r/HistoryGaze

Adolf Hitler did not originally want a full-scale war with United Kingdom. In fact, throughout the 1930s he often expressed admiration for the British Empire and believed Britain and Germany could coexist as dominant powers — Britain ruling the seas and its empire, Germany dominating continental Europe. His strategic focus was mainly eastward, toward expansion into Poland and the Soviet Union.

The turning point came in 1939. After Germany annexed Austria and dismantled Czechoslovakia, Britain abandoned its earlier policy of appeasement under Neville Chamberlain and guaranteed the independence of Poland. Hitler still believed Britain might ultimately back down as it had during earlier crises.

On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. Two days later, Britain and France declared war on Germany. According to many historians, Hitler was reportedly shocked and furious when informed Britain had actually followed through. Some accounts from German officials describe him staring silently after hearing the ultimatum had expired. He had gambled that Britain would not risk another continental war.

Even after war began, Hitler repeatedly tried to avoid a prolonged conflict with Britain. After the fall of France in 1940, he hoped Britain would negotiate peace. In a Reichstag speech in July 1940, he made what he described as a “final appeal to reason” to Britain. But under Winston Churchill, Britain refused negotiations and chose to continue fighting.

This led to the Battle of Britain, where Germany attempted to gain air superiority in preparation for a possible invasion called Operation Sea Lion. The German Luftwaffe bombed British airfields and later cities during the Blitz, but the Royal Air Force held out. It became Hitler’s first major military failure.

By 1941, Hitler shifted his attention toward the Soviet Union, launching Operation Barbarossa while Britain remained unconquered. This decision created the two-front war many German strategists had feared for decades. Historians generally see this as one of Hitler’s greatest strategic mistakes.

There is still debate among historians about whether Hitler ever truly intended to invade Britain or whether he mainly sought to pressure it into peace. But most agree on one point: Hitler underestimated Britain’s willingness to fight on alone after the fall of France, and that miscalculation changed the course of World War II.

The relationship often referred to as Queen Victoria’s “Munshi courtship” was the close and controversial friendship between Queen Victoria and her Indian servant and teacher Abdul Karim during the final years of her reign.

Abdul Karim arrived in Britain in 1887 from Agra as part of a group sent to serve the Queen during her Golden Jubilee celebrations. Victoria, who had ruled over an enormous empire that included British India, quickly took an unusual interest in him. She elevated Karim from a simple attendant to her personal “Munshi,” meaning teacher or secretary. He taught her Hindustani phrases, advised her on aspects of Indian culture, and became one of the monarch’s closest companions.

The relationship caused deep resentment within the British royal household and political establishment. Many members of the court viewed Karim with suspicion due to racial prejudice, class hierarchy, and fears that he was gaining too much influence over the aging Queen. Victoria frequently defended him in letters and journals, referring to him warmly and insisting he be treated with respect. She granted him honors, land in India, and privileged access that shocked aristocrats and servants alike.

Rumors spread throughout the court that the relationship was romantic, though historians remain divided and there is no definitive evidence of a sexual affair. Most mainstream historians describe it as an emotionally intimate companionship rather than a proven romance. Victoria had been widowed since the death of Prince Albert in 1861, and many scholars believe Karim filled an emotional and intellectual void in her later life similar to the earlier closeness she reportedly shared with her Scottish servant John Brown.

After Victoria’s death in 1901, the new king Edward VII moved quickly to erase Karim’s presence from royal life. Many letters between Victoria and Karim were confiscated or destroyed, and Karim was sent back to India. This fueled decades of speculation because historians lost much of the original correspondence that could have clarified the true nature of their bond.

The story regained public attention through the 2017 film Victoria & Abdul, based on research by historian Shrabani Basu. The film portrayed their relationship as a warm cross-cultural friendship formed within the rigid racial structure of the British Empire. Today, the episode is often discussed not only as a royal curiosity, but also as a window into Victorian imperial attitudes, race relations, and the loneliness of monarchy at the height of the British Empire.

#Never_Forget 🇩🇿

Abdul Hamid II ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1876 to 1909 during one of the most turbulent periods in Ottoman history. To many Muslims across the empire and beyond, he became known as a symbol of Islamic unity, resistance to European colonial expansion, and defense of Ottoman sovereignty. Supporters often refer to him as “Ulu Hakan” (“Great Khan”) because of his emphasis on centralized authority, pan-Islamic solidarity, and attempts to preserve the empire while European powers were carving up Ottoman territories.

His reign was marked by major modernization projects. Under Abdul Hamid II, the empire expanded railways, telegraph lines, schools, and administrative institutions. One of the most famous projects was the Hejaz Railway, intended to link the Muslim holy cities with the wider empire and strengthen both trade and religious unity. He also invested heavily in education and intelligence networks, believing the empire could only survive through tighter administration and modernization without fully surrendering to Western political domination.

A major part of Abdul Hamid II’s historical legacy concerns the question of Palestine and the rise of political Zionism in the late 19th century. During this period, Theodor Herzl was organizing an international movement advocating for a Jewish homeland in Palestine, then an Ottoman province. Herzl and other Zionist representatives attempted to negotiate with the Ottoman leadership, reportedly offering financial incentives and proposals that could help ease the empire’s severe debts in exchange for settlement rights and political concessions in Palestine.

Abdul Hamid II refused proposals that would have granted sovereignty or large-scale political control over Palestine. One of the most cited statements attributed to him reflects this position:

> “I cannot sell even a foot of land, for it does not belong to me but to my people.”

According to Ottoman-era memoirs and later historical accounts, he viewed Palestine as part of the Islamic trust of the الأمة and believed it should not be transferred under foreign pressure. While limited Jewish immigration into Ottoman lands continued under existing laws, Abdul Hamid’s government imposed restrictions on land purchases and long-term settlement in Palestine, especially as fears grew that immigration could eventually become a political project rather than simply a humanitarian refuge.

At the same time, historians note that the reality on the ground was more complicated than later political narratives sometimes suggest. Despite restrictions, some Jewish migration and land acquisition still occurred through legal loopholes, foreign protection systems, and inconsistent local enforcement. The Ottoman Empire was also under enormous economic and diplomatic pressure from European powers such as United Kingdom, France, and Russian Empire, all of whom were expanding influence in Ottoman affairs.

In 1909, Abdul Hamid II was deposed after the 31 March Incident and the rise of the Committee of Union and Progress. He spent the remainder of his life under house arrest until his death in 1918, the same year the Ottoman Empire collapsed following World War I. Only a few decades later, after the Balfour Declaration and the British Mandate period, the political future of Palestine entered an entirely new phase.

Because of these events, Abdul Hamid II later became an enduring figure in Muslim political memory — especially among those who saw him as one of the last major rulers to openly resist European-backed partition and Zionist political ambitions in Palestine. His supporters portray him as a ruler who defended the sanctity of Jerusalem and refused immense pressure, while critics point to authoritarian governance, censorship, and harsh suppression of dissent during his reign. Both perspectives remain part of the historical debate surrounding his legacy.

Today is Nakba Day, the day Palestinians remember the displacement of over 750,000 people in 1948.

But in Israel there's a law that essentially bans the mourning of Nakba Day.

This law was passed in 2011. It is Amendment 40 to the Budgets Foundations Law, and it is colloquially called the "Nakba Law".

It allows the government to cut funding to any institution that either a) Marks Israel's Independence Day as a day of mourning, or b) denies the existence of Israel as a "Jewish and democratic state."

This applies to schools, cultural centers, universities, and nonprofits. The law doesn't put anyone in jail, but it makes it financially risky to challenge the official story. UN Special Rapporteur Frank La Rue in June 2012 stated: "The mere existence of the law itself encourages self-censorship."

The Nakba Law is not about security. It's about controlling memory. It's an example of a state using its budget to erase an unwanted historical narrative from public discussion.

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Sources:

https://www.adalah.org/en/law/view/496

https://law.acri.org.il/en/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Nakba-Law-ENG.pdf

https://ktar.com/world-news/un-expert-slams-censorship-by-israel-palestinians/225645/

Image Info:

"Exodus - Last days in Jaffa, 1948. barefoot and pushing their belongings in carts, [Palestinian] families leave the Mediterranean coastal town of Jaffa"

https://www.unesco.org/en/memory-world/unrwa-photo-and-film-archives-palestinian-refugees?hub=1081

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYWFqToE4ci/?igsh=