Why does Belarus Exist? – History Matters

UK foreign office says Kremlin is planning to install a pro-Russian leader in Ukraine – CNN

The British government is reporting it has information that the Russian government is planning to “install a pro-Russian leader” in Ukraine. CNN’s Pamela Brown speaks with Washington Post columnist Josh Rogin and Ret. Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling.

Did the USSR have a ‘Blue Scare’? – History Matters

We all know about America’s red scare in the 1950s when everyone and their mom freaked out about Communists secretly plotting to overthrow the government and eat their babies. But did the USSR have anything similar with respect to capitalists. Did the USSR have a blue scare? To find out the answer (it’s no) watch

Ten Minute History: The Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany – History Matters

This episode of Ten Minute History (like a documentary, only shorter) covers Germany from the end of the First World War to the end of the World War 2. The first half deals with the establishment of the Weimar Republic, its wider problems and the rise of the Nazis. The second half covers how the

How World War I Started: Crash Course World History 209

In which John Green teaches you about World War I and how it got started. Crash Course doesn’t usually talk much about dates, but the way that things unfolded in July and August of 1914 are kind of important to understanding the Great War. You’ll learn about Franz Ferdinand, Gavrilo Pincep, the Black Hand, and

Cyprus’ top diplomat: Turkey is creating new Ottoman empire

The foreign minister of the divided island of Cyprus is accusing Turkey’s president of attempting to promote a new Ottoman empire in the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East — and says such an approach to geopolitics could adversely impact regional security. Nikos Christodoulides, whose Mediterranean island nation is divided into a breakaway Turkish Cypriot

American Imperialism: Crash Course US History #28

In which John Green teaches you about Imperialism. In the late 19th century, the great powers of Europe were running around the world obtaining colonial possessions, especially in Africa and Asia. The United States, which as a young country was especially suceptible to peer pressure, followed along and snapped up some colonies of its own.

If One Finger Brought Oil – Things Fall Apart Part 1: Crash Course Literature 208

In which John Green teaches you about Chinua Achebe’s 1958 novel, Things Fall Apart. You’ll learn about Igboland, a region in modern day Nigeria, prior to the arrival of the British Empire. Achebe tells the story of Okonkwo, an Igbo villager who has worked his way up from life as a sharecropped and become a

Decolonization: Crash Course European History #43

After World War II, Europe was changing radically, and its place in the world was changing as well. European powers had colonized around the world in the 18th and 19th centuries, and in the 20th century, it all came crashing down. Of course the degree of crashing was variable from country to country. Note from

Russian Revolution and Civil War: Crash Course European History #35

World War I was very hard on the Russian Empire. So hard, in fact, that it led to the end of the Russian Empire. As the global conflict ground on, Tsar Nicholas II faced increasing unrest at home. Today we’ll learn about the Revolutions of 1917, the rise of Lenin, Trotsky, and the Bolsheviks, and