Questions tagged [history]
Questions on the history of politics, political action and political debate, as well as historical political figures, heads of state etc. Also including any historical political actions and situations which may be of relevance to modern-day scenarios. Consider before posting whether your question is better suited to History.SE.
299
questions
1
vote
0
answers
99
views
How common is it for a country's main political parties to completely swap platforms (as occurred in the 20th-century United States)?
Background
Since the late 1850s, the United States has had two major political parties, the Democratic and Republican parties. For most of the first half of this time - from the mid-19th century to ...
- 764
7
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What is the reason behind the positive Israel-Azerbaijan relations?
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations on on April 7, 1992, Azerbaijan and Israel have maintained positive relations despite their religious differences. Israel has been a major arms and ...
- 155
4
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Clear and concrete definition of "Third World" [duplicate]
Commonly, when I discuss with a pro-western American, or perhaps sometimes Europeans about an African Country I always hear this, "But it's third world" on investopedia.com "Third World&...
- 203
0
votes
0
answers
81
views
What are the causes for partisan politics to have grown more severe then in the past, and how much is down to echo chambers? [duplicate]
From my, admittedly limited, knowledge of US history it seems that congress tended to be a bit less patrician in the past. Congressman were more likely to support bipartisan initiatives, more likely ...
- 8,750
25
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Did Soviet Union ever apologize for its alliance with Germany before 1941?
Inspired by the similar question about Poland.
We all know what Soviet Union and Nazi Germany became deadly enemies, but this is after A. Hitler broke all agreements and invaded.
Looks like before ...
- 10.9k
1
vote
0
answers
146
views
What do modern British people think about the decolonization of India in 1947? [closed]
Do British people think that PM Clement Attlee's decision to give independence to India was correct?
If so, why? If not, why not?
- 13.4k
10
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Why did members who wanted to raise a point of order during a division have to wear a top hat while talking in the House of Commons in the UK?
I read on https://notesfromtheuk.com/2019/07/05/hats-and-the-house-of-commons/:
Anyone who wanted to raise a point of order during a division (which in the normal world would be called a vote) had to ...
- 3,466
4
votes
4
answers
2k
views
What is the current internationally accepted way of resisting an external power that invades a country?
As is common in modern history, the last few decades have seen superpowers and great powers invading sovereign countries in the Middle East, Africa, South America and Central Asia under various ...
- 13.4k
12
votes
2
answers
755
views
Did Boris Yeltsin regret his decision of choosing Putin as his successor?
In a PBS documentary, Putin's revenge, the following is said at around 10m15s by Strobe Talbott.
Before Boris Yeltsin died, he told intimates that it was a great mistake to have selected Putin as a ...
- 603
8
votes
1
answer
637
views
Why did the 72nd Congress' U.S. House session not meet until December 1931?
After the 1930 U.S. House of Representatives elections, newly elected members officially took office the following March but there was no active session of Congress until December 1931. Considering ...
- 183
6
votes
2
answers
126
views
Is there any state-by-state data on approval for LBJ or the Vietnam War?
I cannot find any data on approval ratings for LBJ on a state by state level.
- 99
5
votes
3
answers
614
views
Why are there only the Democratic party and the Republican party currently in the US?
I was looking at the history of the political parties, and I found out that John Adams was a member of the Federalist party, while his son John Quincy Adams was a member of Thomas Jefferson's ...
4
votes
1
answer
284
views
Are there any examples of modern, stable "command economies"?
Politico's October 24, 2022 China’s strongman is here to stay. And weaker than he looks. includes the following quote:
“Xi Jinping has made it clear that his preference is a command economy ... very ...
- 14.8k
-3
votes
3
answers
246
views
Is there any example where a country completely dropped its historical or traditional ally?
Is there any example where a country completely changed its historical or traditional ally peacefully?
As an analogy, we know Turkey and Pakistan are traditional allies. Let's say India awards Turkey ...
- 13.4k
3
votes
1
answer
359
views
Has a Prime Minister ever been appointed while in Scotland before?
Liz Truss recently met the Queen in her Scottish residence Balmoral to be invited to form a government as Prime Minister. Usually this meeting would be performed in Buckingham Palace in London, but on ...
- 1,563
-10
votes
1
answer
154
views
What's the relation of FDR and Wilson to War on Terror/terrorism in House of Cards? [closed]
In House of Cards, Frank Underwood brings up FDR and Wilson when saying that he wants to declare war on ICO (fictional terrorist group possibly related to ISIS). What's the relation please? I mean, ...
- 593
0
votes
2
answers
135
views
Correlation between political power and completion of a politician's "grand headquarters"?
Introduction:
In "Parkinson's Law, and Other Studies in Administration", in the "Plans and Plants, or The Administration Block" chapter, Cyril Northcote Parkinson elaborates that ...
- 231
1
vote
3
answers
243
views
Has any government ever implemented a break-even tax policy?
I was reading Strong Towns by Charles L. Marohn Jr. In it, he describes how cities must have revenues that exceed expenses in order to survive. However, in his experience, most people react to the ...
- 107
0
votes
0
answers
91
views
Has the US Department of Justice ever been so quick to disagree with SCOTUS?
Within a very short time after the US SCOTUS struck down the New York gun laws, the US Department of justice has come out against the decision.
Has the Department of Justice ever been this quick to ...
- 883
-3
votes
3
answers
382
views
What does Jared Diamond's theory say? [closed]
I am asking about Jared Diamond's (smallpox) theory. What does the theory really say? Does it mention whether specific genes were involved or if it is a theory of racial superiority?
- 1
9
votes
1
answer
189
views
Who in US Congress with close ties to militias & white power groups suggested the US government had "real culpability" in Oklahoma City Bombing/1995?
In the Hari Sreenivasan interview of "Nicole Hemmer... an author and historian specializing in the history of conservative media in the U.S" in the June 10, 2022 How Laundering a Conspiracy ...
- 14.8k
21
votes
10
answers
15k
views
What was the reason for extending NATO in the 1990s?
I know there are questions that might sound similar, but this is a completely different one. Firstly, I am using the word extending and not expanding. Secondly, the question is limited to a time ...
- 5,438
16
votes
2
answers
4k
views
When was the last time a Vice President chose to let a tied Senate vote fail, without using their negative casting vote?
I was reading a recent question on why a Vice President might choose to use a negative casting vote on a tied vote in the Senate rather than just letting the motion fail by withholding their vote, ...
- 1,563
22
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Has any US state passed a law in a language other than English?
There is an interesting question on the Law stack exchange: "If Congress [of the United States of America] passed a bill written in Spanish, would it be valid?" (the answer appears to be '...
- 1,489
18
votes
2
answers
7k
views
Whose photos are carried by Vladimir Putin and those by his side in the May 9, 2022 Moscow Victory Day Parade and what are their significance?
After 04:13, CNN's May 10, 2022 video What exactly is Putin's 'doomsday plane'? shows footage of the Russian president and those by his side carrying small placards with black and white photographic ...
- 14.8k
3
votes
1
answer
93
views
Prior to 2021, when was the last New Jersey gubernatorial election where a Democrat did better in Somerset County than the state as a whole?
In the 2021 New Jersey governor election, Phil Murphy, a Democrat and the incumbent, won 51.5% of the vote statewide. However he won 51.7% of the vote in Somerset County a suburban county which has ...
- 11.8k
0
votes
2
answers
250
views
When and in which context did Henry Kissinger say "the policy is better than the arguments"? Are there notable examples?
In the February 5, 2022 American Purpose video "The Right, Russia, and Ukraine" with David Frum after about 03:00, Frum discusses the US Republican Party's general support for the US' ...
- 14.8k
-8
votes
2
answers
317
views
Is there any far right president that improved a country? [closed]
I'm currently watching the french debates for the presidential election, and looking at Marine Le Pen (far right), I was wondering if there was any elected president considered far-right that improved ...
- 101
4
votes
1
answer
732
views
Are "Don't talk about X in classrooms" state laws a relatively recent phenomenon in the US?
Two examples of recent Don't talk about X in classrooms" state laws/legislation:
Florida: Wikipedia's LGBT rights in Florida; HB 1557/Parental Rights in Education/"Don't Say Gay" bill (...
- 14.8k
9
votes
4
answers
349
views
Has an income ceiling policy been tried in a free market economy?
Some countries have implemented some very high tax rates, but did any country, in recent history, implement a ceiling on all earnings (wages and capital gains) in an, otherwise, self-regulated market? ...
- 107
3
votes
1
answer
231
views
What compromises were forged or brokered by Benjamin Franklin in the US constitution that would be considered "tragic" by historian Ken Burns?
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert's April 2, 2022 Ken Burns Was Watching "Homeland" When He Realized Mandy Patinkin Should Be His Ben Franklin begins with noted historian and documentarian ...
- 14.8k
40
votes
7
answers
9k
views
Why is Biden's "(Putin) ...cannot remain in power" widely considered a gaffe to be walked back while previous US presidents have said similar?
Together, answers to How often a post WWII US president said publicly that the leader of another country must go? (e.g. "For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power") have listed perhaps ...
- 14.8k
38
votes
4
answers
9k
views
How often a post WWII US president said publicly that the leader of another country must go? (e.g. "For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power")
US President Biden concluded his March 27, 2022 speech in Poland with the words
For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power.
(e.g. CBS News's video Biden says Putin "cannot remain in power&...
- 14.8k
2
votes
1
answer
104
views
What is the significance of the central pentagonal element of this war memorial?
These photos are of a war memorial in NY State, USA. The central feature is a large 5-pointed star which has a 'cenotaph' element that is also 5-sided:
Larger photo of the whole thing:
In situ:
It ...
- 2,391
2
votes
1
answer
158
views
Was American Revolution a right-wing or left-wing movement? [closed]
I have thought about this issue many times for a few years, but I could never find a satisfying answer.
I tend to believe the American Revolution was a left-wing movement because it focused on the ...
- 31
8
votes
4
answers
6k
views
Is it first time in history that ongoing war was halted for few hours to evacuate people?
I am referring to Indian Prime Minister Modi second phone call to Putin during Russo-Ukraine conflicts, to get help to evacuate stranded Indian Students in Ukraine. So Putin halted his war for 6 hours....
- 187
-6
votes
2
answers
193
views
Has any head of state ever proven to be a foreign spy? [closed]
WWI and Russia
In his tour de force conspiracy theory book series Victor Suvorov(a pen name) makes a number of claims about alternative interpretation of the origins of the Soviet Union, Germany and ...
- 6,428
26
votes
5
answers
5k
views
To what does US Army Lt. General H. R. McMaster refer saying that Germany's Social Democratic Party has a 'deep and unnatural affinity' for Russia?
CNN's March 3, 2022 video H.R. McMaster on how NATO is holding up against Vladimir Putin's stress test includes the following statements by United States Army lieutenant general, Senior Fellow at the ...
- 14.8k
15
votes
5
answers
3k
views
Has any nuclear-protected country been under any significant attack by another country's military forces?
Countries can have nuclear weapons of their own (e.g. Russia, US) or be protected by them through alliances (e.g. Baltic states via NATO, Belarus via Collective Security Treaty Organization, Warsaw ...
- 513
6
votes
3
answers
740
views
What are the previous uses of false justifications for invasions used by Russia as used in it's so-called "playbook" from the perspective of the US?
US President Biden spoke of false justification and a Russian "playbook" in his recent statement (cf. CBS News video Biden gives updates on Russia-Ukraine crisis following call with allies | ...
- 14.8k
4
votes
1
answer
175
views
Did the 2022 Southend West by-election set a record for the highest number of spoilt ballots in a Parliamentary election?
The 2022 Southend West by-election was held on February 3rd, to elect a replacement for the previous incumbent Sir David Amess, who was murdered while attending a constituency surgery in October 2021. ...
CDJB♦
- 96.1k
3
votes
0
answers
197
views
Canadian conservatives on climate change: other examples of a mainstream political party deliberately moving itself out of the Overton Window?
(The Overton window can be thought of as "what's politically sellable to the public")
Canadian Conservative leader O'Toole has been jettisoned by his peers, 73 out 119.
Canada's ...
1
vote
1
answer
115
views
Is Thomas Paine, the political philosopher considered a founding father or not? [closed]
I have read he is widely considered one, whereas he isn't included with the greats.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Founding-Fathers
- 1,483
16
votes
2
answers
5k
views
When was the last time, if ever, a Supreme Court justice was appointed without prior experience as a judge?
With speculation of Kamala Harris getting pushed into the Supreme Court, I'm wondering when if ever something like this has happened before. Has anyone ever been appointed to the Supreme Court without ...
- 2,710
39
votes
3
answers
6k
views
Prior to COVID-19, had any country fiscally targeted unvaccinated individuals?
Upon reading that Quebec may impose a health tax on unvaccinated Canadians, I wondered the following: Prior to COVID-19, had any country fiscally targeted unvaccinated individuals?
- 3,466
3
votes
0
answers
108
views
Did the French right wing ever call to vote for left wing candidates prior to 2012?
I am searching for any occasions, prior to 2012 and especially between 1995 and 2007, at which the right wing, especially the French President Jacques Chirac himself, called to vote for left wing when ...
- 391
16
votes
2
answers
2k
views
What was the longest time it took to assemble a coalitional government?
In democratic countries with party-list voting systems, parties usually do not have an absolute majority, and have to form coalitions with other parties. It may happen that no party manages to ...
- 2,579
4
votes
0
answers
98
views
Who wrote that the role of a government is to protect from foreign threats, promote trade, and provide for those that cannot provide for themselves?
Who wrote that the role of a government is to protect from foreign threats, promote trade, and provide for those that cannot provide for themselves (physically or cognitively impaired)?
The ...
- 149
9
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Shortest term as prime minister?
In November, Sweden's prime minister, Magdalena Andersson resigned just hours after being elected. Was her reign the shortest of any nationally-elected executive? Have any leaders, in any other ...
- 7,508
1
vote
1
answer
114
views
Did MPs have to win a by-election before 1926 in order to join the government?
A commentary in The Telegraph claimed that before 1926, MPs had to win a by-election to join the government. This got me rather perplexed.
Mr Johnson has sensibly stopped short of joining Labour in ...
- 46.3k