We see significant sectarian violence (Sunni vs. Shia vs. Alawite vs. etc) in the Middle East due to the colonial lines drawn up by Britain after WW1, and the decolonization of Africa after WW2. Is there significant sectarian violence in Latin/Central America, considering its historical roots as a colony of Portugal/Spain?

I'm getting two very different pictures of Napoleon as a man.

On one hand, A&E/BBC dramas and documentaries paint a picture of a brilliant strategist, scholar, and leader who personally changed the course of history. And (despite the misogynistic racist bit) a polymath cut from the same cloth as Frederick and Peter the Great.

On the other hand, I've heard anecdotes that make him sound like a donkey in the French court. In Robert Greene's Power, he describes Talleyrand running circles around a soldier who grew up in the country and knew nothing about a world beyond the battlefield. In the IQ2 debate "Is Napoleon Great," other examples of his 'rural thinking' are brought up. He declared that the second child with twins is the firstborn since 'what goes in first comes out second.'

I've read the FAQ questions about Napoleon, and I don't think this question was covered under his socio-political impact and/or morality.

tl;dr: Was he truly responsible for the judicial advancements in his court? Was he more than a military genius?

Northerners risked their lives in a war to defeat slavery (among a number of other reasons), so I imagine many of them would have refused to buy clothing and other products knowing that it came from slave labor. Is there any record of this kind of boycott?

Were they seen as an act of Gods or known to be caused by the earth itself?

I'm going to apply for a PhD in early American History, but I have about a year off.

My local college offers an 'occupational certificate' in archaeology, and I was wondering if it would make me more competitive for grad school. I imagine it could be attractive to universities to know that I understand how to conduct myself around archaeological digs, and studied a bit of the anthropology of Native American tribes, no? Should I grab that certificate while I can?

If not, I'm going to grab a couple friends, throw some food in my truck and spend a good amount of time traveling. It would also be nice to spend some quality time with my family, as the health of my parents begins to decline.

How would you spend the year? Is a certificate like that really worth the paper its printed on?

So my Dad, Aunt, and I are finally getting my Grandfather a tombstone 25 years after he passed (long story involving a mean second wife). Anyway, we are trying to come up with the text and my Aunt wants to put that he was a ship welder for the USS North Carolina during WWII, since that was apparently a feat that he took pride in.

Anyway, my Dad and I googled it and could only find mention of the ship being built in New York. We are pretty sure that my Grandfather lived in NC and SC his entire life. Maybe my Aunt remembered the wrong ship. Or maybe pieces were built in the Carolinas and shipped to NY for final assembly? Any insight as to the possibility of the ship needing welding in the Carolinas would be appreciated.

First I'd like to ask: in historian/academic/research milieu, is the idea really that dismissible? And are there some good books or articles that tackle the subject?

Thanks in advance!

Throughout middle/high school, the harsh terms applied to Germany by the Treaty of Versailles is often pointed at as the cause of Hitler's rise to power and thus World War Two. Is this accurate? If it is not, what were the underlying causes of Hitler's rise to power?

Why were the Picts so much more successful when fighting Romans than the (conquered) Celts in ancient Britannia?

Especially as the tactics, religions and many other factors between the Picts and Celts were so very similar?

Grape leaves, lamb, baklava, etc.

My knowledge on the middle east historically is pretty limited, but I do have a basic understanding that it use to be home to some very advanced and very stable empires, what were the events leading up to what it is today (unstable, poor, etc etc).

Because in feudal Europe, class was based on inheritance, social mobility wasn't "built into the system", the way it is in capitalist societies. However, there must have been certain forms of social mobility, or else, how would the aristocracy have ascended in the first place?