AskHistorians

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What did Roman provincial latifundia owners do in the 5th century? Did they deliberately seek patronage and protection provided by barbarians because Rome could no longer protect them but still taxed them?	52
In their effort to debunk the myth of "The Dark Ages", medievalists have highlighted the "12th-Century Renaissance", which ironically makes the preceding centuries seem "darker". Does the Carolingian Renaissance of the 9th century have similar effects on the perception of the 10th and 8th centuries?	47
During the decolonization of Africa, why did most African states adopt a Presidential System instead of a Parliamentary System? Were they inspired by the demise of the Fourth French Republic in 1958?	41
The Futurist Manifesto, written by F. T. Marinetti in 1909, opposed feminism. But in 1918 Marinetti founded a Futurist Party that advocated equal rights for women. What made Italian futurists change their views on women's rights?	35
It is said that the popular conceptions about the medieval France actually only apply to the areas "to the north of Loire", and that the south was completely different, especially in the 10th-12th centuries. What differed in socio-political organization and legal system?	33
Even after the Supreme Court prohibited segregation, the Southern U.S. segregationists refused to comply. Did they expect the Court to change their mind and reverse Brown v BoE? When did segregationists realize that the Federal Government and Courts aren't bluffing and that segregation is doomed?	32
Why is the surviving Ancient Roman literature mostly from the late Republic and early Empire, but not from mid-to-late Empire? Did Roman literary output decline then?	31
Wearing turbans was ubiquitous among South Asian men just 100 years ago. But today only Sikhs wear them. Why did other religions abandon it but Sikhs kept it?	30
A scientific article claims that the Plague of Justinian that supposedly killed tens of millions of people was actually small and inconsequential. What would have motivated 6th century writers to exaggerate the destructiveness of the plague to such an extent?	26
The 1789 French Revolution began with the disagreements between the three estates in the Estates General over the "verification of members" and "verification of powers". I am unable to find what those "verifications" meant and why were they so important.	21

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