Nikita Krushchev was an advocate for many of Stalin's policies during his reign. However, he then became the most important figure for Russian liberalization. What possibly influenced him to do so?
edit: Any sources that could help me further investigate this question?
1 Answers 2014-05-19
Bonus Question:
The black actors in "Birth of a Nation". How well were they treated on stage?
2 Answers 2014-05-19
1 Answers 2014-05-19
In George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series, a substance created by the alchemists and known as "wildfire" plays a pivotal part in at least 1 battle: the Battle of Blackwater Bay.
I want to know if there was anything similar to Wildfire in the medieval world, and whether it was actually ever used (I'm almost positive it was not used on the scale of the Blackwater Bay, but perhaps as a sort of hand grenade or booby trap?).
I'll describe the substance as best I can with passages from the book. Every passage is from A Clash of Kings, George R.R. Martin, Chapter 20:
The wildfire is a green liquid, created by the Alchemists' Guild, which is mean to burn quickly and very hot.
The wildfire is stored in clay pots, in a very cold dungeon:
The chill in the long dank vault went bone deep. Timett had chosen to retreat back up to the cellar after a brief taste of the cold below. They were somewhere under the hill of Rhaenys, behind the Guildhall of the Alchemists. The damp stone walls were splotchy with nitre, and the only light came from the sealed iron-and-glass oil lamp that Hallyne the Pyromancer carried so gingerly.
Gingerly indeed . . . and these would be the ginger jars. Tyrion lifted one for inspection. It was round and ruddy, a fat clay grapefruit. A little big for his hand, but it would fit comfortably in the grip of a normal man, he knew. The pottery was thin, so fragile that even he had been warned not to squeeze too tightly, lest he crush it in his fist. The clay felt roughened, pebbled. Hallyne told him that was intentional. "A smooth pot is more apt to slip from a man's grasp."
The wildfire oozed slowly toward the lip of the jar when Tyrion tilted it to peer inside. The color would be a murky green, he knew, but the poor light made that impossible to confirm. "Thick," he observed.
"That is from the cold, my lord," said Hallyne, a pallid man with soft damp hands and an obsequious manner. He was dressed in striped black-and-scarlet robes trimmed with sable, but the fur looked more than a little patchy and moth-eaten. "As it warms, the substance will flow more easily, like lamp oil."
"Water will not quench it, I am told."
"That is so. Once it takes fire, the substance will burn fiercely until it is no more. More, it will seep into cloth, wood, leather, even steel, so they take fire as well."
Tyrion remembered the red priest Thoros of Myr and his flaming sword. Even a thin coating of wildfire could burn for an hour.
"Why doesn't it seep into the clay as well?"
"Oh, but it does," said Hallyne. "There is a vault below this one where we store the older pots. Those from King Aerys's day. It was his fancy to have the jars made in the shapes of fruits. Very perilous fruits indeed, my lord Hand, and, hmmm, riper now than ever, if you take my meaning. We have sealed them with wax and pumped the lower vault full of water, but even so . . . by rights they ought to have been destroyed, but so many of our masters were murdered during the Sack of King's Landing, the few acolytes who remained were unequal to the task. And much of the stock we made for Aerys was lost. Only last year, two hundred jars were discovered in a storeroom beneath the Great Sept of Baelor. No one could recall how they came there, but I'm sure I do not need to tell you that the High Septon was beside himself with terror. I myself saw that they were safely moved. I had a cart filled with sand, and sent our most able acolytes. We worked only by night, we—"
"—did a splendid job, I have no doubt."
"These, ah, fruits of the late King Aerys, can they still be used?"
"Oh, yes, most certainly . . . but carefully, my lord, ever so carefully. As it ages, the substance grows ever more, hmmmm, fickle, let us say. Any flame will set it afire. Any spark. Too much heat and jars will blaze up of their own accord. It is not wise to let them sit in sunlight, even for a short time. Once the fire begins within, the heat causes the substance to expand violently, and the jars shortly fly to pieces. If other jars should happen to be stored in the same vicinity, those go up as well, and so—"
The pyromancers kept their recipe for wildfire a closely guarded secret, but Tyrion knew that it was a lengthy, dangerous, and time-consuming process.
And finally, a clip of the wildfire in action during the Battle of Blackwater Bay, as seen in Season 2: Episode 9 of the Game of Thrones TV show on HBO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxKzT7AzK1c#t=90
So, was there anything like this in reality? It seems to be similar to something like napalm, but much more volatile and explosive. I would say it seems similar to nitro-glycerin, but it can sustain a longer burn (like in the case of Thoros of Myr, who would dip his sword in Wildfire and then set it alight before a melee).
EDIT: Typo
1 Answers 2014-05-19
What were the social and economic conditions for the Aztecs? Can you recommend any good resources to learn more on this topic? Thanks!
1 Answers 2014-05-19
Last semester I took a class in my university that was focused only on the Holocaust, its beginning, during the war, and end.
Throughout the whole semester my professor was adement on saying the after world war one Germany never paid off its debts and was economicly sound, saying the main reason that Germany was into the Nazi view liked it because of the "Back Stab" Germany endured, along with all the propaganda focused against the Jewish culture.
I still don't think that is completly right. I'm pretty certain, from everything I've read, that Germany did suffer economicly and that was a huge factor in the future.
Any help on answering this for me, with sources?
1 Answers 2014-05-19
3 Answers 2014-05-19
Were the trials as ridiculous as they are depicted in modern media (i.e tying rocks to "witches" and seeing if they sink or float), or were there stronger political motives involved?. I always feel like I have to be missing part of the story because no populace would be that loony.
1 Answers 2014-05-19
I've been reading quite a lot about the battle and the events surrounding it recently, but one thing doesn't seem to quite line up. I've heard what seem to be the two main ideas of Harold's last moments, the one of him being killed by several knights and then being dismembered, and the other (more classic) idea of him being killed by an arrow through the eye. I've also heard of a mixture of the two.
The thing that confuses me is the story that his Housecarls supposedly defended his body to the last man, I don't see how that would line up with the scenario of him being killed by Norman knights, does anyone have a source for that story?
4 Answers 2014-05-19
I'm currently reading Dave Grossmans "On killing" and I came across this claim. I don't have the book with me right now so the quote is not verbatim et literatim but the gist of it was that very few of Alexanders soldiers died in actual combat (I'm not sure if this is limited to hand to hand combat or also includes projectiles). Many more perished of course but due to disease etc.
I'm somewhat sceptical of this very low number, but considering that most casualties in battle occurred when one side fled the field, and Alexander never lost a battle, might there be some truth to this idea?
1 Answers 2014-05-19
1 Answers 2014-05-19
This might be a weird question to some so I'll clarify: in some earlier conflicts, I've been told, the soldiers and low-ranking officers would develop a sense that the war in question was being fought for the benefit of their "masters", and would look to the men at the other side as doing the same; this would lead them to maintain a "lawful" conduct in combat and occasionally even act gentlemanly by holding ceasefires during holidays, et cetera.
But when I hear about the atrocities committed by pretty much everyone involved in WWII and hear veterans talking about their enemies, I can't help but feel these people actually hated each other very much; which might be natural to us today, but at that time wouldn't be such a given.
Am I correct in my assumptions? Did earlier conflicts really involve less hateful feelings among soldiers or is that just bias? And if WWII was a war fought with hatred, was it because of conflicting ideologies?
Thank you all for any answers you can provide!
edit: spelling
1 Answers 2014-05-19
Hello reddit,
I am writing an extended undergraduate essay (4000 words) on The Tet Offensive. The question asks why The Tet Offensive is considered to be the turning point of the Vietnam war, and I need around 7 main points to discuss. Could you please assist me by guiding me in the right direction?
2 Answers 2014-05-19
I've read some of the other questions and answers (thanks FAQ!) as to why potatoes became so popular. My question pertains more to other crops that are just now starting to become available (here in Sweden at least), such as for example quinoa.
Are those crops (generally, but especially quinoa) not as well suited to farming in Europe or were there other reasons they've been sort of looked over, compared to potatoes?
I realize this might be up to speculation, so I'll welcome all nutritional facts that may play a part in this as well.
1 Answers 2014-05-19
Were any Popes notable warriors or generals before their Papacy? Were any specifically elected because the church felt the need for a strong military leader in times of war?
7 Answers 2014-05-19
I really enjoyed reading Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Gibbon. I'm sure his ideas are no longer current, but I loved the prose.
I also really liked Toynbee's A Study of History.
What are some other, perhaps less well known, works of history that are considered classics in their own right?
I'm especially interested in the Roman civil wars and early empire period. When I was reading Decline and Fall I found myself really wishing Gibbon had written about that time period as well.
1 Answers 2014-05-19
There were often times when the Byzantine Empire had two or more emperors. During these times, how did the emperors interact with each other and how did others interact with them? In addition, how was power divided in these scenarios?
I'm interested in any and all answers anyone can provide, but this question originally comes after thinking about the story of Basil I and Michael III, so if anyone could provide information about them in particular I'd be very happy.
I've asked this question a few times before and never received an answer, so here's hoping someone can answer this time!
1 Answers 2014-05-19
money is a pretty valuable good, why did people start to literally throw it away?
1 Answers 2014-05-19
Say a French princess were wed to an English prince. Would she have an entourage of translators, friends, handmaidens, ambassadors, etc. going with her to help familiarize her with the court?
1 Answers 2014-05-19
I was wondering about this because Hannibal and his Army were way back in Italy terrorizing the Romans at Cannae and Trasimene, etc. but surely there must be some communication between Hannibal and the Carthaginian Senate, as evidenced from him being called back to defend Carthage at the end of the Second Punic War. How did these messengers travel the dangerous lands without taking the mountain pass through the Alps and surely dying? How did the Carthaginians ensure their safety? How often was Hannibal contacted by Carthage during the war?
Bonus: when would the Carthaginian have heard of the great victories over Rome in Cannae and Trasimene, and Scipio Africanus' victory over Hannibal at Zama
1 Answers 2014-05-19
1 Answers 2014-05-19
I've always been very interested in food history.
Did ancient Romans have street food or anything that could be purchased quick and easy on the streets of Rome or other cities? What would it be and what would it look or possibly taste like?
Thanks.
1 Answers 2014-05-19