I read that the British broke the last defense line of the German west front in the summer of 1918, which led to the german offering armistice. Why did the Entente powers accept it, and did not push for an invasion of Germany and unconditional surrender like in WW2?

My boss would like me to become an "expert" in British espionage, specifically its origins around WWI and leading up through WWII so that I can teach him about said history. I'm looking for any suggestions of books/articles/documentaries etc that could help me get started. Any help is appreciated!!

Thanks!

I'm writing a story based in New York City that time period and my characters keep saying fuck and mother fucker when they get excited. Even if people would use those terms I'm wondering if there are terms in addition. Like Nuts! I guess. Thanks for your help.

When we think of drugs today we think of marijuana, heroine, or cocaine. How and why did Opium stop being a commonly misused substance or at least as commonly misused?

I'm interested in the relations between the West and the USSR in the years immediately after WW2. The impression I have is that the relationship drastically chilled virtually as soon as Germany surrendered, with the Berlin Blockade, etc, coming along just a few years later. Was the shift from allies to enemies really so drastic, or did the semi-amicable wartime relationship continue for a while?

Was it before redlining, during / because of, or after? What were the arguments for/against it?

If so, what are some nursery rhymes about that most people don't know, and how did they spread?

I know some civilizations had number systems other than base ten, but I can't see any reason civilizations on opposite sides of the world would both decide to split the day into such a seemingly arbitrary number.

Thanks!

I'm talking of those WWI German propaganda posters that depict the USA as being full of money. At what point in American history did America become "rich?"

If this is the inappropiate place, I apologise and would appreciate being directed to the proper forum.

• What did the Rhodesian farmers experience during the Bush War?
• Where can I read accounts about the Vietnam Veterans who were hired to protect the farms?

e.g. Egypt, Bangladesh

Is having a successful democracy an unstable equilibrium? Do you have to get lucky to get there?

I've had my shots, including flu shots, and my fair share of colds, etc. over my lifetime.

Followup: let's say I contract a disease (like a sinus infection or something) -- how screwed am I?

We always hear the stories of the journeys to their destinations, but not how they go back. Were they still targeted by U-boats? did they sail a different return route? etc etc

Someone I know made this broad statement recently, and I'm not sure of it's truthfulness. Was he just a religious fanatic, or something more? Especially as Marx and socialism came after Cromwell.

Thank you!

Greetings, and a Happy New Year to everyone! My name is /u/Qhapaqocha. I and my cohort /u/Pachacamac are here today to discuss the wonderful cradle of civilization present in the west of South America. This area is understood to have thousands of years of consistently dense occupation, with incredible feats of architecture, material culture, art, and politic. To begin, a little about us.

/u/Qhapaqocha: I have been studying the Andes for a few years now, completing a bachelor’s degree and writing a thesis about the Chavín, a cult of sorts on the central coast during the Early Horizon (some 2500-2000 years ago), interpreting its iconography, architecture and material culture to posit the presence of a cult of meteorological shamanism (weather control!) at its center, Chavín de Huántar. More recently I have been working on a project in the Cuzco Valley for the last four months excavating a densely populated site in the valley. I have experience then with material culture of the Inca, the Wari, and the Tiwanaku. This has been one of my first true archaeological projects, and I return to Cuzco next week for a few months of analysis. I greatly enjoy this part of the world and its heritage, and that enjoyment is a big reason why I’ve worked to get this AMA off the ground.

/u/Pachacamac: Despite my username, I don't actually study anything related to Pachacamac, a major coastal Andean site just south of Lima, the capital of Peru. Instead I work on the north coast of Peru, approximately 500km north of Lima near the city of Trujillo, where I study the development of early states. The Andes are one of only six places in the world where states--societies with classes, strong leadership, and the ability to command power over large amounts of land and people--developed, making it an interesting place to learn about how people gave up their autonomy and came together into large, diverse societies. Specifically, I'm using satellite photos to map changes in the use of land in the Virú Period, ca. 150 B.C. Before starting my Ph.D. I studied the use of stone tools at a site (ca. A.D. 450-1532) in the northern highlands of Peru for my M.A. project. Even though societies in the Andes developed rich metalworking traditions, stone tools remained the main cutting tool until the Spanish arrived. I also have extensive experience working in North America in the field of Cultural Resource Management (CRM), the applied consulting branch of archaeology.

So between the two of us I expect we can answer most of your questions regarding the Andes mountains and coast, pre-Contact. For my part the Conquest and Viceroyalty is not an area I have studied much, though I do know a little about the mid-century or so after the Spanish showed up. I can point you in the direction of several other flared users who can probably answer those questions better, but other than that, fire away! Ask us anything!

EDIT 12:45am EST: Thank you everyone for your responses! Please keep asking them and I will get to them by the morning! Hope we stoked some passions about the Andes - and if you don't find your answer here ask the sub in a separate question!

I've long wondered about Mao, specifically, since he was striving to supplant the Qing Dynasty and red is a color linked to the Ming Dynasty loyalists* who were also trying to supplant the Qing (the Red Turbans and so on).

( * Yeah, an oversimplification, I know.)

I know the Bolsheviks predated Mao - what made them pick the red flag? Would they have any ties to the Red Turban Rebellion of the 19th century? Did red mean something different in Russia prior to the 1800s?