I suppose I mean in the way that people like Martin Luther shook things up in Europe.

Recently I was thinking about how the Middle East ended up in it's current state. The current borders can be traced back to WWI when the allied powers divided up the Ottoman Empire among themselves after the war.

If we go way back in time to when the Roman Empire was around, the eastern empire never really fell. The Middle east was part of the Byzantine Empire, and when that empire shrunk it was because of the rise of a strong Islamic empire. That faded over time, but then the Turks took over. So all the way up to WWI there is never really a time where there hasn't been an empire in control of the middle east. After WWI and the Ottoman Empire was dissolved was the first time.

The western part of the Roman Empire obviously fell, though, and left a power vacuum in Western Europe. After a ton of fighting we ended up with the nation-states of today. It seems to me that the situation in the middle east after WWI to the present is similar to the fall of Rome in the west. The difference is that in the middle eastern case western powers defined the borders at the beginning of the process (and continually interfered to protect their interests).

Is anything to this connection I have made, or is it too vague of a connection to be very interesting?

I read for pleasure, so it need not be strictly academic. Should be fun to read.

Was it considered as undesirable (for women especially) as it is in modern times?

I want to know if there is one book or author who is considered the definitive authority on this subject. However, I don't want something so esoteric that it's difficult to read.

Maybe a similar style to David McCullough...

I imagine the US government only intended to intern those of Japanese descent, but in lieu of proper documentation were there mistakes made in sending, for instance, Chinese-Americans or Korean Americans to internment camps based on appearances alone?

Apparently the Hurrian Hymn to Nikkal is the oldest complete written piece of music, but it seems it was rediscovered at some point, rather than being in continuous use.

For example, say a website in which I look up 'Thirty Years War,' and it tells me leaders in the field, relevant graduate programs, reigning surveys of the subject, and a bibliography such as the Oxford History of the Thirty Years War.

All my life, I have enjoyed history in whatever form and I have most certainly enjoyed it in high school. That said, I am aware history courses in university differ drastically. At least, that is what I was told. How does one prepare for the coursework and such?

We always hear of stories of Germans that were spies for the Allies. Were there any native Japanese (or ones that snuck back in) that were spies on mainland Japan?

I never thought of the UN when I thought of the Korean War until today. It seems like there were UN forces in Korea, and after doing some reading, it looks like China wanted the UN out of the Korean peninsula. Why couldn't they use their veto powers?

But my main question is: How did they remain part of the UN if they fought UN forces during the third Battle of Seoul?

With Japan's loss and its culture, I'd imagine there is a good documented number of cases.

So I just finally watched the movie "Downfall," and it seemed improbable...

First, I really loved the movie, as it was a great depiction of people faced with impossible odds, the insanity of the NAZI's, and the ways leadership is detached and insulated from reality.

However, I felt that, given the fact the Russians were 10 kilometers (artillery range) from Hitler's bunker the whole movie; the threat (of course slow moving) of the Russians was a bit over played.

Is there a set time line for where the Russians were during Hitler's final days? Was he really still able to send out telegrams, hunt down traitors, order petrol for his death, fly in generals, and have a humanist doctor deliver (renegade style) medical supplies throughout Berlin all while street fighting took place?

While I doubt it, and don't mind a 2 hour movie fudging the time line, I am now just super curious how the collapse of the Nazi leadership play out in concurrence with the fall of Berlin. And with that, anyone who has insight, I am incredibly grateful.

I have read that native art found at Cofins Cave in Brazil and at Trujillo, Peru that depict horses.

What I read speculates that they saw them from the Chinese.

Was the Viking longboat still in use or had it been replaced by this point?

Doing an accounting/fraud presentation on Gregor McGregor.