How important was Winston Churchill in bringing about the downfall of Nazi Germany, as well as preventing a Nazi invasion of the British Isles.

My apologies if this question has been asked before but I looked through the FAQ's and searched for relevant keywords and was surprised to see that it hadn't, to the best of my knowledge.

I will try and make my question as clear as possible. As an Englishman, most people here commonly remember Churchill as the Prime Minister that "Won Britain the War". Is this view historically accurate, or is his impact overstated?

I originally titled my question "How important was Winston Churchill in Britain and the Allies being victorious in WWII" but I thought I would add my definition of victorious to the title. If there were other factors which you consider more important, please do comment on these in your answers.

Thank you all, and thanks to everyone who asks and answers questions on this brilliant subreddit.

3 Answers 2016-02-09

Life Guards cavalry and the Gentlemen Class during the Napoleonic Era - how and why did they enlist, and what were their duties aside from battle?

I was playing some Napoleon: Total War and a great feature for the interested history nerd such as myself is the option to right-click on a unit to receive and read not only their specs and stats, but also their historical background and context.

For the Life Guards cavalry, their description immediately mentioned that these men were all of the gentleman class (http://wiki.totalwar.com/w/Life_Guards_(NTW_unit)). My curiosity then branched from this, wondering why gentlemen would want to risk their lives in battle, with glory and honour aside. Gentlemen in the period by definition would be the modern millionaires or billionaires, who could live off of their families fortunes without need to work (usually). Furthermore, why wouldn't these gentlemen on horseback rather be officers of infantry themselves? To my knowledge, the vast majority of infantry officers were of the gentleman class, so I'm curious why the cavalrymen of higher class would rather themselves be privates of horse rather than lieutenants of line.

I'm also wondering what their duties would be from day to day. In Ridley Scott's The Duellists (1977), our introduction to D'Hubert shows him and the other cavalrymen lounging around in a rather ornate room enjoying their pastries and hot beverages, smoking from pipes and reading the times. D'Hubert is then tasked with going to arrest Gabriel Feraud, another officer but of a different regiment, and the story then ensues. Naturally, Feraud was sent to make the arrest because the military of the day was also the policing force which would instil and uphold the laws. So here, we can see some of the duties, but I'm still curious what more there would be for the gentlemen cavaliers of the Napoleonic Era.

1 Answers 2016-02-09

In the Hellenic (pre-Roman) Meditteranean period, what notation was used for numerals?

1 Answers 2016-02-09

What does the word 'Palatine' mean in European titles? What were they?

As in the County Palatine of the Rhine, or Counties Palatine in England?

1 Answers 2016-02-09

What were the Secretary of War buildings before the Pentagon?

All the list from the American Revolution to World War II would be much appreciated.

2 Answers 2016-02-09

How did the USA evolve to 12 years of free public education?

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1 Answers 2016-02-09

Why is the Finnish language so different from the other nordic languages?

1 Answers 2016-02-09

The Opium Wars

Hello everyone!

I am looking for suggestions for a non-fiction book on the Opium Wars. I have done some research here, but couldn't find what I was looking for.

Basically something with as neutral a point of view as possible. I wouldn't mind something written as a story, and would actually prefer that to a dry textbook. (Think Barbarians at the Gates, Den of Thieves, etc.)

Thank you in advance for your help!

1 Answers 2016-02-09

Was Ancient Sumeria United?

Generally speaking, people usually say the first Civilization was Ancient Sumer. But when you actually look into its history, there are in fact different city-states (Ur, Uruk, Lagash) that all appear to be independent of each other.

So it begs the question, was Sumer actually a singular and unified Civilization before the rise of Akkad and the Third Dynasty of Ur, or is it just a general term for Mesopotamian Civilizations to avoid any complicated Ancient politics?

1 Answers 2016-02-09

Goebbels was the Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda. Did no one in Nazi Germany react very negatively to such a blatant title and all the negative connotations it entails?

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1 Answers 2016-02-09

Help, need citable source for Dark Ages research

Hi, /r/AskHistorians.

I'm doing a literary research in regards to the true nature and cause of the Dark Ages, as well as its effects to technology. I've read a few of the articles here, which has basically stated that the church didn't directly or majorly cause this period. This is quite different from what my community usually perceive.

The common perception here is that due to the fact that the church heavily censored knowledge and new findings to protect their status as well as power, it led towards a decline in technological advancement, thus bringing about what is commonly called 'dark ages'. Whereas other sources have said the start of this period was due to the fall of the Roman Empire.

Can anyone clarify this and include citable source? I've checked the Reddit wiki and found it hard to find the latter. It would help quite a lot and clear up a great deal of misconception.

Thanks.

1 Answers 2016-02-09

Were the Dutch really the only ones allowed to trade with the Japanese after Japan was closed in the 1600's?

1 Answers 2016-02-09

Was British Florida ever a part of the American Revolution?

It was also a British colony on the East coast, so why was it not included in the American Revolution? Did it have any revolutionary activity?

1 Answers 2016-02-09

Did the average (enlisted) Red Army soldier during World War II have a good idea what Hitler looked like?

It occurred to me recently that in the last days of the Third Reich in the spring of 1945, as the Soviet Army was taking Berlin, there may have been a situation in which Hitler had tried to escape in civilian clothes, or something.

But if a Red Army soldier had never read any newspapers (perhaps being illiterate) or had seen any newsreels, would they have recognized Hitler on sight, and captured him? Could Hitler have slipped away unrecognized?

How universally recognized was Hitler? Did the Red Army have a photo-illustrated "most wanted" list the way Coalition forces did in Iraq?

2 Answers 2016-02-09

What were some notable strategic retreats in WW2 that allowed an army to regroup and face the enemy in a better situation?

What were some notable strategic retreats in WW2 that allowed an army to regroup and face the enemy in a better situation?

1 Answers 2016-02-09

American stereotypes of Native Americans seem to have been greatly influenced by stories of the Old West and "Cowboys and Indians". What were the stereotypes before the West was settled? Did they vary by region before mass media?

I was thinking about the diversity of Native Americans in what is now the United States, and it seems to me that a lot of the stereotypes are a distorted view of some of the Great Plains tribes - such as tipis and buffalo hunting and even supposedly the word "How".

Yet Europeans in what is now the US has been in contact with Native Americans since the very beginning of European settlement. Before the West was settled, what would the average European's stereotype of the indigenous people be? Did this vary by region? Or by time? Did popular novels like "The Last of the Mohicans" contribute to this viewpoint? Did stereotypes shift over time? What about with events - did the views change after events like King Philip's War? How did changing stereotypes alter how the colonists, and later the Americans, interact with the native inhabitants?

Also, I'm interested in Canadian counterparts to this as well, since a lot of my reading recently appears to be concerning Canadian history.

1 Answers 2016-02-09

Why did the Western Roman Empire change their capital from Rome to Mediolanum/Ravenna ?

Rome was under WRE control at the time so i'm confused as to why they would change it, I mean they are the western ROMAN empire.

2 Answers 2016-02-09

How realistic is the famous meeting between Hannibal and Scipio Africanus talking about the best generals in history?

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1 Answers 2016-02-09

Did the leaders of states and countries really lead their armies from the front lines when invading or defending their territories? And if so, when did it start to change?

1 Answers 2016-02-09

Anything about late 19th century pregnancies and childbirth?

Hey! I'm doing some writing that takes place in 1880-1890, and the main character is a faux-noble, extremely valued servant/butler/etc to an Earl. She falls pregnant mid story.

Does anyone know anything about childbirth/pregnancy in that time period? Superstitions, technology, medicine at the time, etc.

Thanks!

1 Answers 2016-02-09

Where could find some Primary sources on Women in the black panther party?

I've been searching for Black Panther Party newspapers, but have yet to find an indexed archive. Does anyone know where i can find an indexed archive?

Newspapers obviously aren't the only primary source I want to use, but it is a start.

1 Answers 2016-02-09

How much better off were the Irish before they were controlled by the English?

I often hear about the abuse the Irish suffered once Ireland was under English control, and how they lived in pretty consistent poverty at that time, but how was life in Ireland before it was controlled by the English? Was it much better?

2 Answers 2016-02-09

Jack Ruby

Why did Jack Ruby kill Oswald? What kind of relationship did they have before?

1 Answers 2016-02-09

Why didn't England have a revolution during the first half of the 19th century?

I realize that the question listed in the topic may not be specific enough (I tried searching for answers, but couldn't find them), but I am curious about why England didn't undergo some kind of revolution during the 19th century like how other European countries did. Did they ever come close to having a revolution? It seems like during this period that England was ripe for an uprising, but it apparently never happened.

1 Answers 2016-02-09

Did the Queen around 100-110 years ago ever spend significant time in Northwestern Ontario?

I'm Ojibwe and someone claims that this ceremonial drum which is over 100 years old has been touched by the Queen (I'm unsure at the moment of who it was at the time) or some royalty and is lucky to still be around. I have a feeling its false, however I don't know enough to confirm that it is.

1 Answers 2016-02-09

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