AskHistorians

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How did Switzerland come into being? What lead to the unique formation of a decentralized confederation composed of independent cantons? Where does the strong republicanism stem from? Have there ever been non-republican cantons ruled by a monarch?	20
Why didn't the crossbow replace the bow as the primary ranged weapon in medieval europe? Why did they co-exist? Did the crossbow fill a different niche than the bow?	20
Why was Silesia so important that three very bloody wars were fought over it, with Prussia almost destroying itself in defending it? The importance of Silesia is further demonstrated by Austria demanding the region of Silesia as compensation for giving up the region of Lombardo-Venetia.	20
Accourding to Wikipedia, at least one captured British Mark IV tank was used by the Weimar Republic to supress the Spartacus Uprising in 1919. How come the Weimar Republic was allowed to retain ownership of at least one of these vehicles?	19
WW1/WW2 cruisers were very much the successors to Age of Sail frigates in terms of role and design parameters. Both were fast, reasonably-armed warships capable of independent operations over long distances. So why then were they classified as cruisers, and not frigates?	19
Why did humans for nearly the entire human history bar some exceptions and the last 200 years centered around monarchies or similar governments as the standard form of government?	19
Why didn't the Germans demand the Russian Baltic Fleet at the Brist-Litovsk Treaty and then use these reinforcements to try and topple British naval superiority in the North Sea?	19
How effective was the defensive armament of bombers and other aircraft during WW2?	18
Why did Italy betray the Central Powers in WW1 and was that betrayal crucial in destroying the prospect of a Central Powers victory?	18
Why did Napoleon, a general of the French Revolutionary Army, re-introduce the monarchy? And more importantly, why did the population just accept this betrayal of the French revolution?	18

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