Exam 2 Essays

Revolutionary change:

Compare and contrast the British (Glorious), American, French and Haitian Revolutions. What were the goals of each Revolution? Were these goals achieved? Why or why not? What broader lessons can be derived from your analysis?

Notes and recommendations (specific)

--Each of these revolutions had more than one single goal! Be sure to consider all of them!

--The last part of the prompt--“broader lessons”—deserves ample time, energy, and attention!

British (Glorious Revolution) - 1688:

American:

Assessing industrialization:

What are the most significant benefits and drawbacks to industrialization? Who or what benefited? Who or what lost? On balance, was industrialization beneficial or detrimental?

Industrialization was a good thing overall:

Notes and recommendations (specific)

--Do your own thinking (higher level thinking skills)! This is a question that is easily subjected to a Google search that will quickly result in a list of benefits and drawbacks to industrialization: “18 Advantages and Disadvantages of Industrialization,” etc. While such an answer may be a “right” one (although the quality and validity of sources accessible via Google are decidedly uneven), it is not your answer. I want to see how you take the available evidence from lectures and readings and reach your own conclusions (higher level thinking skills)!

--“On balance” requires taking a stand! It is obviously the case that there are both benefits and drawbacks to industrialization. But this essay prompt requires you to make a determination (even if it is only 51% vs 49%) and explain and defend it!

--Consider non-human actors and factors. Note that the “who” in the prompt need not always be a specific human or even a group of humans!

--How do you define “significant”? Be sure to explain and defend your choice of criteria. Don’t just state or assert it!

--One potentially significant result of industrialization is the power gained by early adopters including nation-states and empires. Many used this power to conquer and colonize other peoples. Is this a benefit or a drawback? Think deeply and explain your reasoning about this and all other results or legacies!

Analyzing imperialism:

1914 marks the peak of “new” or “high” imperialism when much of the world was claimed if not ruled by one European or North American power or another. What are the three (3) most significant ways the world was different because of this rapid imperialist expansion?

  1. Ruling class al

Notes and recommendations (specific)

--How do you define “significant”? Be sure to explain and defend your choice of criteria. Don’t just state or assert it!

--Remember the different types and strategies of empire (formal vs. formal; maritime vs. land-based, etc.)! The two maps below (available from the Wikipedia page “New ImperialismLinks to an external site.”) offer a nice overview of the spread of “new” imperialism in just under a century. However, if one considers individual cases, it becomes clear that even the same empire can have very different manifestations and impacts. Think about the difference between British India and Canada! Or French Indochina and Algeria!

Synthesis and description:

Explain the origin, course, and consequences of the Great War (WWI).

Causes:

  1. Imperialization
  2. Nationalism
  3. Militarization
  4. Alliances

Course:
June 28, 1914 : Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand assassinated by Gavrilo Princip
Austro-Hungarian vs Serbia

End:

Consequences:

Notes and recommendations (specific)

--All three parts of your synthesis—origin, course, and consequences—deserve equal attention and energy!

--Think globally! While the greatest amount of fighting in WWI took place in Europe, conflict also took place in other parts of the world. Consider, too, the ways in which peoples and polities from across the globe influenced and were influenced by the Great War.

--The core of this prompt is a narrative (or a story). What elements or characteristics make a good, engaging, and compelling narrative? Be sure to include and utilize them!

Connections: Explain how industrialization, nationalism, and imperialism relate to the Great War (WWI) and its legacies.

Notes and recommendations (specific)

--Be sure to use all available resources (including material on Canvas)! This is a prompt to which both Norman Angell and Vladimir Lenin probably have useful things to say (Barbara Tuchman too)! Yet most students fail to take advantage of this when answering this essay prompt. Note that no additional research on these figures is expected or needed! Just read and use what is available on Canvas (both in lectures and in other Canvas materials) and use it!

--Be sure to use specific evidence and examples to demonstrate the relationships! Make it clear that this is an essay about the Great War (WWI) and not just any conflict in the modern era.

The “big picture”: Was the world a better place in 1918 than it was in 1688?

Notes and recommendations (specific)

--How do you define “better”? Be sure to explain and defend your choice of criteria. Don’t just state or assert it! See the specific notes and recommendations for the “big picture” question on the final exam for a hopefully illuminating example.

--Pay close attention to time and change over time. Your points of comparison need not adhere solely to the specific years in question (i.e. 1688 and 1918). But they need to reasonably close. For example, asserting that the world was a worse place in 1918 because of the threat of nuclear weapons looming over the globe is anachronistic and therefore invalid. Similarly, asserting that the world was better because of the spread of crops via the Columbian Exchange (a phenomenon that began some two centuries before the period in question) would also be anachronistic absent an evidence-supported explanation for why the spread of crops significantly changed during the period 1688-1918 as compared to the earlier period.

--Note that 1688: A Global History will (obviously) be of great use in answering this question and providing specific evidence and examples to support your answers!