Today:
Welcome to this week's instalment of /r/AskHistorians' Sunday Digest (formerly the Day of Reflection). Nobody can read all the questions and answers that are posted here, so in this thread we invite you to share anything you'd like to highlight from the last week - an interesting discussion, an informative answer, an insightful question that was overlooked, or anything else.
Ok, a bit late with my run down. Been a busy day. But better late than never, right? So without further ado and in no particular order:
/u/international_kb on "What was the relationship between the Bolsheviks and the peasantry?"
/u/smileyman answered "What made it possible for Prince Estabrook to be part of the Lexington militia and be present at Lexington Green on April 19, 1775?"
/u/HatMaster12 on "Dominate legions and rank structure"
/u/parksungjun on "What was life like for Japanese soldiers during World War II?"
/u/shlin28 on "What were the main factors in the decline and fall of the Byzantine Empire?"
/u/yodatsracist on "Where did the gypsies come from?"
/u/britainopplsnerf on "How does a commander screen his army?"
/u/erus on "What model of piano would be found in an 1860's Old West saloon?"
/u/gent2012 on "What major contribution did Reagan partake in to bring about the fall of the Soviet Union?"
/u/domini_canes on "What started the conflict between capitalism/the West and communism/Russia?"
/u/thefourthmaninaboat answered "Do battlecruisers deserve the bad reputation they received due to the sinkings of HMS Hood and Renown in World War II?" and also on "What was the last time a navy ship was lost to a storm?"
/u/commustar on "Why did the USSR and Cuba choose to support Ethiopia instead of Somalia in the Ogaden war of 1977?"
/u/the_alaskan on "When and why did Hitchhiking fall out of fashion in the United States?" and also on "What were the causes of Russia's failure to create a self sustaining operation in Alaska?"
/u/astrogator's answer on 'Who Considered Themselves Roman?' and /u/GeorgiusFlorentius' super-detailed answer on early Merovingian kings caught my attention this week. Both of them deserve so many more upvotes!
I enjoyed /u/Legendarytubahero's answer on popular sports in Rio de la Plata in response to my question on sports in Central and South America before soccer and baseball.
I also really liked /u/NicktheNickofNick's answer on spies in Neo-Assyria in response to the question In game of thrones Varys is known as the master of whispers. Essentially the head of an espionage group. How did ancient spymasters manage such networks?
I quite enjoyed /u/Polybios post on the myth of Atlantis
/u/smileyman gave an excellent answer to my question What made it possible for Prince Estabrook to be part of the Lexington militia and be present at Lexington Green on April 19, 1775?.
Second /u/astrogator's recommendation, [excellent post!] (http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3ahhfy/who_considered_themselves_roman/cscwz8h)
/u/vonadler gave excellent responses on [I read some commentary, mostly from Europeans, that American Civil War officers were incompetent compared to Napoleonic-era European officers: how true is this?] (http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/39v67i/i_have_read_some_commentary_mostly_from_europeans/)
/u/GeorgiusFlorentius seemed to disappear for a while but came back this week with three outstandingly learned posts.
Two on different aspects of history of the Visigoths:
And one on part of the Merovingian dynastic politics:
I hope it means we have him/her back!
I really enjoyed reading /u/SAMDOT 's posts in How did moving into or between cities "legally" look like in High Middle Ages, e.g. 15th century Western Europe as well as /u/tommytraddles 's in the same discussion !