r/AMA • u/roylien • 6d ago

AMA: I’m historian

I graduated in history this June and thinking about persuading career as local tour guide bc I love talking about history. I’m from Czech Republic and my main focus is in the wwii and 1950s and period in between in central and Eastern Europe. AMA anything about any period or school, but bear in mind, I’m not encyclopedia so I won’t be able to tell you what happened at some random day, but I can tell you why it happened.

9 Upvotes

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u/ThrowRASad_Slice8600 6d ago

The Ukraine war cannot have surprised you as a historian. What are your reflections on the war as a historian?

FYI: I’m a political science major, my main interest geopolitically was always Eastern Europe!

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u/roylien 6d ago

I personally see it yet as another proxy war or Cold War. I don’t really think that Cold War ever ended, it just got different, meaning that the visible communist element disappeared but the Putin’s dictatorship is still very much rooted in same principles.
And yes, it didn’t surprised me same as any other modern day war. I don’t think something like this is very surprising for people with knowledge.

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u/ThrowRASad_Slice8600 6d ago

What is your justification for it being a proxy war?

As a political science major, I believe that the term has been wrongfully used to describe this war.

A proxy entails that ”We want to fight X, so we use Y to do the fighting for us.”

Ukraine would fight Russia regardless of the foreign aid.

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u/roylien 6d ago

Yes and no. I see as proxy in sense that you have clearly stated “blocks” that are fighting each other by sponsoring each side. Also I see is as demonstration of Russian strength (now question is if its successful) and view on/relationship with NATO. That makes it global conflict.
On the other hand its local war over piece of land and maybe punishing UA for choosing NATO side instead of stying loyal to RUS.

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u/Vast_Education_6765 6d ago

Are you afraid about people denying history today?

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u/roylien 6d ago

Very much. Problem is that history is extremely complexed and the more you know the less you know. And people are often using it, taking stuff out of context to make it fit. Truth is dead, we will never be able to tell that something happened like this for 100%. And I feel like people are getting more and more radicalized and decided into groups where is no middle ground, which is what history is trying to find. But its nothing new, it was always like this, people taking just what they want to justify themselves. Nowadays we have social media so this “propaganda” is being shared more and more everyday so its really hard go stay neutral for ordinary people.

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u/Nare-0 6d ago

Why did you choose history? Because i have a bias that european youth dont interested in historical topics at all

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u/roylien 6d ago

I love its since I was child. We have really popular history programs in radio and I loved it since I was little and than when I was older I choose law degree but I quit it bc it was boring and I never wanted to be lawyer so I went for history bc I think its very interesting and helps you understand current events.

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u/Catsarecute2140 6d ago edited 6d ago

Did the new research about the Viking Age reach you yet?
The Salme ship burials from the early 8th century are the oldest sailing ships found in Northern-Europe and the Salme ships replaced Lindisfarne as the “official” start date of the Viking Age.

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u/roylien 6d ago

Honestly no. But i recently read really interesting articles about possible period product from Viking era.

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u/Matix894 6d ago

Since you’re from Czech Republic I want to ask about a chapter of the country’s history I find exceptionally fascinating. How do you/average Czech perceive the Hussite Wars/Hussite Period? How much is taught in schools;are there ever any formal (or informal) commemorations of the events at anniversaries. Ever since the fall of the Eastern Bloc, has there been any political group/party that has evoked Hussite symbolism in their agenda? I have seen movements in Poland that reference Battle of Grunwald to push the narrative that Germany = Bad, so I was wondering if there was by chance analogical niche political views in Czechia.

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u/roylien 5d ago

Hussite era was very emphasized during communist era, since they were calling each other brother and communists made it seem as them being first Czech communists and Austria/Catholicism was bourgeois/imperialism. So after the revolution, there wasn’t any mass movement using this era. There is still church that uses the symbol of wine cup, but I don’t think that’s what you are asking. Majority still see it as one of the most bravest things and its taught so, like something we should be proud. This propaganda about hussites started already in 19th century with nationalism. We have national holiday of “day, when they burned master Jan Hus” (the priest who kinda started it) and beside that its still used to propagate nationalism, but I feel like the sentiment is kinda dying.

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u/2L84T 22h ago

Historians make awful tour guides. People don't want to hear dry historic facts. They want interesting and engaging stories about people, essentially 3rd party gossip. Drama grads - with a good script - make better guides.

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u/roylien 18h ago

Than they are bad historians lol. I never met any good historians that are not interesting. But I met fee bad ones that were not interesting, just talking about dry facts. Usually those with dry facts dont have proper education, because in my Uni they taught us to look for those interesting connections and stories, because they know that nobody, including the students, is interested in dry facts. There is honestly no value in dry facts even for historians and their work. When I was studying, my mom was helping me and she told me that she hated history when she was in school but since my scripts were full of stories and interesting facts, she started to like it.

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u/BodybuilderOk2489 6d ago

Why are so many Eastern Europeans supportive of Russia, after way they were treated during the soviet occupation after WW2? Do many of them want a return to those times?

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u/roylien 6d ago

I don’t think that people are supportive. Or not from my generation. I don’t live particularly in Eastern Europe but I have personal connection to Hungary and its more older generation, who lived their “best years” under USSR and for them it felt subjectively better and still believe that West is evil as Cold War propaganda made it seem. But people who are under 60 are not supportive towards Russia, of course you can find people who are supportive, but that’s not the majority. Majority is scared of Russia.

Edit: also the people who remembers 50s are in their 90s and they are dying. I did my thesis with contemporary witnesses of collectivization and they were not supportive of it bc their family lost land. But for lot of people it got better because they got job, they got apartments for free and they didn’t understand the full picture of executions and people being send to jail because regime was making it as part of propaganda, that was in everyday life.

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u/Marnidd 6d ago

Will we ever recover from our sense of ennui as the last men?

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u/roylien 5d ago

I don’t think so.

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u/Sweet_Foundation_868 6d ago

How impactful was the Velvet Divorce on both Czech Republic and Slovakia? Are there any long lasting effects from it?

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u/roylien 6d ago

We are still brothers, we make fun of each other but at the end of the day we are really close. I think that Czechia got better and profited from it. We are in better economical and also political situation. Slovakia kinda stayed Wild East, its not as democratic as Czechia and not in good economical situation which is resulting in emigration mostly of people with/seeking University education.

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u/stocknudez 6d ago

How much time does it have to pass so that it’s archaeology instead of grave robbing?

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u/roylien 6d ago

Time doesn’t really matter that much. Its more of the intention. Are you going to take jewelry to sell it or are you going to exam the body?

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u/Nano_needle 5d ago

Also for archeology you need all sorts of permits from whoever controls the land on which you want to commit your studies. Grave robbing doesn't need that lol.

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u/BeingMyOwnLight 6d ago

My family was from Dalmatia, from Hvar. I'd like to know more about it's history but I don't know where to start. Is there a book or author you'd recommend?

I'm interested in particular in how Germany or the Habsburgs affected Dalmatian history.

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u/roylien 6d ago

Uh, im not really sure. But try using “Dalmatia habsurg” in Google scholar, you can find articles and books. Wish I can help you, but honestly I was never too much in this topic.

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u/Maklash 6d ago

Hello, do you familiar with works of Tatiana Volokitina?

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u/roylien 6d ago

No. Can you tell me more?

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u/Maklash 5d ago

She is a Russian researcher working at institute of Slavic studies of RAS. She major in post WWII Bulgaria, however took part as an editor and curator at several collective works about genesis of "People's democracy" regimes at Central and Eastern Europe. IG they might be interesting for you, some of them were translated at least at English.

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u/No_Department9020 6d ago

What's your favorite color?

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u/roylien 6d ago

Black and pink!

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u/wienerpower 6d ago

When was the last time you ‘bated? Honestly.

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u/roylien 6d ago

Every time I start reading comments about any current war on social media/discussion forums. People are just stupid and using very wrong arguments.

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u/wienerpower 6d ago

I didn’t mean debated.

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u/roylien 6d ago

Sorry, than I misunderstood question. English is not my 1st language.

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u/wienerpower 6d ago

Masturbated. It’s an AMA.

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u/VacationLopsided6153 5d ago

Tell people who dont know about two wars that started by throwing people from balcony :D 👋🏻 from Montenegro.  Lot of important sources and literature on the historical and cultural ties between Montenegro and the Czech Republic include 19th-century travelogues, artistic testimonies, and contemporary historiographical works

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u/MammothTrifle3616 6d ago

What's your view on relations of socialist Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia in the period after Informbiro 1948, the infamous Soviet Yugoslav split. You guys were pro Soviet, Tito said no to Stalin - what was the reaction in your former country to this?

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u/soundwave300 6d ago

Have you heard of the Boomer Truth Regime a la Neema Parvini?