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I have a burning need to know stuff and I love asking awkward questions.

Sunday, May 03, 2015


6 comments:

VV said...

I got curious and wondered if I could get my hands of an original of this magazine. I'd love to read the FDR article about him being a dictator. I found this: http://gdc.gale.com/products/liberty-magazine-historical-archive-1924-1950/

And then found the article at Brandeis university. I'm thinking I want to start writing articles and work my way toward a book. Twentieth-century history is very interesting to me. https://archon.brandeis.edu/?p=collections/findingaid&id=46&q=&rootcontentid=26261#id26261

CyberKitten said...

Cool. I'm glad I piqued your interest. 20th century history is fascinating (as you will have seen from my reading).

My history reading plans over the next few months will cover Afghanistan, Ireland and (probably) Germany.

VV said...

Will you be reading Afghanistan's longer history, pre- and post-Soviets, or just the time since America came meddling? I know a tiny bit of their 16th century history as I cover Babur the Tiger and the beginning of the Mughal Empire, of early India.

CyberKitten said...

As with most of my history reading I'll be coming at it from the British or European PoV. So the books are:

Butcher & Bolt - Two Hundred Years of Foreign Engagement in Afghanistan by David Loyn (covering from 1808 to Present).

Churchill's First War - Young Winston and the Fight against the Taliban by Con Couglin (during the Third Afghan war in the late 1890's)

and

Return of a King - The Battle for Afghanistan by William Dalrymple (covering the Second Afghan war in the 1830's)

I think at the end of that lot I'll know a whole lot more about the region and why the Afghans are bloody difficult to keep down!

VV said...

What I want to know is why everybody keeps going there? What are they after?

CyberKitten said...

Well, as far as I'm aware the Brit's mostly fought in Afghanistan during the Empire to protect the gateway to India. Russia fought there to protect their southern border and provide a buffer zone from the West and from Islam.

There days I think it's about holding the route of a possible major oil pipeline and having a handle on lots of untapped mineral resources. I think that Afghanistan is one of those unfortunate places that happen to be located somewhere of strategic importance which means that the powers of the day will fight to own or influence it to their advantage.