formal/legal segregation.

The general line seems to be, black US soldiers in the UK experienced relative social freedom (especially with mixed-race friendships/romance) in comparison to the US, possibly because of the general atmosphere of wartime gratitude/ the specific social position of comparatively well paid GIs. To be honest, my initial thoughts given the history of domestic British racism are to consider that this might be wishful thinking (since it's a narrative mostly advanced here in the UK) - is it supported by the historical record?

Is it likely that after only one bomb dropping on Japan the Japanese would’ve surrendered to the Americans. I’ve been discussing this with my dad, he thinks that the Japanese definitely would’ve surrendered to the Americans. And I think that based on previous actions the Japanese proved that they won’t give up that easily, for example in the shogun period of Japan the culture dictated that the soldiers were never allowed to die a dishonourable death, coupled with the fact that it took the Americans a week to drop the second bomb and only 3 days after that the Japanese surrendered so it’s not like they didn’t have the time.

Thanks history buffs.

I am very interested in the Renaissance and the influence that the Medici family had on it. Are there any books that are historically accurate that depict the chain of events at a more personal level at that point in time in or around Florence? Thank you for any/all help in this book hunt!

There is a popular fantasy trope of exquisitely made weapons being named and desired by knights and rulers (see excalibur, and any of the pile of valerian steel swords in asoiaf)

Though in reality the only one I've really heard of in the west was stories of excalibur. In the real world, in high and late medieval Europe, were there actually well known named weapons floating around being sung about and sought after by warriors and monarchs?

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I've always heard about how the Europeans brought disease that wiped out large portions of the Native American population. Was there any points where the settlers faced a local epidemic in similar ways?

If not, why wouldn't there be foreign germs and bacteria that would affect someone no resistantant to the local stains?

If/when they brought natives back across the ocean did they bring foreign disease that spread once they arrived in Europe?

Question is pretty much as the title says. Also, is there any legitimacy to Russia's claim on Crimea at all?

How did civilizations spread so far, from the North Americans, to remote Amazonian tribes, to even the modern Sentilese, who have resisted all contact, manage to develop nearly identical designs of the bow and arrow? You don’t see the similar designs for swords or axes, or even spears, so why the bow? Are there any historical texts into when the bow came into use? Is there any insight into if the idea spread?

Thanks!

Given that most of the new world currently has European ancestry, I was wondering how bad things were in Europe that moving to untamed land was an improvement over their previous living situations.

Alternate history is extremely popular as a cultural phenomena, but are there any historians who study the “what if’s” of history?

Did part of Austria become part of Czechoslovakia in 1918?

In historical records, I have found a person listed as being from Austria and the same person later listed as being from Czechoslovakia. I'm a bit confused. Thanks!

Watching the film, it struck me that these groups of random strangers who had paid to travel from Missouri to Oregon would be together, in relatively close quarters, with no interruption, in a high-stress situation, with low comfort, for many months. Surely there must have been many disputes, akin to disputes neighbors get into today. How were such disputes resolved? Were temporary property rights enforced? If so, how and by whom? Was there a kind of "wagon train arbitration system" or an HOA of sorts?

I'm trying to find data on what were the types and relative value of goods being sent between Europe and the Americas in the early colonial period (1600 - 1700)?

I know the basic gist that gold/precious metals and cash crops were major shipments from the Americas, but I'm trying to find the relative values of say Sugar vs Tobacco vs Indigo, etc. Is there anywhere I could something like historical trade data?

For example, why didn’t the Germans or french or whoever, just dig into No Man’s Land.

Seeing as the current theme of the week is the Balkans I thought I'd ask a long-standing question I've wanted to ask. Post-war Socialist Yugoslavia is definitely better known but I'm more interested in interwar Yugoslavia. What was the political system like and how did they keep the nations together? And how did it interact with it's neighbors on the world stage.

Also why was a monarchy established, especially a Serbian one, when wouldn't a republic similar to the ones in Poland and Yugoslavia be more favorable? It certainly wouldn't stoke the idea it was a plan for a Greater Serbia.

I know that the democracy was relatively new, after the kaiser stepped down, and Hitler was able to rise to power afterwards, but high school never really covered the details. My friend is taking history right now and had something like this for a writing prompt, and I realized I have no idea what the answer is. She told me to google it but I couldn't find a good answer.

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(I asked this yesterday with different phrasing but the rules said since I didn't get any response this is okay. If I did something wrong or I'm in the wrong place please let me know!)

My first time posting here so not sure if this is the right sub, but I have always been very interested in clan history for scotland and ireland and was wondering if anyone knows any good resources for this, specifically clan MacDougall? I do have some small clan history book but it doesnt contain too much information, its more of a tourist shop type book, and I went to a scottsfest hoping to talk to the reps for the clan there but the table was empty, Thanks to anyone that could help me out

Pre-modern Japan is often described as "feudal", comparing it to medieval Europe. How accurate are these comparisons, politically. I'm aware that Feudalism was a bit different between European countries, and I'd like to hear about any if you want to answer. But for the purposes of the question lets narrow it down specifically to comparing the Japan of the Sengoku Jedi era and early Tokugawa Shogunate to France in the 14th-15th centuries, just before, during, and after the Hundred Years War.