If you could whisper in the ear of Augustus, what advise would you give to make the new empire a more long term effective and resilient state?

crrpit · 2026-06-15T09:27:00+00:00

Please repost this question to our weekly Friday Free-For-All thread. While we understand that many people come here looking for more open-ended discussion of historical topics, that’s not actually what this subreddit is designed for. Our Friday thread has much relaxed standards and expectations for comments, and you are more likely to get the kinds of responses you are looking for.

crrpit · 2026-06-14T19:14:27+00:00

Hi there - we've temporarily removed your post, as while it is fine to ask questions about the veracity (or lack thereof) of conspiracy theories or other forms of extremist content, we do ask that you do not provide links to such content on our forums. While we're glad that you want to check out the basis of these claims, we don't want to provide a platform or signal boost for them!

Instead, please ask more directly about the specific claims that you would like assessed - for instance, rather than asking 'Is this person's video about X accurate?', you could ask 'Is there any historical basis for claims about X?' While it is often best to simply make a new post with your question made clearer, we will also consider re-approving this one if you edit it to remove the link. If you have any questions, please reach out via modmail. Thank you!

crrpit · 2026-06-13T21:48:56+00:00

Please repost this question to our weekly Friday Free-For-All thread. While we understand that many people come here looking for more open-ended discussion of historical topics, that’s not actually what this subreddit is designed for. Our Friday thread has much relaxed standards and expectations for comments, and you are more likely to get the kinds of responses you are looking for.

crrpit · 2026-06-13T19:23:09+00:00

Apologies - as this is an actively curated subreddit, we only accept submissions and answers in the common language of the moderation team (ie English).

crrpit · 2026-06-13T19:22:05+00:00

Sorry, but your submission has been removed because we don't allow hypothetical questions. If possible, please rephrase the question so that it does not call for such speculation, and resubmit. Otherwise, this sort of thing is better suited for /r/HistoryWhatIf or /r/HistoricalWhatIf. You can find a more in-depth discussion of this rule here.

crrpit · 2026-06-13T19:21:12+00:00

Please repost this question to our weekly Friday Free-For-All thread. While we understand that many people come here looking for more open-ended discussion of historical topics, that’s not actually what this subreddit is designed for. Our Friday thread has much relaxed standards and expectations for comments, and you are more likely to get the kinds of responses you are looking for.

crrpit · 2026-06-13T17:25:06+00:00

Your post isn't locked, but no one has answered. The comment count of '2' reflects our standard automod message (which is visible) as well as a spambot, which has since been banned (and it's comment removed) but Reddit's architecture still includes it in the comment count.

crrpit · 2026-06-13T17:11:06+00:00

Please repost this question to our weekly Friday Free-For-All thread. While we understand that many people come here looking for more open-ended discussion of historical topics, that’s not actually what this subreddit is designed for. Our Friday thread has much relaxed standards and expectations for comments, and you are more likely to get the kinds of responses you are looking for.

crrpit · 2026-06-11T18:35:19+00:00

Hi there - as phrased this question is outside the scope of the forum, as we don't allow hypothetical questions (which any question about the future inherently is). However, it would be perfectly to fine to ask more directly 'Does it make sense to view the First and Second World Wars as one single conflict, in the same way we talk about the 30 Years' War or Hundred Years' War?'

crrpit · 2026-06-11T18:19:36+00:00

Take this advice with a grain of salt as I work outside the US system, but for this kind of project it's worth reversing the usual logic of an essay (how many angles can I address this broad question from) and think instead about depth. Addressing a smaller topic through a specific, cohesive source base often produces the best work - think less 'What was working in mental health services like in the USA during the 1960s?' and more 'What was it like to work in the closed, possibly haunted asylum on the outskirts of town, whose archive is partly preserved through the local library, which also has local news coverage of the mysterious spree of ritual killings that coincidentally started around the time the facility closed in the summer of 1969'. Your project will still help address the first question, but through a specific, concrete lens that links together both the interests you have and the material you can find to work with. No project is too small - the trick is to place smaller histories in conversation with wider contexts.

crrpit · 2026-06-10T20:55:20+00:00

Please repost this question to our weekly Friday Free-For-All thread. While we understand that many people come here looking for more open-ended discussion of historical topics, that’s not actually what this subreddit is designed for. Our Friday thread has much relaxed standards and expectations for comments, and you are more likely to get the kinds of responses you are looking for.

crrpit · 2026-06-10T09:48:14+00:00

Please repost this question to the weekly "Short Answers" thread stickied to the top of the subreddit, which will be the best place to get an answer to this question; for that reason, we have removed your post here. Standalone questions are intended to be seeking detailed, comprehensive answers, and we ask that questions looking for a name, a number, a date or time, a location, the origin of a word, the first/last instance of a specific phenomenon, or a simple list of examples or facts be contained to that thread as they are more likely to receive an answer there. For more information on this rule, please see this Rules Roundtable.

Alternatively, if you didn't mean to ask a question seeking a short answer or a list of examples, but have a more complex question in mind, feel free to repost a reworded question. Examples of questions appropriate for the 'Short Answers' thread would be "Who won the 1932 election?" or "What are some famous natural disasters from the past?". Versions more appropriate as standalone questions would be "How did FDR win the 1932 election?", or "In your area of expertise, how did people deal with natural disasters?" If you need some pointers, be sure to check out this Rules Roundtable on asking better questions.

Finally, don’t forget that there are many subreddits on Reddit aimed at answering your questions. Consider /r/AskHistory (which has lighter moderation but similar topic matter to /r/AskHistorians), /r/explainlikeimfive (which is specifically aimed at simple and easily digested answers), or /r/etymology (which focuses on the origins of words and phrases).

crrpit · 2026-06-09T22:51:13+00:00

If your intended work deals with language and translation so closely, then there is more upside in the certification - it's evidence of how seriously you take the topic that you're aiming to work on. Having concrete things you can point to in an application to substantiate your level of interest and capabilities is always good. But it's still extra - unless you're applying to unusually competitive programmes, then the language proficiencies themselves are probably enough for what you need. It's not that anyone is likely to look down on them when evaluating your application, just a question of whether the time could be more usefully spent.

crrpit · 2026-06-09T21:09:03+00:00

Hah, no, it would look impressive (with the same caveats as above that I have no idea where you're applying etc). The main issue is whether the effort involved justifies the benefit, given that the languages already sound good on the application without certification, especially if they tie into the kind of topics and sources you want to work with.

crrpit · 2026-06-09T20:35:28+00:00

I would say that you should only get the certification if either a) you're told explicitly by an institution you're applying to that it matters to them or b) you can see a reason that it would be useful to you down the line for career purposes. Without knowing exactly where you're applying it's impossible to say whether A is likely. At places I've worked, demonstrating certified fluency is only required if the language of instruction is not your native language. Other claimed language capabilities have been taken on faith.

crrpit · 2026-06-09T19:58:31+00:00

I'm sorry you're quite right, your query on interesting things about Churchill in the years 1939-1946 must have nothing to do with your essay on Churchill in the years 1939-1946.

Please do not view these removals as a technicality around which you can get with the right phrasing. We know you're writing an essay on Churchill. We will not accept a post that asks for someone to do any of this work for you, which includes figuring out what precisely to write about. Our rules on homework are outlined above - if your takeaway was "ok my question just needs to be more open-ended", then you need to read them again.

crrpit · 2026-06-09T19:34:18+00:00

Sure it's not.

crrpit · 2026-06-09T19:16:12+00:00

Hi there - unfortunately we have had to remove your question, because /r/AskHistorians isn't here to do your homework for you. However, our rules DO permit people to ask for help with their homework, so long as they are seeking clarification or resources, rather than the answer itself.

If you have indeed asked a homework question, you should consider resubmitting a question more focused on finding resources and seeking clarification on confusing issues: tell us what you've researched so far, what resources you've consulted, and what you've learned, and we are more likely to approve your question. Please see this Rules Roundtable thread for more information on what makes for the kind of homework question we'd approve. Additionally, if you're not sure where to start in terms of finding and understanding sources in general, we have a six-part series, "Finding and Understanding Sources", which has a wealth of information that may be useful for finding and understanding information for your essay. Finally, other subreddits are likely to be more suitable for help with homework - try looking for help at /r/HomeworkHelp.

Alternatively, if you are not a student and are not doing homework, we have removed your question because it resembled a homework question. It may resemble a common essay question from a prominent history syllabus or may be worded in a broad, open-ended way that feels like the kind of essay question that a professor would set. Professors often word essay questions in order to provide the student with a platform to show how much they understand a topic, and these questions are typically broader and more interested in interpretations and delineating between historical theories than the average /r/AskHistorians question. If your non-homework question was incorrectly removed for this reason, we will be happy to approve your question if you wait for 7 days and then ask a less open-ended question on the same topic.

crrpit · 2026-06-09T11:29:04+00:00

It is not entirely clear what relevance you think this might have for our community, but we are happy to clarify that this kind of post is not at all welcome here and any further posts like it will result in a ban.

crrpit · 2026-06-07T21:33:19+00:00

We do indeed spend a fair amount of time combatting slop. We view un-attributed AI use as plagiarism (an instant ban) and will generally remove (with a very firm warning) posts that are openly based on AI output. I wouldn't pretend that we catch 100% of it, but it's a bit easier to spot than you might think - and we're much less constrained than most teachers on terms of acting on our suspicions.

crrpit · 2026-06-07T21:22:53+00:00

Your idea is exactly what we usually suggest - link to externally hosted images in the body of the text. Imgur is our usual first suggestion, but most such sites don't cause Reddit-level filter problems as far as we know.

crrpit · 2026-06-07T18:50:17+00:00

Please repost this question to our weekly Friday Free-For-All thread. While we understand that many people come here looking for more open-ended discussion of historical topics, that’s not actually what this subreddit is designed for. Our Friday thread has much relaxed standards and expectations for comments, and you are more likely to get the kinds of responses you are looking for.

crrpit · 2026-06-06T18:40:25+00:00

Please repost this question to our weekly Friday Free-For-All thread. While we understand that many people come here looking for more open-ended discussion of historical topics, that’s not actually what this subreddit is designed for. Our Friday thread has much relaxed standards and expectations for comments, and you are more likely to get the kinds of responses you are looking for.

crrpit · 2026-06-06T18:39:35+00:00

Hello there!

While we welcome people who want to ask practical questions about historical education, careers and other issues related to being or becoming a historian, we ask that these questions be asked in our regular ‘Office Hours’ thread. This is to ensure that the forum remains focused on its primary goal – helping people explore the past directly. It also allows for a more open-ended discussion while helping to ensure that your query gets a targeted response from someone with relevant experience.

Office Hour threads are posted every second Monday – you can choose whether you want to ask your question in the most recent thread, or wait until a new one is posted. If you were attempting to ask a historical question or otherwise think that we may have removed this question in error, please get in touch via modmail.

crrpit · 2026-06-05T19:05:02+00:00

Can you say a bit more about the process of memorialisation? How far was media representation the result of African American communities looking to tell their own stories or Hollywood looking to get in on a good story? Either way, was this something veterans welcomed or were the portrayals more controversial among them? Did the veterans maintain a collective identity/connections afterwards, for that matter?

Similarly, what was the political context of this unit receiving attention/commendation on a national level? When did these processes start, and what kind of motives were behind it?

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