The History Thread

[sheepyvillian]

On 30/01/2024 at 08:02, Mandy Lifeboats said:

This is a very interesting topic.  

The UK and Portugal have one of the oldest military alliances.  But the UK agreed to refrain from activating that treaty in 1939.  That allowed Portugal to stay neutral.  It was also a way to pressure Spain into staying neutral.  Had Spain joined the Axis the Portuguese would probably have joined the British.  

This would have tied up the Spanish forces who were still recovering after their civil war.  

It's unlikely that the Spanish forces could have defeated Portugal, defended Morocco from a US landing and helped the German defense of France. 

It would also have led to the Canary Islands being quickly conquered by our vastly superior navy.   As opposed to being invaded by British tourists a few decades later. 

I think Franco is fairly unique in history.  He's probably the only fascist dictator that left his country in a very good position.  

 

Nothing unique about Franco, just another mass murderer like any other despot.

It's like the comment you sometimes hear from ignorant people, "Hitler did some good things".

[Mandy Lifeboats]

5 hours ago, sheepyvillian said:

Nothing unique about Franco, just another mass murderer like any other despot.

I agree. 

But my point was that he left Spain in a reasonable state which is unusual. Most modern dictators have left their country under attack and/or financially ruined. 

 

[sheepyvillian]

Just now, Mandy Lifeboats said:

I agree. 

But my point was that he left Spain in a reasonable state which is unusual. Most modern dictators have left their country under attack and/or financially ruined. 

 

He was unique in that he unfortunately made it into old age, unlike his bosom buddies, Mussolini and Hitler, but I understand your point. 

[Xann]

Angry Birds pig.

No surprise, it was made in China. Maybe more surprising? It's 3000 years old.

 

[bickster]

7 minutes ago, Xann said:

Angry Birds pig.

No surprise, it was made in China. Maybe more surprising? It's 3000 years old.

 

Twang Dynasty?

[Xann]

11 minutes ago, bickster said:

Twang Dynasty?

There are comedy sounding Chinese dynasties, so had to look it up just in case.

It's the name of the 90s comeback album by Man.

Maybe one to come back to?

3000 years?

[Xann]

John Bulwer's 'Chirologia', or 'The Naturall Language of the Hand' - 1644

Some memes don't change.

[MakemineVanilla]

After reading Harald Jähner's Aftermath recently, I find I have a totally different view of Germany's "economic miracle" and the extent of their sense of guilt about the war.

I had failed to fully grasp the significance of the introduction of the Deutsche Mark, which eradicated 90% of both Government and private debt.

The way the new currency was allocated substantially reduced economic inequality, which made for a very stable society.

This contrasted starkly with British war debts, mostly owed to the Americans.

The fact that the population of Germany was bigger by the end of the war than at the beginning seemed like a further advantage.

As was to be expected, the fact that so few of those who perpetrated Nazi war crimes were punished, is inevitably depressing.

 

 

 

[chrisp65]

On this day in 1948, The Republic of Ireland Act was passed, declaring the description of the State was The Republic of Ireland.

Subsequently, the Ireland Act 1949 passed through Westminster, acknowledging acknowledged that Ireland had “ceased to be part…of His Majesty's dominions” and therefore a member of the Commonwealth.”

Its easy to forget how recent and young this whole relationship is.

But anyway, yeah, happy 75th anniversary.

 

 

[veloman]

On 11/04/2024 at 17:25, MakemineVanilla said:

After reading Harald Jähner's Aftermath recently, I find I have a totally different view of Germany's "economic miracle" and the extent of their sense of guilt about the war.

I had failed to fully grasp the significance of the introduction of the Deutsche Mark, which eradicated 90% of both Government and private debt.

The way the new currency was allocated substantially reduced economic inequality, which made for a very stable society.

This contrasted starkly with British war debts, mostly owed to the Americans.

The fact that the population of Germany was bigger by the end of the war than at the beginning seemed like a further advantage.

As was to be expected, the fact that so few of those who perpetrated Nazi war crimes were punished, is inevitably depressing.

 

 

 

I'm hardly an expert on Macro Economics but it was a part of the qualification I was attempting !! But .. didn't the IBRD have quite a significant impact on the Economic recovery of both Germany and Japan ?

[Mandy Lifeboats]

I was lucky enough to retire recently at 53.  I decided that was too young to stop work completely.  I wanted to do some good whilst also doing something I enjoyed. I decided to volunteer for National Trust.  They accepted my application but also converted me into a paid role where they were desperately short. 

I now work 2 or 3 days a week in Croome Court (just off the M5 between Worcester and Gloucester.

Croome was the ancestral home of the Earl of Coventry and had all the decadence and splendour you would expect.  It was also the site of RAF Defford in WW2. This was where we developed airborne Radar.  Only tiny amounts of the base remain but the small RAF museum occupies the base's hospital. 

After WW2 the Earl of Coventry was in severe financial difficulties and sold the entire estate including the house and all its contents.  Around 80% of the contents of the house went to private collectors and museums around the world. 

The house became a Catholic boys school, then a Hari Krishna temple,  then passed to several property developers before finally being taken by the National Trust.  By this time it was in very poor repair and virtually empty. 

It's still very much "work in progress".  It's impossible to restore it back to its former splendour.  For instance, one of the rooms is on display at the New York Metropolitan Museum.  We have just borrowed the library bookcases from the V&A and hope to raise the £5 million to keep them.  The nuns simply destroyed numerous "immoral" pieces of artwork containing nudity.  One of the property developers installed a huge bath in the main bedroom which ruined the floor and the ceiling below.  He also installed built in wardrobes from IKEA into 1800s plasterwork and oak floors.  Removing them would take seconds.  Repairing the damage they have caused will cost thousands. 

It's a lovely feeling to be playing a small part in restoring history.

[villa4europe]

For those enjoying shogun this is what I'd expect is the last episode, the battle of sekigahara

It's almost a shame that the show is based on the book rather than actual history as they could have kept going or expanded it

Also no masamune date who seems a good character in everything I've seen him in before 

[mjmooney]

13 hours ago, Mandy Lifeboats said:

The nuns simply destroyed numerous "immoral" pieces of artwork containing nudity. 

On that subject (and this could equally have gone in the Books or Religion threads), this is well worth a read: