I recently watched Letters From Iwo Jima and in the movie it shows how the Japanese were obligated to commit suicide whilst hiding from the enemy to maintain their honor. As a westerner, this seems like ‘taking the cowards way out’ compared to dying in combat against the enemy. So why the difference in attitudes towards this?

I have been studying the history of Hitler, it seems like he moved from Linz to Vienna in search of a better life by pursuing his dream of being an artist. In Vienna he was rejected at the art school twice, he exhausted his inheritance and worked underpaid menial jobs. I think he also experienced homelessness or something like that. Could his failure to have a successful career and a steady income have led him to develop anti-semitic and nationalistic views?

1. Did guns end the need for monarchy I've noticed that from the 1400s to 1918 with the invention and improvement of firearms monarchies around the world decreased or is it just me?

2. How is it that monarchy a governing system that has been around for thousands of years nearly get replaced by republics?

I understand that there was widespread support for the Nazis, but I expect there were many local governments who were not sympathetic to the Nazi cause when they made their power play. What happened to these governments and their officials? Were the governmental powers of Germany more centralized under the Nazis or did they still rely on city governments to manage themselves?

How hard did Hitler try to get Spain to join his side before/during WWII and how close did he come to succeeding? Thank you.

I saw a tiktok where a man claimed that shanties came from African slaves who would sing under the boards on the deck, and when I tried to look into this further I couldn’t find a single source to support it. That said, I couldn’t find anything to support where I thought they came from, Celtic chants. Can anyone help me out with this?

Everybody knows that medieval governments had kings and queens, but surely there were more people than that, right? What were their titles, and what responsibilities did they have? How did they get into these positions? My main area of interest is England during the 14th and 15th centuries, but feel free to talk about whatever you know best.

Leadbelly, in his song about the Titanic, said that Jack Johnson, who was denied entry to the Titanic because of his race (not worried if this is a historical fact or not, but it would be interesting to find out) got the news that the Titanic had sunk, and "did the Eagle Rock" in celebration. The song was written 40 years before anything like Rock and Roll existed. What was "The Eagle Rock" in the context of a Blues singer from 1912? The song describes blatant racism. Are there other times Leadbelly rails against racism in his other music? Was this a risky subject to write about and sing in those days? I'll link to a recording of the music in a comment in case such links aren't allowed here.

Also, were there other political calculations considered by President Ford?

I don’t mean to say that the average person understood how it worked, etc. Just curious as to how soon, and how, did the general public begin to learn how incredibly destructive and different this new type of warfare was.

Kind of just what the title says. What are the ways that autism/Asperger’s (and other autism spectrum disorders) have been received, accepted, dealt with, etc. throughout history (and across different cultures)?

I know this is tricky, considering it hasn’t always “existed”, from a diagnosable standpoint, but I’ve always heard passing reference to certain historical figures (like Isaac Newton) most likely having Asperger’s.

Just curious if anyone has any experience with studies or information on this topic.

Thanks!

I am not an American (I come from the Levant), but I am interested in American political history (and in the history of federated states more generally).

Was it (or is it) actually possible for a state in the American union to secede legally? Does the constitution allow for this?

[Obviously I’m assuming the confederate states’ secession was considered illegal by the rest of the union]

Are there any historical examples of states legally seceding from a federation? I know that Canada, Russia, Spain, and the UK (not strictly a federation) have all had various historical separatist movements, but could a state actually secede legally?

I know Denmark historically was often under Swedish rule, so I supposed they're included in this question too.

My main curiosity revolves around the Danish straits, and how, with such a bottle neck/strangle hold on the Baltic, did they not have a massive advantage in trade over all other Baltic/Northern countries. How did Baltic countries get access to the North Sea/Atlantic? Did their ships have to pay tolls going through Denmark. If so how much? What about military?

It seems if they did have to pay tolls imports would end up being rather expensive for those countries. Again seemingly giving those who controlled the straits a fair amount of influence and power. How does/did this effect their economies and politics?

I'm interested in Medieval period to modern day. But any information would be interesting! Thanks!

My understanding is this was part of Voltaire's general critique of organized religion, but I'm curious if there was a specific incident that he was referencing.

I looked up some images on the internet but it seems they were completely made of wood, but if that's the case, how they kept the house warm during winter? I guess they couldn't lit a fire because they wouldn't have a house anymore. Thanks.

So in brief, why did the US put so much on their aircraft carriers and Russia or the Soviet Union did not. If I understand Russia put more of its effort in submarines than in naval aviation and aircraft carriers. Even after 2nd world war had shown what carriers meant to the fighting on the oceans. Thanks

First time poster, on mobile (I am sorry).

I have a friend that works at the Capitol. A few years back there was almost scuffle on US Congressional House and my friend said they thought they were going to see the Speaker of the House ask the Sergeant at Arms to show the Mace of the Republic. He explained that in order to keep the peace the Speaker can ask that the Mace of the Republic be shown to stop the members from fighting and restore order.

I know a mace is weapon and this tactic of showing the mace has been used in past sessions of congress with mixed results on quelling violence. So, What happens when they are still fighting and this doesn’t work? Why would showing them the mace restore order? Would it ever be used as a weapon?

Thanks for any clarification on this.

If Plan 17 for the French during World War I was basically as simple as " Whatever the circumstances, it is the Commander in Chief's intention to advance with all forces united to the attack of the German armies," how bad were plans 1-16?

When Napoleon declared himself Emperor of France in 1804 only 15 years had passed since the storming of the Bastille and 11 years since the execution of King Louis XVI. In what ways did Napoleon stress that his position of emperor was different to that of previous kings?

During the Columbian Exchange Europeans were bringing crops back to Europe, so I know there was transmission both ways, but it seems only the Americas where devastated from new diseases.

Hi there!

I'm currently starting an MA in Ancient History (In Switzerland). I jumped into these studies for two reasons: (1) being passionate about ancient Egypt and (2) being assured by the university representative that it could lead me to working in research studying that field.

Unfortunately, after approaching two of my teachers (An egyptologist and a historian specialising on the ancient eastern Mediterranean) I was told I was in the wrong program. A counsellor echoed this feeling as well.

I've gotten in touch with three other universities for advice and potential internships / volunteering / dissertation applications, only for the answer to be negative. I can't change or abandon my current degree because due to my academic past I'm on my last attempt at a degree.

What steps can I take to study Egyptology in this situation? Alternatively: how can I get into research on ancient Egypt with my current degree?

Thank you for answers :)