askhistorians

Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Have Britain and France actually wanted the alliance with the Soviet Union against Nazi Germany before the outbreak of the WW2? Were the failed 1939 Moscow negotiations are the result of incompetence or the talks were just diplomatic formalities?	5
What is the origin of the Swiss flag, a white cross on a red square, design? Why is the modern iteration of the flag has square shape?	5
"Blind as a bat" idiom is widespread, but bats are not actually blind with certain species having an extremely keen vision. Where the misconception that bats are blind comes from? Has Aristotle something to do with it?	5
Why did Faisal bin Musaid assassinate his uncle King Faisal of Saudi Arabia in 1975?	5
Have Ivan "the Terrible" killed his son?	5
Fertile Ganga plains were the core and power base of the Gupta, Pala, Mughal and many other empires. Today, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are the two poorest states in India. Was this region always that poor? If not, how it lost its wealth?	5
During Antiquity, Greek states hosted four Panhellenic Games including Olympics. Were there other international sports competitions outside Greece?	5
I read that prior to his assassination in 1934, French Foreign Minister Louis Barthou had planned to create a grand coalition to contain Nazi Germany. What exactly was his plan? How realistic was it?	5
One of the reasons for the Soviet invasion of Poland and occupation of Baltics was to create a buffer zone against Nazi Germany. How important was the added strategic depth for the Soviet military efforts during the war?	5
Why was no attempt to create anti-Nazi coalition prior to the WW2 successful? Were there underlining factors that made any potential agreement dead on arrival?	5

« < > »