/u/mjk1093's posts in /r/askhistorians

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What is the difference between an abbey, a priory and a monastery?

272 upvotes

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What is the evidence, if any, for the theory that Islam began in the city of Petra, not Mecca?

52 upvotes

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Was Stalin mentally ill? It seems like he killed a number of his best men and most loyal supporters for no reason. Or was there a "rational" political motive behind this?

39 upvotes

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Why was the US willing to invade North Korea in the Korean War, but wasn't willing to invade North Vietnam in the Vietnam War?

37 upvotes

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Where did the aristocratic families of the Italian Middle Ages and Renaissance come from? They seem to appear out of nowhere and most texts don't discuss their origin.

34 upvotes

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I've noticed a theme in many popular history books - that dictators "encourage infighting" among their followers in order to forestall any challenge to their ultimate power. How accurate is this? It would seem to me that a dictator would not want his cronies constantly squabbling with each other.

16 upvotes

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Listening to the BBC I heard a professor make the offhand remark that people did not know how to swim in the Bronze Age. Is there any truth to this statement?

7 upvotes

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Who looted the Egyptian royal tombs?

6 upvotes

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Is there any truth to the story that Hitler would let former Communists join the Nazi Party, but would reject Social Democrats, etc. because he thought he could "turn" Communists to the opposite extreme, but didn't think he could influence moderates in the same way?

5 upvotes

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Why was the old Imperial bureaucracy in Japan divided into Left, Right and Middle sections? Did they actually have different functions, or were they just ceremonial titles?

5 upvotes

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Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
What is the difference between an abbey, a priory and a monastery?	272
What is the evidence, if any, for the theory that Islam began in the city of Petra, not Mecca?	52
Was Stalin mentally ill? It seems like he killed a number of his best men and most loyal supporters for no reason. Or was there a "rational" political motive behind this?	39
Why was the US willing to invade North Korea in the Korean War, but wasn't willing to invade North Vietnam in the Vietnam War?	37
Where did the aristocratic families of the Italian Middle Ages and Renaissance come from? They seem to appear out of nowhere and most texts don't discuss their origin.	34
I've noticed a theme in many popular history books - that dictators "encourage infighting" among their followers in order to forestall any challenge to their ultimate power. How accurate is this? It would seem to me that a dictator would not want his cronies constantly squabbling with each other.	16
Listening to the BBC I heard a professor make the offhand remark that people did not know how to swim in the Bronze Age. Is there any truth to this statement?	7
Who looted the Egyptian royal tombs?	6
Is there any truth to the story that Hitler would let former Communists join the Nazi Party, but would reject Social Democrats, etc. because he thought he could "turn" Communists to the opposite extreme, but didn't think he could influence moderates in the same way?	5
Why was the old Imperial bureaucracy in Japan divided into Left, Right and Middle sections? Did they actually have different functions, or were they just ceremonial titles?	5