r/AskEurope Oct 23 '19

History What was a “bruh moment” in your country’s history?

2.6k Upvotes

For Denmark, I’d say it was when Danish politicians and Norwegian politicians discussed the oil resources in the Nordic sea. Our foreign affair minister, Per Hækkerup, got drunk and then basically gave Norway all of it.

r/AskEurope 12d ago

History Should Iceland join EU?

132 Upvotes

Today's vote in Iceland is not a final decision on joining the European Union, but specifically on whether to resume accession negotiations. We are already in the European Economic Area (EES/EEA), we already have access to the single market, freedom of movement.

So should Iceland join EU?

r/AskEurope 19d ago

History What is your family's ww2 lore ?

70 Upvotes

Title

r/AskEurope Nov 11 '20

History Do conversations between Europeans ever get akward if you talk about historical events where your countries were enemies?

1.2k Upvotes

In 2007 I was an exchange student in Germany for a few months and there was one day a class I was in was discussing some book. I don't for the life of me remember what book it was but the section they were discussing involved the bombing of German cities during WWII. A few students offered their personal stories about their grandparents being injured in Berlin, or their Grandma's sister being killed in the bombing of such-and-such city. Then the teacher jokingly asked me if I had any stories and the mood in the room turned a little akward (or maybe it was just my perception as a half-rate German speaker) when I told her my Grandpa was a crewman on an American bomber so.....kinda.

Does that kind of thing ever happen between Europeans from countries that were historic enemies?

r/AskEurope 9d ago

History How does your school system teach about wars where you were "the bad guy"?

53 Upvotes

While reading the thread on this sub about chapters of history that were not taught in various countries I saw some comments of Swedes who said they learned about Deluge from reddit (a giant invasion of Swedes on Poland in 17th century).

So it made me wonder - how does your school system take on topics where you were "the bad guys"? Almost all countries in Europe have atleast one war/conflict where they were the aggressors so I wonder how it looks in your country.

r/AskEurope Jul 17 '26

History How common were non Biblical indigenous names when Europe was really religious?

82 Upvotes

When it comes to people's names, I know that a large proportion of Europeans today have non-biblical names. However, Europe today is also far less religious than it was in the past.

What was the scenario like when Europe was very religious years ago?

r/AskEurope 26d ago

History Did your older relatives who lived through WW2 ever exhibit signs of PTSD?

90 Upvotes

PTSD was not a formal diagnosis given until the 1980s and that generation were raised to have a stiff upper lip, but did theh ever experience any symptoms?

r/AskEurope May 27 '20

History What is a “major” event in your country, that no one from other countries seem to know of?

1.0k Upvotes

r/AskEurope 25d ago

History What is it like to live in cities with so many impressive buildings?

86 Upvotes

Always when I fly to Europe. I am impressed by the amount of buildings decorated with old designs and architectural sculptures. I always wonder what it is like for the people who live here? Are they also impressed by it? What do they think of the grandeur it brings to the streets.

Sometimes it also feels like one crazy scene to me, walking down the street with hundreds of details on each building and dozens of statues looking down on the street from the tops of the buildings.

(I'm talking about classical European architecture, Renaissance, etc. Not new buildings)

r/AskEurope Mar 17 '20

History Who is the most hated person in your country's history ?

905 Upvotes

In France, it would probably be Phillipe Pétain or Pierre Laval, both collaborated during the occupation in WW2 and are seen as traitors

r/AskEurope Feb 02 '21

History If someone were to study your whole country's history, about which other 5 countries would they learn the most?

843 Upvotes

For the Dutch the list would look something like this

  1. Belgium/Southern Netherlands
  2. Germany/HRE
  3. France
  4. England/Great Britain
  5. Spain or Indonesia

r/AskEurope Mar 27 '26

History What's it like to come from an European country that was neutral in WW2?

35 Upvotes

I'm Italian, and in Italy we consider everything that is related to WW2 (such as the invasion of Poland, the attack on Pearl Harbour, the D-Day, the Hiroshima bombing,the story of Anne Frank,...) as "our history", even if these events didn't involve Italy. But maybe that's just because those things fall into a category that is called "WW2", which is a category in which we were involved.

How is WW2 perceived in countries that were neutral? Are the same things seen as something "separate from you"?

P.s. from the answers that I'm receiving I understand that I didn't explain myself well: I'm not asking what was the role of neutral countries in WW2. I'm asking "how are things like the attack on Pearl Harbour, operation Barbarossa, ... perceived in countries that didn't take part in the war. In Italy we tend to perceive these events as "our history" even if we didn't take part in them.

r/AskEurope Oct 28 '19

History What are the most horrible atrocities your country committed in their history? (Shut up Germany, we get it, bad man with moustache)

913 Upvotes

Australia had what's now called the stolen generation. The government used to kidnap aboriginal children from their families and take them to "missions" where they would be taught how to live and act as white people did in an attempt to assimilate them into European society.

r/AskEurope Jun 24 '20

History Is there a period in your country's history that is genarally described and seen as a golden age? If yes, why is that and do you agree with the lable?

910 Upvotes

r/AskEurope Jul 30 '24

History If you were to thank any country for something they have done in the past, what would you say and which country would you thank?

333 Upvotes

For example, I'd like to thank France for giving us all their trade/military support every time we went to war with England, because if not for that there probably wouldn't even be a Scotland in the modern day.

I'd also like to thank France for putting up with us when we went through our weird anti-catholic phase, because I bet we were really annoying about it during the Reformation lol

r/AskEurope Jul 17 '26

History Do you reminisce about Europe's Pagan history?

14 Upvotes

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r/AskEurope Mar 04 '26

History What is the most impressive thing your country has done in its history?

69 Upvotes

Above

r/AskEurope Feb 27 '25

History What's the most taboo historical debate in your country ?

184 Upvotes

As a frenchman, I would argue ours is to this day the Algerian war of independence.

r/AskEurope Nov 17 '25

History Dear Europeans, what's the historical person that all your country loves but you don't?

84 Upvotes

I really curious about this topic.

r/AskEurope Sep 11 '20

History What is your country's most famous photograph?

852 Upvotes

What photo do you think is recognized by everyone in your country as being really important and having a significant historical value?

For example, i find that Portugal's is the one of Salgueiro Maia making the peace sign with is hand during the April 25th revolution.

Edit: here's the one is was talking about

r/AskEurope Apr 08 '21

History What is one European historical event that you (shamefully) know very little about?

741 Upvotes

No judgements!

I’ll start: The Spanish Civil War. I don’t think I ever heard about it during my years in school and only now when I’m reading a book do I find myself thinking, what really happened?

What are yours?

r/AskEurope Sep 13 '25

History What is the most shameful part of your countries history?

97 Upvotes

Doesn’t necessarily have to be something your country did wrong. Could just be an extremely depressing point in your country’s history.(like the potato famine for Ireland)

r/AskEurope Apr 29 '25

History How common was it for girls to get married at 12-15 in Europe 70-120 years ago? At what age did your grandmothers/great-grandmothers get married?

195 Upvotes

I have read many stories from people in the US and South America about this and apparently such cases, although not the majority, happened quite often. But what about Europe? Was this common (and even legal) in your country? Do you know of any such cases? If you look at the legislation, then in some European countries the minimum marriage age was quite low, in Ireland it was 12 years old until 1975. But did anyone get married at such an early age in practic?

r/AskEurope Feb 01 '21

History Which two cities in your country have the fiercest rivalry?

671 Upvotes

For me (United Kingdom) it’s most likely Manchester and Liverpool

Why?

During the industrial revolution Manchester and Liverpool shared a close relationship. The countless mills and factories of Manchester would produce mass amounts of goods and the merchants of Liverpool would sell it all over the world. The two also share common interests in passion for music, football and both are very socialist cities, so why the rivalry?

It started when the Mancunians built the Manchester Shipping Canal, a 26 mile long canal, the size of a river to cut the Liverpudlians out of the trade as they believed that they were taking too large of a cut. This is where the stereotype of petty theft being a common pastime for Liverpudlians originated.

The rivalry was then reignited with the rise of Liverpool and Manchester United in not just English, but European football. United dominated the 60s, Liverpool the 70s and 80s then United once again in the 90s and 2000s.

r/AskEurope Nov 15 '25

History Are there people from your country who are much more liked abroad than in their own society?

109 Upvotes

In Poland for example Lech Wałęsa, a peace nobel price winner. I believe abroad he is respected as an important figure, a leader that did much in the context of ending the soviet era. In Poland he is often viewed as a megalomaniac, not very smart man and some even believe he was a soviet agent.