askhistorians

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In 1969, a KGB agent asked an US official what the US would do if USSR nuked China in an a first strike. How serious was such a proposition among higher echelons of Soviet leadership?	134
How reliable is the 1955 US military assessment of Operation Barbarossa written with help of former Wehrmacht officers?	126
Japan's "miraculous" economic rise came to a screeching halt in the 90s. Was this stagnation delibarately caused by Japanese bankers to create impetus for financial reform?	124
Nepal is considered to have been "never colonized" while Kuwait is accepted as having been a British colony, yet both were British protectorates. Why is this? What were the differences?	114
Kennedy was opposed to the USSR (as every US president), but considered Moscow of more responsible position in regards to nuclear policy than Beijing and proposed a joint invasion of PRC before they developed nukes. Was this assessment of Beijing accurate? If yes, how so?	112
In 1724, Safavid Persia was partitioned by Ottomans and Russia, had its capital seized by Afghans. In about 10 years, Persia managed get those lands back. How?	111
Britain went from taking half of gold medals in 1908 London Olympics to 2% of gold medals in 1948 Olympics. Is there any particular explanation for this?	102
The 70,000 or so French speakers in Quebec who came under British rule have grown with strong identity within Canada's second most powerful state, while the French settlers in Louisiana territory don't really have particularly strong influence or separate identity in USA. What was the difference?	79
Why is the 1924 Washington Naval Conference presented as "unfair" to the Japanese?	79
The river Uzboy flowed from the Amu Darya to the Caspian and supported a thriving argicultural community only to abruptly disappear off the map in 17th century. What was life in the river basin like and why did it disappear?	75

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