AskHistorians

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Why exactly did Nazi Germany and Japan ally amongst one another? Nazi ideology considered the Japanese inferior and Japanese ideology considered the Japanese to be superior to Europeans so what was the potential endgame between the two? Also, why didn't Japan open a 2nd front against the Soviets?	2770
The Manichean prophet Mani regarded AXUM as one of the four great powers of his time, the others were Persia, Rome and China. How much did these three empires know about Axum and what was their relationship with them?	2351
Why wasn't the Praetorian Guard disbanded early on in the Imperial period after it was clearly guilty of conspiring and killing several Emperors? Was there no mechanisms that could have reformed this unit?	593
Why have the Scandinavian countries been able to be immune from the political chaos and coups that gripped various parts of Europe in the early 20th century? What was so vital and strong about the Scandinavian practice of liberal democracy that kept them free from that turmoil?	530
It's 1868 and I'm a Northerner (from New England) who just came of age and decided to join the Army to make up for having missed service in the Civil War. My unit is being deployed to the South to serve in either Mississippi or Alabama. What would my daily duties and service look like?	283
In Gangs of New York, there's an African-American character (Jimmy Spoils)who runs with the Irish gang that Leo DiCaprio's character becomes the leader of. How likely was it for there to be a man of color running with ethnic European gangs in the mid or late 19th century?	248
Now I'm aware of how racist Woodrow Wilson was but how racially tolerant or open minded were American Presidents/politicians around the turn of the century (late 19th/early 20th century)? Did any seek African-American voters? Were any quite simply, "a friend of the Black community"?	231
I'm a 24 year old radical labor activist in America who journeyed to Spain to join International Brigades. How vital would my unit's service be to the Republican cause? Would I be surrounded more by anarchists or communists in the anti-fascist faction?	128
So the Trojan War was described as a huge war with a massive expeditionary force from the Greeks with dozens and dozens of kings with their own armies committing to one overall cause. How manageable or vastly complex would have such a coalition effort have been in the Bronze Age?	88
How was it possible for Historically Black Colleges and Universities to be started and prevail during the period of Jim Crow? Were there attempts by Southern Whites to close them or censor what was taught within those places of higher learning?	83

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