askhistorians

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Did phalanx-based armies "devolve" after Alexander the Great's death before the Romans showed their system of warfare to be superior?	4
Career advice seemed to diverge from its historical practical orientation in the 1980s — 1990s, when new emphasis was placed on "follow your bliss/passion." Do we know what drove this change? Was there any connection to the ancient Catholic idea of a "calling?"	4
Byzantium employed "thematic," fleets in the middle ages. Were these fishermen who were occasionally warriors/sailors/marines, just as the thematic armies were part-time farmers, part-time warriors?	4
Were the US's NATO allies as angry about our withdrawal from Vietnam as they appear to be over our recent withdrawal from Afghanistan? How did their Vietnam reaction play out over time?	4
Was FDR wearing a cloak at the Yalta conference? Were cloaks still worn during WWII?	4
"Speak softly but carry a big stick," was Theodore Roosevelt's foreign policy plan. As president, did he do more soft speaking or stick whacking? How big was the stick? Did he build up the stick or inherit it from prior administrations?	4
Thomas Paine — famous for lambasting Great Britain and calling for colonial independence — had his pamphlets published in the London Gazette. What did the British think of his work and arguments? Was it usual to not censor the propaganda of belligerents during this era?	4
Meditation has been described as something practiced almost entirely by Buddhist and Hindu Monks before the modern era. Is this true? Did lay Buddhists, by and large, not practice meditation?	4
What shifted the military balance of power between the Muslim conquest of Spain in 711 A.D. and the First Crusade in 1096 A.D.?	4
Bach is regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time. Why didn't his contemporaries appreciate him? Do we know if the lack of widespread recognition/acclaim affected him? Did he regard himself as doing great work?	4

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