AskHistorians

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Vladimir Putin has just claimed that modern Ukraine was entirely created by communist Russia (specifically Lenin) and that Ukraine never had the tradition of having its own state. Is any of this accurate or true?	5735
In 1997, the Prime Minister of Papau New Guinea (PNG) hired UK mercenaries to retake a rebellious PNG island. The military instead arrested the mercenaries, and a political crisis erupted. Could someone explain what happened? And how did the West (especially the UK) react to this?	3469
Alfred the Great codified English law in "The Doom Book"in the early 890s, which stated that the same law applied to all persons - rich and poor. Was this common during the early middle ages? Or was the Doom Book represent a new development in establishing the rule of law?	1310
In the 15th century, the Aztecs engaged in several "flower wars" which involved opposing armies meeting at a preset time and place and using only hand-to-hand weapons. Were these "flower wars" real wars between enemies or more like military displays?	858
Spain was a dictatorship until 1978, whilst all the other counties in Western Europe were democracies. How did the West treat Spain in the period 1945-78? Was there constant pressure on Spain to democratise?	609
In October 1998, Vladimir Putin was appointed to the Russian Security Council, the last major step in his political ascendency before being appointed Prime Minister the following year. How did Putin go from obscurity to this powerful role in a few short years?	480
Between 1945 and 1949, the Netherlands and Indonesia went to war over Indonesian independence. US and British forces were involved, and there were approx 200,000 casualties, before Indonesia finally prevailed. Why is this conflict so obscure? What were the consequences in East Asia?	405
In 1864, Paraguay fought the War of the Triple Alliance against Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. Paraguay lost in devastating fashion, crippling the country. What caused this war and why did Paraguay fight against an alliance of clearly stronger foes?	403
In the early 90s, Ukraine had the third-largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world, but in 1994 it agreed to give them up completely under the Budapest Memorandum. Why?	310
In 1970, there was a planned fascist coup in Italy (the “Golpe Borghese”). How serious was the plan? Did the coup ever stand a chance of succeeding?	222

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