Fall of the Berlin Wall: The Night When the Autumn of Nations Got Heated – Editor’s Comment
Encouraged by the words of Günther Schabowski – “immediately and without delay”, the thousands of people took the opportunity, went out with hammers and chisels, and opened new crossing points on the Berlin Wall by force.
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King Harald Fairhair Unifies and Scatters Norway at the Battle of Hafrsfjord, 872
Harald I Fairhair (Harald Hårfagre, c. 850-c.932) the legendary and handsome heir to the Vestfold (Oslo) branch of the long-lasting Yngling dynasty, was ten years old when he became king following his father Halfdan the Black’s accidental death.
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President Jackson Confronts France: The Spoliations Showdown, 1834-1836
For years the issue of unpaid indemnity – otherwise known as spoliations – caused consternation among successive U.S. diplomats in Paris as the French government refused to address it.
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The Year America Praised Russia: The Great Game and Sale of Alaska, 1867
The Crimean War (1853-1856) pitting Imperial Russia against the combined forces of the Ottoman Empire, Great Britain, and France, had devastating consequences. Emerging military technology combined with disease led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of soldiers on both sides of the conflict.
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When America Avoided Entanglements: The Greek Struggle for Independence, 1821-1829
The Greek War of Independence (1821-1829) against the Ottoman Empire drew so much popular support in Europe that eventually Great Britain, France, and Russia were compelled to lend it military support. On the opposite side of the Atlantic, U.S. statesmen immediately petitioned the government to recognize the First Hellenic Republic despite a foundational tenet to avoid foreign “entanglements” by intervening in European affairs.
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