askhistorians

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The Incan Empire was the most successful centrally planned economy in history. My understanding of economics led me to believe that Centrally Planned Economies are fundamentally untenable. So why was the Incan economy so successful? Why did the Incans succeed where the Soviets failed?	3334
We often read of escaped slaves heading north to either free states or Canada. Why don't we often see stories of slaves who fled south to Mexico, where slavery was also illegal? Why was Mexico a less attractive option despite being closer for many escaped slaves?	1785
The jacobin, an American leftist newspaper, recently released an article critiquing Timothy Synder's Bloodlands and the comparison between Nazi and Soviet crimes. How strong are these critiques, and more broadly how is Synder's work seen in the academic community?	1365
The CIA is infamous for its abuses of power. MK Ultra, smuggling crack, black sites, torture, coups, etc. How does that compare to their competition? During the Cold War what were the worst abuses of KGB power? How does it compare in lethality to the CIA? Which agency killed more innocent people?	1274
Why did marxism come to dominate the international socialist movement as opposed to the works of men like Proudhon, Kroptokin, Tucker, etc?	1035
What does Noam Chomsky get wrong about the Yugoslav Civil war and resultant Bosnian genocide, and what does he get wrong about thr Khmer Rouge and its mass murder?	240
Why do modern-day christains no longer take issue with usury?	222
Hos true is the old adage in the USSR and Eastern Bloc that "They pretended to pay us and we pretended to work?" Was there real wage growth in the USSR, particularly compared to imperial Russia? How did that compare to the West?	72
Huey Long has been called "The dictator of Louisiana". Is that characterization fair? What set his political tactics apart from other politicians of his day like FDR or figures before like Lincoln?	48
Why are modern day military uniforms so much less flamboyant than in the past?	43

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