AskHistorians Archive Observer

Fighter pilots in World War 1 are often quoted as having a life expectancy of weeks or days. Why did people become pilots and fight if this was the case?

1 Answers 2016-10-29

It feels like we always here about the might of the German and Japanese forces during World War II, but I rarely hear about the Italian contribution, supposedly the other half of the 'Axis'. Was their army just not as impressive as Germany's?

3 Answers 2016-10-29

Was there a West German equivalent to the Stasi, and how did civilian spying operate in West Germany in general compared to the East?

1 Answers 2016-10-29

What are some good sources over the Muscovite-Lithuanian wars in the 15th and 16th centuries?

1 Answers 2016-10-29

Why Portugal was allowed into EFTA already in 1960?

Was there much of a difference between the Salazar regime in Portugal and Franco regime in Spain? Considering that Portugal was accepted into NATO right from the beginning in 1949, and into EFTA in 1960, yet Spain's EEC membership application was rejected in 1962, and Spain didn't get into NATO before 1982 and EEC before 1986.

1 Answers 2016-10-29

Trying to get some clarity from a relative's letter regarding the Ukraine in WWII

Hey, my cousin and I are trying to do some digging into our family history and I figured why not throw it out to the sub? I apologize if this sort of thing isn't allowed.

We're trying to figure out where we came from and the best we've found so far is just the region of "Galacia." I have a letter written by a relative of my grandfather (deceased since 2010), maybe to his sister, that speaks about their family's origins in the Ukraine. I tried to transcribe it as best I can but the handwriting isn't great and I'm sure specifics are mispelled if she only knew these places by phonetics. Everything is quotations is mine trying to distinguish as best I can.

Dear Mary: I wish I could be of more help as to our ‘roots’ but I really don’t know much. Our mother came from a village called “Karlikiv” which was actually in the Polish area on the border of Ukraine. The county ‘seat’ which it was nearest to in “Peremysl” which is still on the map.

Their village was burned down after WWII by the Polish Partisans, at that time our grandmother was shot, as all the younger people were hiding out in the forest. The story goes that the little kids were left behind with the old people as they could not survive in the woods. After they killed our grandmother, they had a child’s head on a bayonet and marched around with it. Gruesome, yes? The Polish Partisans had no use for the Ukrainians living in ‘their’ territory.

A lady who attends my church came to the US after WWII. She lived in the next village and remembers my mother leaving for the US in 1926. Your mom had left some time earlier. She says where ‘our’ village had been is now only ‘woods’. When I was in Ukraine in ’90 the nearest I was to Karlikiv was “Peremape” [Genuinely can’t read the handwriting, could be Peremope or Pirimope.] The villagers had been displaced to “Ivan Francisk”.

Here's the pages from the letter if you wants to take a crack at it.

If anyone can provide any sort of context, like a record of the events she describes or even just the proper spellings for what I tried to decipher would be a tremendous help. Thanks!

1 Answers 2016-10-29

At what point in western history did certain foods like cereals, pancakes, muffins and other stuff become "breakfast food;" why were these chosen over other food items?

2 Answers 2016-10-29

How did fainting in the Victorian era become so gendered? What social conventions led to the loss of consciousness to be so strongly identified with women?

1 Answers 2016-10-29

Ancient greek comedies featured gods. Did it offend anyone?

I only remember an example of Dionysus written by Aristophanes and it's a god who probably wouldn't mind to be laughed at. But there must have been others. Do we know anything about playwriters being punished for lack of respect of gods?

1 Answers 2016-10-29

Did George Washington have a British accent?

Or the other founding fathers? Or a Boston accent?

2 Answers 2016-10-29

Saturday Reading and Research | October 29, 2016

Saturday Reading and Research will focus on exactly that: the history you have been reading this week and the research you've been working on. It's also the prime thread for requesting books on a particular subject. As with all our weekly features, this thread will be lightly moderated.

So, encountered a recent biography of Stalin that revealed all about his addiction to ragtime piano? Delved into a horrendous piece of presentist and sexist psycho-evolutionary mumbo-jumbo and want to tell us about how bad it was? Need help finding the right book to give the historian in your family? Then this is the thread for you!

10 Answers 2016-10-29

What environment did primitive humans thrive in the easiest?

What environment did primitive humans thrive in the easiest, not that it was ever easy, and what are some of the reasons they did?

1 Answers 2016-10-29

Was there a practical purpose to sailors wearing bell bottoms?

Or was it just part of the wild and zany uniform craze of the 19th Century?

1 Answers 2016-10-29

Did primitive African tribes use the wheel before European illustrated them how to use it

If not, how did they travel and carry their belongings?

2 Answers 2016-10-29

What factors helped the Soviet Union achieve so many early victories in the Space Race?

1 Answers 2016-10-29

Did Julius Caesar plan to make himself dictator from the beginning or was his hand forced?

A simple question with a complex answer, I'm sure.

I've seen the TV show Rome twice and countless videos and articles on the subject and I still don't quite understand it.

2 Answers 2016-10-29

What is the perspective on the role of propaganda in the Third Reich in Marxist historiography?

All 'variants' of Marxist historiography are acceptable, no matter how 'orthodox' or 'heterodox', classical or modern, etc.

1 Answers 2016-10-29

Did the military tradition of Prussia survive in any way the 2nd World War and the Cold War?

Hi Reddit, so I was just wondering if the region of Prussia which was known for having great martial traditions and which basically dominated the officer class of the German Empires army managed to survive in any way the loss of territory during the second world war and the partition of Germany during the cold war.

Did Prussians continue to contribute well to its ruling military, did these old military families die out or simply dissappear?

Oh and bonus question that isn't necessarily a history one. Do the people of the Russian city and area of Koenigsberg (?) consider themselves Russians?

3 Answers 2016-10-29

I know the Norse came after, but how did the ancient Greeks and Romans view foreign religions like Egyptian/Celtic mythology?

Did they believe that their gods were real too, or did they view them as false?

2 Answers 2016-10-29

I once heard a claim that the Norman invasion of England was, in a sense, a return of native Britons (who had fled to Brittany after the Anglo-Saxon invasion) to Britain. Did Bretons make up a significant portion of the invading Norman army?

This claim was a comment on here I read long ago, so it may not be accurate - but I still find it a very interesting claim nonetheless.

1 Answers 2016-10-29

What caused the Viking Age of the 8th-10th century?

Following roughly from the 793 lindisfarne raid the vikings began their infamous age of overseas raiding and expansion. What I want to know is what caused this sudden shift in Scandinavian foreign policy. Any sources (Especially primary) would be much appreciated for further reading as they've become a subject of personal interest recently.

1 Answers 2016-10-29

What would have been the comparable prestige for different Arabic titles (Sheikh, Amir, Malik, Sultan, etc.), in say, the 14th century? How did the prestige levels of different titles change over time?

Was there a regular hierarchy of titles that most people in the Arab world would have been aware of? Or was it more irregular? What was the highest title that an Arab ruler could claim for themselves, short of Caliph?

I'm especially curious about Malik - how common was this in the period before the Ottomans? Why did it become so widespread as compared to Sultan in the 20th and 21st centuries?

1 Answers 2016-10-29

Why were Chinese dynasties able to last for such long periods of time while those of Continental European empires (e.g. Judeo-Claudian, Carolingian, etc.,) only lasted a few decades?

1 Answers 2016-10-29

Why did the Germans not have the Luftwaffe flatten Stalingrad instead of send in ground forces?

1 Answers 2016-10-29

WW2 seems almost comically "Good vs Evil" in modern times. Is there a way to paint the war, its belligerents, and the axis leaders, so it seems more neutral/gray?

I was thinking about this today while playing BF1. WW1 seems to be more terrible because it was so complex, and there is no easy way to frame it as "the bad guys vs the good guys". WW2 on the other hand is often portrayed as just "Nazi's needed to be stopped, Fascism was terrible".

I'd like to emphasize that I'm not a Nazi sympathizer or a Holocaust denier and I'm not trying to discount or downplay what they did.

Thanks a lot guys

2 Answers 2016-10-29