What are some good historical fiction novels?
They may or may not be based on true events, but need to feel authentic and real to the reader.
>>347922
Can't top Schweik. Don't even try, you'll fail miserably.
>>347938
I remember seeing this some years ago, and it was mostly pictures. Maybe I missremember?
Is there actually good prose, or is it more like a comic book?
>>347922
Patrick O'Brian Aubrey-Maturin series is GOAT
Was the Catholic Church really anti-intellectual?
>>347610
In a way I suppose they were, the enlightenment was parasitic to Christianity because it questioned their dogma. But honestly you could write a book on your topic OP
Given churchmen were the only carriers of culture during centuries, really not.
>>347610
Yeah they hated intellectuals.
That's why they translated all those Greek works of philosophy and science into different languages. Also funded and supported the whole Renaissance movement.
Fucking anti-intellectuals am I right?
>Rwandan genocide
>1 million dead in 8 days using nothing but machetes and guns from the hands of some goat-fucking African Hutu militia in the middle of buttfucking nowhere
>Holocaust
>only 6 million dead after 5 years with mass concentration camps, human experimentation, mass starvation, chemical/biological weapons used and the full might of the modernized German military
Holy shit Germans are actually borderline retarded when it comes...
Comment too long. Click here to view the full text.
>>347562
See, they tried to be all sneaky about it. The Hutu just didn't give a shit who knew.
Rwanda was and still is a small, densely populated country, Germany is not.
The Rwandan genocide was undertaken during a period when the only thing the government was doing was killing Tutsi, helped out by the earlier introduction of ID cards that classified your tribe on them, the German government was doing quite a lot more than just killing undesirables.
I'm sure if Germany was a very small country with a very dense population and had decided to carry out the holocaust during a period when they had no other responsibilities it would've been a lot quicker...
Comment too long. Click here to view the full text.
>Holy shit Germans are actually borderline retarded
That's honestly all you needed to say.
But it is a nice reminded for the /pol/lacks who insist it would be IMPOSSIBLE to kill that many people.
Can we just have a basic Vietnam War thread? I am interested and enjoy learning about it. Will contribute with facts.
>>347482
>When discussing history, please reference credible source material, and provide as much supporting information as possible in your posts.
Great post-OP. Fuck off with your "generals" shit.
Never posted on this board. Idk what your generals comment means
>>347482
The Combined Action Program was implemented by the USMC in 1965. The idea was that a relatively small unit of marines along with a unit of South Vietnamese soldiers and they would be stationed at a specific village and given the responsibility of holding that area. CAP marines would live amongst the Vietnamese and fight against communist guerillas in a way similar to how gangs in the US might fight over territory in a city. The program was considered a resounding success: CAP units were cheap to set up, had high...
Comment too long. Click here to view the full text.
What would happen if Israel was never created and all Jewish refugees after WW2 were just integrated back into western society and compensated for their loses in other ways. Would the middle east still be the shit show it is today?
Bonus points cuz I'm bored. What if the UN/whoever drew the borders for the middle east respected their unique views on what constitutes a natures borders and not all countries have to be a fucking nation state and left them alone.
>>347272
Of course it would be. Arab violence isn't caused by Israel, it is caused by Arabs being backwards.
>>347272
>Would the middle east still be the shit show it is today?
Yes but for different reasons. Even if you take the jews out of the equation you still have shia and sunnis wanting to kill each other.
How would the world be different if Napoleon won?
frencher
>>347043
Well the franco-prussian war and WWI may not have happened.
The British Empire would not have had as much sway in matters in the late 19th century.
Secularism may have happened sooner.
No one knows, it's stupid to speculate.
I've always been really interested in axes and decided that I should learn about them now. What sort of insight and good articles do you guys have on them, particularly on how and why they were used, techniques and strategies of any kind used with them, and why I have heard some people regard them as shitty weapons? Thanks in advance for whatever you can tell me.
>>346953
Hey if anyone tells u an axe is a shitty wepon they're probably too pussy to use one
>>346953
First know that an axe used for war is not the same thing as an axe used for utility purposes. The blade has a much thinner profile and will break if used to chop wood.
The reason the axe was the signature weapon of vikings/raiders was due to the nature of their fighting style. The hit and run tactics used by barbarians do not favor a weapon such as the spear because it isn't as handy and formations weren't utilized in these raids. Swords weren't utilized because they were generally too costly...
Comment too long. Click here to view the full text.
Should the Bombing of Dresden be considered a War Crime?
>>346909
Why don't you tell me what you think, Hans?
>>346909
Dresden was designated a Fortress by Hitler, thus it was not a war crime.
>Should
Fuck off to /pol/
"War crimes" are a social construct.
>you will never read all 20 volumes of Gaius Plinius Secundus' "The History of the German Wars"
give me your lost historical artifact feels, /his/
>>346665
I read somewhere that Diogenes of Sinope was in the process of writing a satire of The Republic when he died.
>tfw you will never read 200 pages of Plato getting BTFO by a man who lived in a jar.
>ywn fight in Le Grande Armee
Presocratic writings, specially Heraclitus' and Eleatics.
Is Niall fergusson a good historian?
He causes a lot of butthurt, which is reason enough for me to like him.
He is the rightwing Jared Diamond. He should keep out of politics, the fucking homo
>>348465
>the rightwing Jared Diamond
In his personal views or the way it translates to his work? Diamond seems to rile all sides with his focus on geographic and environmental determinism.
Why is it that Europe from the Middle Ages to Early Modern didn't attack/invade the east? So many nations/Dynasties/Tribes from the east had always invaded stepped all over Europe. I understand that Europe was more busy fighting itself but why haven't anyone tried. The only time it happened and with success were Alexander's conquests.
The "East" is a pretty big place?
To which civilisation or country are you referring to specifically?
>>346405
>What are the Crusades?
>>346439
Defensive wars against Islam expansion into christian territories.
Anyone here teach history?
I'm going to take my teacher training soon, a bit scared, no idea what to expect.
Does it grind all the love of the subject out of you? Any good stories?
>>346388
if you aren't a professor, teaching means throwing away the idea that the scum you're going to be teaching has any interest in the matter whatsoever.
elementary schoolers, middle schoolers, and high schoolers (at least in america) don't give a rats ass about anything in history, the males might enjoy periods of war but they'll quickly lose interest the moment you deviate away from battles and blood.
you will be disrespected, your job security is spotty at best, you will need summer...
Comment too long. Click here to view the full text.
>>346447
I'm British btw, so the security, summer, and wages aren't SO bad.
Canadian here - English major and History minor. I want to teach English, History, and Theatre in remote & northern Canada
I'm starting my Education degree next year. I'm very excited. I've wanted to teach my whole life.
I spoke to some teachers before applying and they said they are still energetic about their disciplines. Especially since their school divides classes based on subject material instead of by age (i.e. - you take Medieval History or Canadian History instead of Grade 11 or Grade 12, etc.). Keeping the classes fresh and avoiding...
Comment too long. Click here to view the full text.
What person, thing or event made you realise you get a hard-on over history?
For me it was the Horrible Histories series of books here in the UK. Remember my first one being pic related and then I just read every single one of them. Once I finished I moved on to hard books and it all spiraled from there.
My unqualified and hyper-Conservative high school history teacher.
I had to read Capital in high school just to make sure she got facts right, and that probably was for the best since I can't remember giving a shit about history prior to that.
>>346267
Exact same OP, and watching history docs with my dad. Rory McGrath's Bloody Britain and Terry Jone's Medieval lives were the shit.
My favourite HH was the Twentieth Century one, which is still one of my favourite eras of history. Looking back its weird how well it covered things, I remember it covering Thatcheite urban decay with particular flair.
>>346294
>My favourite HH was the Twentieth Century one, which is still one of my favourite eras of history. Looking back its weird how well it covered things, I remember it covering Thatcheite urban decay with particular flair.
>mfw it said the human race would go extinct in 2000
Our present year is 2015
Is Singapore a model for how to create a first-world, MEDC country in a rapid space of time that could be applied to more countries trying to get their shit together?
Why does Malaysia trudge along as a developing country rife with corruption so badly while Singapore doesn't?
Because malaysia discriminates against ethnic chinese people whereas singapore is ruled by them and free from the historical baggage of mainland china.
>>345891
Singapore was the model for Deng Xiaoping's China, so yeah, it's a pretty good model.
1. It's a fucking city, not a country.
2. It's ruled by butt-ugly Fujianese and Cantonese Chinese who are the biggest Jews of Asia.
3. Having points 1 and 2 together is a recipe for success that cannot be duplicated anywhere else unless you have 1 and 2.
Why did Hadrian have to fuck up the good thing that Trajan had going? He should have fucking destroyed the sandpeople.jpg while he had a chance, instead of allowing them to become strong enough to become a threat again
>>345728
I think Rome couldn't sustain economically other wars
>>345728
It quite literally took half of Hadrian's army years just to put down Bar Kokhba and his relatively tiny army of Hebrews.
How's he going to take on everything else?
>>345728
The expansion that Trajan made was unsustainable and Hadrian knew it. That's why he focused on defending the stuff they knew they could keep.