What role did Finland play in World War I?

Finland was a part of the Russian Empire until 1917 when the empire fell into civil war. In the three preceding years, what roles, if any, did Finland play? Did they supply men and materials to the war effort? Were they allowed to sit it out on the sideline? Did WWI have a large impact on Finland and Finnish culture?

2 Answers 2014-09-17

Where did the perception that the American government was generally dysfunctional begin?

1 Answers 2014-09-17

Prior to the start of trench warfare, how were the initial battles of WWI conducted?

While I guess WWI is more well known for the horrors of trench warfare, I was just curious as to how battles which occurred before the beginning of trench warfare were carried out?

As a follow-up question, was this method of warfare responsible for the high casualty rates in battles such as the First Battle of the Marne? I understand that Wikipedia isn't the most reliable source but I'm struggling to comprehend the scale of fighting if there were 500,000 casualties after a week's fighting in the First Battle of the Marne compared to over a million casualties suffered over four months during the Battle of the Somme!

2 Answers 2014-09-17

What are some notable examples of early dietary regiments made specifically for health or athletic performance?

1 Answers 2014-09-17

How accurate is the nostalgia of the "Modern, Progressive Afghanistan of the 1970s?" Has Afghan culture and society really changed that much in the last 40 years?

2 Answers 2014-09-17

Was Elie Wiesel a fraud/hoax/impostor?

1 Answers 2014-09-17

At the Advent of Commercial Air Travel, What were the Security Procedures for Passengers like?

Was there any kind of screening, be it through a metal detector or visual? Were any items prohibited from being brought into the cabin (besides the obvious such as weapons)? When did the modern rigours of air-travel security originate?

1 Answers 2014-09-17

How did germans achieve technological superiority over USA, UK, and Soviet Union right before - and during - WW2?

3 Answers 2014-09-17

How did heavy shock cavalry in the ancient world fight? Did they actually charge head-on into enemy infantry units, or was the charge itself usually enough to break them before contact?

2 Answers 2014-09-17

How was Mark Antony's relationship with Cleopatra viewed by the roman and egyptian general public?

1 Answers 2014-09-17

Why were significantly more indentured labourers from India taken to Fiji and Trinidad than to their island neighbours?

Also, why does Suriname manage to have such a large Indian population when India was never governed by the Netherlands?

1 Answers 2014-09-17

Why is it so hard to study the history of Mohammad and the origins of Islam?

I have been reading lots of articles about this lately and it seems all the written source material is from at least 100 years after the prophet's death (although the historical person of the prophet isn't even 100% verified).

There seems to be two distinct types of books. The islamist side which doesn't mind giving itself away by adding "PBUH" every time the prophet's name is mentioned, and the opposing side which may or may not have an other agenda but draws different conclusions.

The interesting thing is though, they seem to be using the same unreliable sources while coming to these completely opposing conclusions.

There are some studies which try to find actual historical material to even consider that Mohammad might not have been a real historical person, or that the Koran might have had its sources in much earlier documents etc. These views seem to be accepted as fringe and not accepted by the majority of the historians.

Is it really possible that the Arab world at that time was so completely oral driven that we might never have any reliable material from that period? How about other cultures that interacted with them? Am I being drawn in by fringe theorists that ignore other evidence without my knowledge? Any books/documentaries that might provide more info?

2 Answers 2014-09-17

Why did the 1st Crusaders massacre Jewish peoples in Europe on their way to the Holy lands?

On this page - http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/christian/blchron_xian_crusades02.htm

May 06, 1096 Crusaders moving through the Rhine Valley massacre Jews in Speyer. This is the first major slaughter of a Jewish community by Crusaders marching to the Holy Land.

May 18, 1096 Crusaders massacre Jews in Worms, Germany.

It claims that many Jewish communities were massacred. Why were they attacked, and how many were killed by the Crusaders?

1 Answers 2014-09-17

How did trenches appear in the World War 1 battlefield?

Did armies just walk up and dig trenches while hoping they wouldn't get hit by artillery in the process? How were these front lines formed? What were the logistics in how far they dug trenches from each other?

1 Answers 2014-09-17

How common was "friendly fire" throughout both ancient and modern wars? Have there been significant events where mass amounts of friendlies were forced to kill each other?

1 Answers 2014-09-17

How were lines organized in the Napoleonic wars?

So To any napoleonic enthusiast explain this, how were there lines formed? A french regiment would consist of some fusiliers at the center with detachments of grenadiers and voltigeurs at the side. Why? Why didn't they create completely different regiments, which they did, rather than mix a line up?

a little diagram so you can understand

Grenadier/Grenadier/Fusilier/Fusilier/Fusilier/Volt/Volt. one line of infantry.

1 Answers 2014-09-17

What did countries/citizens do before photos were added to passports, and what did they do before passports were commonplace?

1 Answers 2014-09-17

When did global population reach 1 billion, and where were the main centers of population at that time?

1 Answers 2014-09-17

How close was Reginald Pole to becoming the King of England and being elected Pope?

First thing's first, I am aware that holding both positions simultaneously would be a huge conflict of interest and would almost certainly never happen. My question is not regarding whether or not that would even be possible.

I had two different professors assert both of these about Reginald Pole:

  1. That he was next in line to inherit the throne of England upon the death of Edward VI. Something happened which prevented him from ascending and instead Mary I became the Queen of England in 1553. This was brought up, but not elaborated on.
  • I know that there was opposition to Mary becoming queen as she would restore Roman Catholicism as the kingdom's religion after Edward's Protestant reign. Was Pole being an ordained Cardinal an obstacle to him becoming king? Was there a greater fear of potential changes he would institute as a member of the clergy? Or was his denial of the throne more so a 'line of succession' issue?
  1. Pole should have been elected Pope following the death of Paul III but votes were miscounted and he came up just short of the necessary two-thirds. The claim I found curious was not that he was almost elected, but that he actually should have been elected as he had the required number. Again, the assertion was that some mishap occurred and it was not realized that Pole in fact had two-thirds of the votes; the outcome being the conclave would end there with Pole being the new Pope.
  • As far as I know, it's commonly accepted that Pole was barely short of the requisite two-thirds and fell out of favor as the debate continued. Was there any controversy at the time with regards to Pole almost being elected? Has credible evidence been found that he did have enough support, but was sabotaged or a mistake was made and the votes were not counted correctly? If there is insufficient evidence of this claim, why did Pole come so close and then fall out of favor upon further deliberation?

Both of the professors basically said that Reginald Pole was next in line to become the King of England and Pope, but was prevented (or passed over) for each position. My question seeks to address the veracity of each claim. If I can clarify anything, please let me know. Also, if I can organize this better let me know how.

1 Answers 2014-09-17

Public perception of Franklin/Eleanor Roosevelt marriage?

Watching PBS series & noticed every newspaper article announcing the marriage identified Franklin as "Eleanor's cousin."

Was cousin-marrying really so commonplace that nobody thought it was weird?

1 Answers 2014-09-17

Dungeons & Dragons is the definitive modern fantasy game. What influences led it to take the shape it did?

To elaborate, Dungeons & Dragons has some mechanical elements that don't "mesh" with the quasi-medieval aesthetic. An obvious example would be the implicit ideological autonomy of the alignment system, but even more significantly, a system of magic based on hard values and predictable outcomes (which doesn't at all resemble the chaotic diversity of premodern beliefs concerning magic from around the world).

What influences led Gary Gygax to design and develop the system he did? For bonus points, what were the differences in influence between Dungeons & Dragons, earlier games with similar ideas (if applicable), and relative contemporaries such as Warhammer Fantasy (apart from the obvious matter of scale)?

3 Answers 2014-09-17

England to Jerusalem is an incredibly long march. How would the average participant in the First Crusade have traveled to the Levant, and how long would it take?

Was there a near-constant train of men moving toward Jerusalem? What sorts of non-combatants followed the soldiers?

3 Answers 2014-09-17

What were the most influential moments in European History all the way up until the Protestant Reformation

1 Answers 2014-09-17

In Ceasar's time, how long was the journey from Gaul to Rome?

Weeks? Months?

I assume you could travel by sea, but I really don't know, that's why I'm asking.

1 Answers 2014-09-17

Why are there mythical creatures, such as dragons and mermaids, that appear in multiple culture's mythos despite those cultures having limited contact with each other?

1 Answers 2014-09-17

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