everything you find online seems to be largely focused on military history, but I'm interested in moving away from that particular aspect of history for a while and learning about cultures/politics/various civil rights movements for a while, are there any good youtube channels or websites you'd recommend that break things down simply so the average joe history buff could wrap their head around it (preferably reliable but not straight academic articles as they tend to be a pretty dense read)?
Right here!
We do have some excellent military historians, but most of the experts who answer questions focus on other areas! You can check out our incredibly variety of specialities, if you want!
Our @AskHistorians Twitter is a great place to find great answers highlighted, both new ones and the best of the past.
Are there any specific time periods or topics you are interested in? I'd be happy to recommend a few threads to get you started! You mentioned civil rights movements; here are just a couple I've written if you're interested in the US: