askhistorians

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When did the inhabitants of Italy stop referring to their spoken language as lingua latina and start referring to it as lingua italiana? What intermediary stages existed?	65
I watched a documentary about propaganda in Vichy France which said that even at the end of WWII, Petain was popular among the French Public. Why could he maintain popularity when his government was openly hostile to the French Revolution? How did the French public react to a Reactionary government?	62
Traditionally Roman coins had an image of the Emperor, usually with their head in profile like modern coins. However in the Late Empire & Byzantine periods, the Emperor is shown face on, from the shoulders up. These coins are harder to make and frankly they don't look as good. Why the change?	62
How did the USA and Saudi Arabia, long time allies, end up supporting opposite sides of the Yemeni Civil War in 1994?	62
Almost as soon as the Iberian kingdoms discovered the Canary Islands in the 14th Century, they started trying to conquer them. Why did the Iberians have such a strong instinct to bring this newly discovered land under their control?	59
What did people think yeast was before the advent of microscopy? Did anyone think it was alive?	58
How did Nationalism change from being a concept associated with the left wing in the 18th and early 19th centuries, to a concept associated with the right wing in the late 19th and 20th century?	57
Why was the Free City of Kraków created at the Congress of Vienna?	50
Did Imperial Germany have a coherent general foreign policy between 1890 and 1914?	49
Why did the Roman Empire persecute Christians at various points in its history?	48

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