Random Political Facts

[Deleted]

Well it's narg again and yes I'm little narg but I'm too lazy to switch. So basically if you want to share a random fact go for it!


Here's number one:

One third of Russia lives on $1 a day.

[Avaerilon]

At the time of its creation, the German Weimar Republic (1919-33) was arguably the most democratic system in the entire world.

[Deleted]

The only US President to have never been elected to that office is Gerald Ford.

[North American Republics]

Karl Marx's "dictatorship of the proleteriat" does not actually mean a dictatorship as we know it.

[Avaerilon]

Botswana is the only country in Africa to have been a full, representative democracy since it gained independence.

[Administrator]

Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Virginia and Massachusetts do not call themselves states. They are Commonwealths

[Deleted]

The Carolinas were once one colony, Carolina, but due to cultural and political differences, they separated.

[Avaerilon]

Only one British Prime Minister was ever assassinated.

[Administrator]

New Jersey used to be two colonies, West and East Jersey, but were merged. In a true political decision, instead of picking a new neutral capitol, they simply sent the government between the two old ones for half of the year each.

The original state of Virginia has been carved into three states: Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky

Portions of New Jersey are level in latitude with Washington DC.

[Avaerilon]

The Commonwealth of Nations includes various nations that were once part of the British Empire. However, the newest member, Rwanda, was never part of the British Empire, nor was it part of another African nation that once was. It was previously under Belgian control, but was admitted under the Tony Blair Labour government of 1997-2010, for reasons unknown. Knowing New Labour and Blair, some political or business deal was underfoot. The current Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition government is reviewing this decision.

[Kingdom of Grolsch]

Many boroughs and neighbourhoods of the city of New York are named after Dutch cities, such as Harlem (Haarlem) and Brooklyn (Breukelen). Also, Staten Island is named after the Dutch legislature, the Staten-Generaal.

[Deleted]

Pennsylvania means "Penn's Woods". At one time the king of Great Britain was in debt to families such as the Penns. To pay off the debt, he gave them what is now Pennsylvania and Delaware. Sylvania comes from the Latin word for woods.

[Deleted]

Kingdom of Grolsch Know why? That area was once a Dutch Colony.

[Avaerilon]

Switzerland granted universal suffrage in the 1980s; very late by Western standards.

[Deleted]

When people think of colonial empires, they think of Britain, Spain, Portugal, France, and the Netherlands, but Denmark had several islands in the Caribbean, trade posts in Africa, and forts in India. Of course Denmark also owned Iceland and Greenland.

[Administrator]

Still has Greenland even

[Newhalla]

isn't Social liberal union a political party in Romania.

[Avaerilon]

Yes; it's an alliance of three opposition parties; the Social Democrats, the National Liberals (a liberal-conservative party) and the Conservative Party.

[Avaerilon]

And while we're talking about not-really-liberal "liberal parties," the main opposition in Australia is called the Liberal Party; a complete anachronism; since it is authoritarian and conservative. It is led by a fitness-crazed fellow called Tony Abbott.

[Deleted]

In 1893 New Zealand was the first country to grant Universal suffrage.

[Deleted]

Since Emporer Nicholas I of Russia in 1825 every leader since has followed an empirical pattern of bald, hairy, bald, hairy.

[Avaerilon]

... up until when, though? I think the idea works fine, until you get to Andropov; he had hair, and he came after Brezhnev, who sported a head of hair, too.

[Deleted]

This ones only true if you are Christian but the nation of Israel has been destroyed but rebuilt 3 times.

[Deleted]

Andropov was balding. as was Gorbachev as is Putin

[Avaerilon]

Fair enough :)

[Avaerilon]

No Prince of Wales since 1416 has actually been a native Welshman; after the rebellion of Owain Glyndwyr, it was a title given to the principal heir of the Anglo-Norman, and later the Anglo-German royal families.

[Deleted]

/\
I
I Cool!

[Administrator]

@narg: I'm pretty sure that is just fact. Built first, destroyed by Assyria/Babylon. After a few centuries of conquests and rebuildings under other empires, semi-independence from Greece after the Maccabean revolt. Placed under Roman suzerainty, and then obliterated by the Romans. The state was remade in 1948. There is evidence for all of that, outside the Bible. Either way, if it is only religious, it would still count in Christianity, Islam and Judaism.

The Kingdom of Prussia was the minor power in a political union; the power base for its later dominance of Central Europe was Brandenburg

[Deleted]

Well that's how it was in bible class lol

Also since you guys know everything every country in history has been created by treaties, wars, and breakups of unions. Israel is the only country created by a world union and the only country in the middle east that Iran wants to blow off the face of the earth.

[Deleted]

And it looks like Goncar and I have got some work to do... I don't know about him but I want all the SLU to be in heaven.