So many what ifs when it comes to the Roman conquering of Greece… If it wasn‘t for Rome, who knows what Greece or Europe could have looked like today… #history #europeanhistory #ancientgreece #ancientrome #romanempire #europe #normandavies #greece #syracuse #alternatehistory #moeriscus #Carthage #hannibal
Art was a comfort to the Greeks. Through wars, natural disasters, and the cruel fates of life, art has a way of saving people, and the Greeks recognized that and used it, particularly in their tragedies. #tragedy #art #europe #normandavies #greek #ancientgreece #europeanhistory #history #worldhistory #greekhistory #arthistory
I‘m going to use a word I probably shouldn‘t and see where it goes. The Phoenicians were Semites just like the Jews and the Arabs. The worshipped Baal and were often singled out by the Greeks and the Romans who eventually adopted the Judaeo-Christian tradition. For this reason, we don‘t know very much about this group of people even though they were around for over 1,000 years. How did antisemitism of the Phoenicians hurt them and their story?
We also learned about the Theory of Chaos where small actions can have a large impact on complex systems over time. I got a feeling we‘ll be using this theory more often. I‘m not going to make a discussion out of it, but I want us all to think about the previous books we have read and think about where the Theory of Chaos may apply. #theoryofchaos #history #europe #europeanhistory #normandavies #cnossos #mycenae #crete #prehistory
We learned some new terms in the end starting with Catastrophe Theory where math is used to understand how sudden, discontinuous changes can arise from smooth, continuous changes. #chaostheory #europe #normandavies #history #prehistory #cnossos #mycenae #thera #europeanhistory #volcano #volcanoceruptions #greece
I think my textbook is trying to tell me something… #politicalscience #oxfordhandbookofpoliticalscience #homework#robertgoodin #overviewofpublicpolicy #thepublicanditspolicies #publicpolicy #policy #relationships #politics
We‘re reading a surprise second book! As part of grad school, I‘ve been reading The Oxford Handbook of Political Science and have actually found it to be very interesting. I‘ve even been reading a few extra chapters outside the syllabus. I‘ll definitely be reading more of these in the future! #politicalscience #oxfordhandbooks #robertgoodin #oxfordhandbookofpoliticalscience #americanpolitics #internationalpolitics #comparativepolitics #theory
Apologies for the bad highlighting. #europe #normandavies #history #europeanhistory #rewritinghistory
It‘s late, but not too late for a discussion. We just read multiple variants of defining the “West” from the “East.” Many are shaped by the times themselves and can seem abnormally outdated. In fact, the whole idea of West and East seems outdated, but we keep defining it. It‘s currently 2025. How do you define West and East? Where do you draw that line when you hear these terms? #europe #normandavies #west #east #history #worldhistory #politics
pickWhen I read “short histories,” I expect something for beginners, but John Julius Norwich gives us a lot of detail to read in this story. I can‘t wait to read the three volume work and see what more details Norwich can find.
The People‘s crusade was an absolute mess…but did it have an underlying purpose? Let me know what you think in the comments and feel free to share with your own followers as well. #johnjuliusnorwich #ashorthistoryofbyzantium #byzantineempire #byzantium #thepeoplescrusade #peterthehermit #alexiuscomnenus #history #europeanhistory #seljukturks
One common theme I‘ve noticed is fighting the pope to divorce our wives. Sound familiar? Yes, but what makes Henry VIII different is Henry actually split from the church. Leaders at this point typically threatened to leave but never actually took that step, but the point is Henry VIII was not creative. He just crossed that line that we haven‘t seen before.#history of Byzantium #byzantineempire #catholicchurch #henryviii #pope #patriarch
This one might be a little tough. How did Islam influence Christianity during this time period? #islam #christianity #discussion #ashorthistoryofbyzantium #catholicchurch #byzantium #byzantineempire #johnjuliusnorwich #popeleo #iconoclasm
Sound like anyone else we‘ve talked about recently? #justinian #ashorthistoryofbyzantium #ohnjuliusnorwich #byzantineempire #easternromanempire #emperor #worldhistory #europeanhistory #history #failures #successes
Part 3 (finally): Doctrine was not necessarily questioned by the regular public back then, but I look at it now as an adult in 2025 and ask myself what was written solely for a political purpose, and if there is a God, what God would want us to believe? I am not a theologian by any means, but I still question doctrine to an extent, and I question the origins and motivations of fundamental beliefs because of these councils.
Part 2: In Catholic school, we learned that the councils were called by church leaders due to a fundamental question that needed to be answered, but it was solved peacefully and the church reinstated its authority…
But as we‘ve learned in A Short History of Byzantium, church councils were highly political, and the outcome often depended on how many people from each side attended the council.
Part 1: Let‘s talk about ecumenical councils, particularly what their purpose was, what Catholic school said they were, and what they actually were. Whenever there was a conflict in the church, someone in a position of power, many times the emperor, would decree an ecumenical council. The council was a meeting of bishops to discuss the question presented, and the Holy Spirit was supposed to come down and guide the council to the right answer…
We‘re going to pull a little bit from the last book we read because I see parallels: What parallels do you see between the hippodrome mob rebellion and the January 6 insurrection we read about in The Divider? I see parallels, but I want to know what you all think. #thedivider #ashorthistoryofbyzantium #johnjuliusnorwich #peterbaker #susanglasser #donaldtrump #joebiden #justinian #theodora #byzantium #byzantineempire #insurrection #rebellion
New word alert- Homooussios is used to describe Jesus and God as one. Constantine the Great inserted this word into Christian doctrine at the Council of Nicaea to counter Aries of Alexandria who told followers Jesus is not God. #ashorthistoryofbyzantium #johnjuliusnorwich #councilofnicaea #constantinethegreat #byzantineempire #homoousios #arianism #christianity #churchhistory #worldhistory #europeanhistory #history
I keep thinking about how Constantine created laws and legislation that was influenced by Christianity, but never mentioned it or Christ. It reminds me of my reversion to Islam and how I started doing things that were more in line with Islam before I started thinking about reverting. Constantine‘s decision was most likely political, but it makes me wonder if he was starting to adopt a Christian lifestyle before thinking about converting.
pickIs Trump going to destroy democracy? No. Is he a threat to the world as we know it? No. Is he going to get rid of the constitution? No. Is he a spoiled rich boy who has no regard for ethics and politics and is surrounded by people who can‘t say no to him? Yes. Are we in trouble? I‘ll let you decide that one. #thedivider #peterbaker #susanglasser #donaldtrump #uspolitics #ushistory #politicalscience #history #presidency #trumpadministration
Which leads me to my next question: Donald Trump is set to become president again, so what can we as citizens and even non-citizens do different this time that we didn‘t do last time whether it‘s in our communities here at home or whether it‘s how we hold our leaders accountable for their ideas as well as their actions? #thedivider #peterbaker #susanglasser #accountability #president #congress #leaders #uspolitics #politicalscience
…And we know now that it‘s not over, and we get to do the same thing again… #thedivider #peterbaker #donaldtrump #susanglasser #americanpresidency #uspolitics #ushistory #history #politicalscience #impeachment
“You knew the house was burning down.”__Alex Warren #thedivider #donaldtrump #peterbaker #susanglasser #january6 #americanpresidency #alexwarren #uspolitics #politicalscience #ushistory #history #insurrection #impeachment #burningdown
Please. No. Not again. Can we please have a smooth, election certification? Or do we need to start rethinking the certification process? #thedivider #january6 #electioncertification #4yearslater #politicalscience #uspolitics #speakerofthehouse #president #vicepresident
Going off the last post, what if Mike Pence and Mitch McConnell had agreed last minute to prevent the certification of electoral votes and the January 6 mob was outside the Capitol and didn‘t get the message? Because let‘s be honest, at that point, no matter what happened inside, the Capitol would have been breached. I think that‘s what gets me. The alternative outcome most likely would not have prevented the insurrection.
Alternate history: As a historian, political science, and counterterrorism studies major, there‘s a lot of what ifs with January 6: What if there really was proven voter fraud? What if, in the middle of politics, we missed an opportunity to investigate fraud and fraud going forward? What if Mike Pence and Mitch McConnell would have stopped the vote? Would it have changed the outcome? I don‘t know.
It‘s time to move into our last section from November 2020-January 2021. Mentally, I‘m not ready to cover January 6, 2021, but we have to do it. We‘re sticking to #thedivider with a few opinions and discussions mixed in as we have been doing. As always, I open the floor to dissenting opinions, but most important, I open the floor to evidence above all else. Here we go. #susanglasser #peterbaker #january6 #donaldtrump #joebiden #presidency #history
I just find it interesting in 2020 the idea of Joe Biden being replaced as a presidential candidate with a stronger democrat was seen as a Trump conspiracy theory… yet here we are in 2024. 2020 foreshadows 2024.
And that was the problem with the whole pandemic. Politics got in the way. I wonder how many lives could have been saved had we not let politics get in the way of healthcare? #pandemic #thedivider #peterbaker #susanglasser #donaldtrump #covid19 #coronavirus #anthonyfauci #ushistory #history #politicalscience #uspolitics
Language alert!- In a world of rivals, Chris Christie and Donald Trump had remained friends… up until this point at least. After Trump‘s disastrous Oval Office speech that Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump convinced him to give, Chris Christie finally asked the question I‘m sure we‘ve all been asking since the beginning of this book- What the fuck does Jared know about politics? #thedivider #donaldtrump #jaredkushner #peterbaker #susanglasser
But is it a high crime though?… That is the question… #thedivider #peterbaker #susanglasser #donaldtrump #impeachment #ukraine #volodimirzelensky #foreignaid #uspolitics #politicalscience #history #ushistory
I could honestly repost Mulvaney‘s entire conversation, but I think I‘ll just highlight this. #mulvaney #mickmulvaney #thedivider #peterbaker #susanglasser #ukraine #russia #foreignpolicy #corruption #donaldtrump #impeachment #presidency #internationalpolitics #worldhistory #history #politicalscience
But enough about what I think… how would the Middle East look today if John Bolton and Mike Pompeo got their way and we went to war with Iran? #thedivider #peterbaker #susanglasser #donaldtrump #johnbolyon #mikepompeo #war #iran #internationalpolitics #alternatehistory #history #ushistory #worldhistory #uspolitics #politicalscience
I‘m a political scientist, a historian, and as of recent, an anti war activist, particularly senseless wars with no purpose. I think Trump made the right call in deciding not to go to war with Iran. Strikes would have put more pressure on Iran, and a regime change could have been successful, but the other side of the matter is we could have started another 20 year war.
Once again, another Shakespeare reference. #thedivider #peterbaker #susanglasser #donaldtrump #uspolitics #robertmueller #politicalscience #ushistory #history #russia #russianinterference #investigation #uspresidency
I look at other sources of disinformation such as biased news sources such as Fox News or MSNBC on the left. I think if a person focuses on one news source alone, it‘s going to impact a person‘s decision more than Russia ever could. I guess the way I look at it, Russian interference is a big deal, but there were other influences in 2016 that could change a person‘s opinion before he or she even looked at Russian propaganda.
When it comes to Russian interference in the 2016 election we have, I am skeptical regarding how much the Russians influenced my vote, my family‘s votes, my state‘s vote, all the way to everyone in the US‘ vote. Did Russia create fake stories and fake social media pages to influence others? Yes, but I think at a certain point unless a person was truly undecided when finding a Russian page, most people had their minds made up.
Donald Trump not only had a hard time understanding international politics, but also had a hard time understanding war and sacrifice. At a certain point, there was just no teaching him. #thedivider #peterbaker #susanglasser #donaldtrump #war #politics #uspolitics #internationalpolitics #military #sacrifice #history #worldhistory #ushistory #politicalscience
So there was no invasion. 🤷🏻♀️There was no mass caravan, but I think the lesson of the debacle is that unethical practices were never off the table for Trump. But what if there was an invasion? And what if it would have been successful? If the caravan had succeeded, what would the country look like today? And just because I‘m curious what measures could Trump have taken to prevent the migrants from crossing the border?
I was going to wait until the end of the chapter, but I decided to go ahead and post a thought. Clearly, the house was burning down in 2018, and when we say the house, we mean the White House and entire executive branch. Trump had grandiose ideas. Members of Trump‘s cabinet had grandiose ideas. Those who actually had knowledge of any type of legal procedures were shut down in a matter of minutes. Here‘s hoping 2025 will be better.
