history Written Assignment

Write four essays, each of which must be between 300 and 600 words long, not including the citations.  You will have a choice of questions to answer for each essay; please just choose ONE topic to write on.

Each of these essays should be five paragraphs long. The first paragraph should introduce the topic and state the student's position / answer to the question. It should contain between three-five (3-5) complete sentences, including the thesis statement for the essay. The second, third, and fourth paragraphs are the body paragraphs. Each body paragraph should contain between three-five (3-5) sentences, including the topic sentence (first sentence of the body paragraph, states a main point that supports the thesis) and at least two-three (2-3) specific examples per main point. The fifth and final paragraph should begin with a restatement of the thesis. It should be three-five (3-5) complete sentences, and include a brief summary/conclusion of your answer to the essay question.

It is essential, particularly in the survey courses, for you provide citations for their work in untimed exams. Please be sure to directly quote the text as well as cite paraphrasing of specific information.  Citations must adhere to the Chicago Style format but perfection is not expected.

Class Book: Making of the West, Volume II: Since 1500, 4th Edition

Essay1. Choose ONE of the following philosophes and explain how his ideas influenced the revolutionaries in France in the late 1700s:

• Francois-Marie Arouet (aka Voltaire)

• Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu

• Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Essay2. What were the social and cultural impacts of the Industrial Revolution on Europe?

Essay3. There were many long-term issues that culminated in the First World War.  Choose ONE of the following and discuss how it led to the great calamity:

-- militarism and the "arms race"

-- extreme nationalism and mass politics

-- imperialism in Africa and Asia

-- the relationships between the various nations of Europe

Essay4. The fighting of the Cold War ranged considerably between the 1940s and the 1980s.  Please choose ONE of the following events of the Cold War and discuss what role it played in the overall conflict between the democratic and communist powers:

-- the Marshall Plan

-- the Korean War

-- the Cuban Missile Crisis

-- the building of the Berlin Wall

-- the Vietnam War