AskHistorians

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What were the exact influencers and specific events that caused hard-line state-planned economies such as the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China to drift towards limited capitalism and mixed economies as the century moved on?	5
After Europeans initially contacted the periphery of the New World and the diseases they brought with them began to spread, how were societies of interior, non-contact native peoples affected by these epidemics, aside from the obvious issue of depopulation; i.e. culturally, religiously, politically?	4
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife was formed in 1870 as the Board of Fish Commissioners. How did game wardens operate in these and earlier times? Were there fishing or hunting "licenses"? If so, how were they kept track of? Was a game warden's authority at all respected back then?	4
Were there any attempts pre-Geneva to internationally codify what constituted "a war crime", "crimes against humanity", et cetera? Do we know when armies and states first began to conceive of there being a "proper" way to conduct a war, treat the injured/prisoners of war, non-combatants, et cetera?	3
Do we know if Caesar had any specific goals in mind that he wanted to effect once he had solidified his power as Dictator? Did he want to enact social programs, public works projects, or military campaigns once he had full control of Roman government? Or was he after power simply for power's sake?	3
How did Romans in the period of Caesar, Augustus, and what we today know as the early "Roman Empire" view the political changes of their time? Did they firmly understand it as the "end of the Roman Republic"? Or was there hope of reversing Caesar's and Augustus' reforms and "restoring democracy"?	2
Vietnam veterans are known to have strong opinions on the Iraq/Afghanistan Wars. Do we know how veterans of other conflicts viewed wars that came after them? How Civil War veterans viewed the Spanish-American and First World Wars? Or how Revolutionary War veterans viewed the Mexican-American War?	2
A common figure thrown about is that before the Second Agricultural/Industrial Revolution, roughly 90% of people in settled regions were agricultural workers/food producers. How accurate is this figure, and during what times and in what settled regions was this figure NOT at all accurate, and why?	1
What aspects of Turkish culture caused it to birth so many great conquerors?	1
A commonly cited and subtly racist idea is that the American west was "empty" of people before white settlers arrived. While this is obviously untrue, how badly were the Native peoples of the American west weakened and depopulated by disease and other factors ahead of the arrive of white settlers?	0

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