Yes, you're right. I was under the impression that it had Kazakhstan-like demographics, but Russians never managed to be more 40% of the population after annexation, and have suffered a big decline since the 60s.
I recently found out that what is now the Republic of Tuva in Asian Russia used to be an independent state (the People's Republic of Tannu Tuva) between 1921 and 1943. However, Stalin absorbed it into the Russian SSR in the latter year, with the rank of Autonomous Oblast rather than as a...
Diamonds in my eyes is the 24th studio album by English musician David Bowie. Released on 24th December 2015 through Columbia Records and production by Brian Eno and Toby Visconti, the album consolidated Bowie’s return to stardom after his decade long retirement, which had already be hinted by...
Mmm not sure if I trust this video. Hittites had entered Anatolia as early as 2500 BC according to the latest archaeological findings, and there’s solid evidence of Indo-European continuity in the Armenian plateau for the last 4000 years.
The Xuetas, indeed. They were still discriminated until the 70s, and in fact some reverted and made Aaliyah.
The thing with converted Sephardim is that apart from Majorca (which was an island and thus harder to move around) they had mingled enough by the 18th century to lose their separate...
I was reading Abulafia’s The Boundless Sea and he mentions that there was a plan to people Minorca with Greek settlers during the British domination of the island in the 18th century. After some research, it looks like that was indeed the case, though he exaggerates a bit its scope.
Assuming...
On the point of the national ambitions of London mayors, I wouldn’t be surprised if the position becomes a stepping stone for the premiership in the long term.
I’d like to see a TL where a party to the left of Labour becomes competitive.
I’d change Inner West London to Cameronites and put the weird authoritarian Labour technocrats in Greenwich and Lewisham. I don’t know why but I’ve met plenty from there. Maybe also put Wandsworth into the Liberal Tory mix, the council was seen as the perfect example of Thatcherite local...
There’s also the fact that for many in the ruling classes Spain couldn’t afford to lose more face after the clown show that was 1898. Getting obliterated by Berber goat herders would have been even more humiliating and explains quite a lot of why they kept pushing.