askhistorians

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The Majority of Commonwealth Realm States have a bicameral legislature. New Zealand's Parliament is a rare exception, having dropped its upper chamber in 1951. What factors lead to NZ adopting a unicameral system?	21
What was life like for the average British Foreign Office Civil Servant like in the late Victorian Era?	13
How did Atlee remain the leader of Labour for so long? Shouldn't he (by convention) have resigned after Labour's loss in the 1951 election?	12
The Byzantine/Eastern Roman Empire is usually acknowledged as the continuance and/or successor state of the Roman Empire. Why do we not think of the Holy Roman Empire this way as well, seeing as they controlled much of the former empire and continued its customs?	12
How common and/or documented were sharks and shark attacks in the 19th and really early 20th centuries? Did navies and trading companies have protocols for dealing with sharks if a vessel sunk?	9
How did one become a torturer in medieval times? Was this a dedicated career?	8
The Monroe Doctrine effectively declared the entire western hemisphere an American sphere of influence. There were still a number of European colonies there at the time. How did Imperial European powers react?	7
What was going on in Sweden and the rest of the Scandinavian nations during the "Concert of Europe" era?	6
There is a common assertion that a failed evacuation at Dunkirk would have spelt the virtual end for the British army. How many men were in Dunkirk/France? Weren't there also substantial British forces in SE Asia and North Africa at the time?	5
Why did almost none of the former British territories/colonies adopt "pound" as a name for their currencies?	5

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