Internet quiz

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“There are just eight states on earth which both existed in 1914 and have not had their form of government changed by violence since then.” -- Daniel Patrick Moynihan

What are the eight? (No googling the quote.)

Comments

  1. Olivier Braun3:14 AM

    I think that there is no such state in Asia nor South America nor Africa. Europe's map has changed a lot and had 2 wars, a lot of coups.

    Let's say :
    - Switzerland
    - Great britain
    - Norway
    - United States of America
    for sure.

    Maybe also Sweden. If you count the british dominions (were they States ?) I would add Australia, New-Zealand and Canada.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. gcallah8:38 PM

      No, Norway had a fascist puppet state in the 1940s! The one you missed is a bit of a surprise: South Africa! The apartheid regime was not violently overthrown.

      Delete
    2. Olivier Braun3:21 AM

      I knew I could have a problem with Sweden, but obviously I made a confusion with Norway.

      About South Africa (I lived in Pretoria from 2011 to mid 2014) I was thinking about it, but since the ANC waged a peoples's war for 2 decades with tens of thousands of casualties, I couldn't think it was non violent.

      By the way, I wrote an article after Mandela's death on that topic, for the french Institut Turgot.

      Since I know you learned French, I give you the link, I hope you won't mind.
      http://blog.turgot.org/index.php?post/Braun-Mandela

      Delete
    3. gcallah6:09 AM

      Yes, I thought South Africa was a little problematic as well, but those were Moynihan's answers, not mine. Thanks for the link!

      Delete
  2. Nick Rowe7:14 PM

    UK, Canada, US, Australia, NZ, Sweden, Switzerland, Iceland?? (I failed history.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. gcallah8:36 PM

      Iceland was not a state yet! The rest you got.

      Delete
    2. Nick Rowe9:19 PM

      Didn't know Iceland wasn't a state in 1914. And we sort of invaded Iceland in the 1940's too, I think, though didn't really change its government.

      The anglosphere predominates in the list, is the lesson I draw.

      Delete
    3. gcallah2:43 AM

      Nick, it struck me too, how dominant the Anglosphere is in this list: even South Africa!

      Delete
  3. Ken B9:07 PM

    Before peeking at the others ...

    Canada
    USA
    Gr Britain(? Ireland might be a problem here)
    The better neutrals in ww2 Sweden, Switzerland, Monaco.
    Mexico(?)


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. gcallah2:44 AM

      I thought Ireland was a problem for Moynihan's list as well, but I guess cleaving off part of a country by violence didn't count.

      Delete
  4. Ken B9:09 PM

    Doh! Oz and NZ of course! Stupid to have missed those.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Josiah Neeley9:31 PM

    US, UK, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Switzerland, Sweden, Liechtenstein.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. gcallah2:46 AM

      I would guess with Liechtenstein, the issue was the post WWI settlement: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liechtenstein#20th_century

      Delete

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