History Matters

After Lenin took a one-way trip to deadsville the leadership of the USSR was up in the air. As you'll know Stalin, who Lenin thought was kind of lame, took over and Trotsky was sidelined, exiled and later deadificated. So why did this happen? Why didn't Trotsky take over the USSR after Lenin? To find out watch this short and simple animated history documentary.

The Barbary Pirates harassed shipping across the Mediterranean for centuries and in spite of this, it wasn't a European power who struck the first blow against them. It was the Americans in the early 19th century who started their downfall after fighting two wars against them. To find out why it was the Americans that did this instead of the French, the Spanish or the British watch this short and simple animated history documentary.

When Texas joined the USA in 1845 it was about 50% larger than it was today but five years after it had joined, its northern and western lands had been handed over to the federal government. But given that Texas had fought a war with Mexico for this land why did it give it up and why did the US feel the need to take it? To find out watch this short and simple animated history documentary.

When the Taiping Rebellion saw some nominally Christian rebels attempt to overthrow the Qing Emperor, the western powers eventually sided with the central government. But given that the Taiping shared a faith with the west why didn't they help them to establish a Christian China? To find out watch this short and simple animated history documentary.

The USSR was famously the second nation ever to build nuclear weapons, when it successfully detonated one in 1949. However, given the destruction that it had suffered in World War 2, how exactly did it do this? To find out watch this short and simple animated history documentary.

The Channel Islands lie just over a dozen miles off the coast of France and six times closer to it than England. In spite of its proximity and the centuries of warfare between the two, it remained in English and later British hands. So why? To find out watch this short and simple animated history documentary.

The Gambia is a tiny country in West Africa that is entirely surrounded by Senegal which is has much in common with. Despite the fact The Gambia is a nation which came about as a result of colonial partitions, why didn't it join Senegal and why does it exist as in independent country? To find out watch this short and simple animated history documentary.

Modern Bulgaria hasn't existed for very long but during its brief time it's managed to gain and lose large amounts of the same land numerous times. So how did it manage to do that? To find out watch this short and simple animated history documentary.

After World War 2 most countries in East and South Europe were run by Communist governments. Greece, despite having a large, well-armed Communist resistance and being geographically important managed to stay free from Communist Influence. So how did it do this? How did Greece avoid becoming a part of the Eastern Bloc?

Yugoslavia was a nation whose end goal was to unify the South Slavic people under a single government but there was one group which never joined:| the Bulgarians. So why not? Why didn't the Bulgarians or Bulgaria ever join Yugoslavia? To find out watch this short and simple animated history documentary.

Lithuania was the first part of the USSR to leave as it was falling apart. But given that the Soviet Union had a large army and was able to crush any attempt at secession why didn't it? Why did the USSR just let Lithuania leave? To find out watch this short and simple animated history documentary.

Poland's borders changed quite a lot after World War 2, moving hundreds of miles to the west and massively altering the shape of the country. But why did this happen and why did Poland lose and receive the lands that it did? To find out watch this short and simple animated history documentary.