Sample Essay Questions

Ch. 15

1. Compare the reigns of Frederick William
    of Brandenburg and Peter the Great of
    Russia. How were their policies similar?
    How were they different?

2. Define Absolutism and determine to what
    extent France's government in the 17th
    century can be labeled an absolute monarchy.

3. Discuss the theory of absolutism according
    to Bishop Bossuet. Be able to explain how
    Versailles exemplified these ideas.

4. What did Louis XIV hope to accomplish in
     his domestic and foreign policies? To what
     extent did he succeed? Give specific
     examples of his successes and failures.

5. What was the doctrine of mercantilism?
    How did European countries practice it?
    How was it related to European colonial
    expansion?

6. Discuss the ways in which Louis XIV
    controlled the three estates.

7. Discuss the reforms of Peter the Great and
    how they effected Russian society.

8. Describe Prussian society beginning with
    Frederick the Great elector and the
    importance of the Prussian military.

Ch. 16

1. How did 17th century science differ from
    Medieval science? What was the Ptolemaic
    conception of the universe, and what did
    Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo contribute
    to the development of a new view of the
    universe?

2. What were the foundations of the Scientific
    Revolution? How would you explain the
    scientific developments of the 17th century?

3. How was scientific knowledge shared and
    spread in the 17th century?

4. Explain the discoveries of Copernicus,
    Kepler, Newton, and Galileo.
    Were these discoveries revolutionary?

5. Discuss the impact of the Scientific
    Revolution on religion and politics.

Ch. 17

1. Discuss the work of several Enlightenment
    philosophes, summarizing their major
    characteristics and ideas.

2. Discuss the major intellectual changes that
    led to the Enlightenment.

3. What new ideas did the philosophes
     contribute to politics, economics, education,
     and religion?

4. How do the art and literature of the 18th
    century reflect the political and social life
    of the period?

5. How was the Enlightenment was an
    outgrowth of the Scientific Revolution?

Ch. 18

1. Some historians speak of an agricultural
    revolution in the 18th century.
    Did one actually occur? Why or why not?

2. What important changes occurred in
    population, family, and birthrate patterns
    in the 18th century?

3. What do we mean by the phrase
     "enlightened politics", and to what extent
     was politics enlightened in the European
     states in the 18th century?

4. Compare the development of absolutism
    in Prussia, Austria, and Russia. What are
    the similarities and differences? What did
    the rulers achieve? How did they fail?

5. How and why did the nobility play a
    dominating role in European society in
    the 18th century?

6. What was the nature of war and diplomacy
     in the 18th century? Explain the idea of
     the balance of power.

Ch. 19

1. Discuss the political, social, and economic
    causes of the French Revolution. Was one
    cause more important than the others?
    Why or why not?

2. What impact did the American Revolution
     have on Europe?

3. Why did the French Revolution enter a
     radical phase?

4. Why did the Committee of Public Safety
     begin the Reign of Terror?

5. Discuss Napoleon's achievements and
    policies.

Ch. 20

1. Why did the Industrial Revolution begin
     in Great Britain?

2. Discuss and trace the role of the factory
    in the early Industrial Revolution.
    What made the factory system possible?
    What impact did it have on the lives of
    workers?

3. How are changes in population growth
    and the development of urbanization
    related to the Industrial Revolution?

4. How did the early Industrial Revolution
    the family, the role of women, and the living
    and working conditions of industrial
    workers?

5. Compare and contrast the development of
    industry on the European continent with
    developments in England.

Ch. 21.

1. Discuss the Congress of Vienna.
    What did it try to accomplish?
    How well did it succeed in achieving
    its goals?

2. How was Britain able to avoid revolution
    in the 1830s and 1840s?

3. Discuss the major ideas of Romanticism.
    How were they related to the political,
    social, and literary forces of the time?

4. What caused the revolutions of 1848?
    What did they achieve initially?
    Why did the revolutionary forces fail?

5. What were the major ideas of liberalism
    and nationalism? Why were these ideas
    considered revolutionary by some?
    How were these ideas similar and different?

Ch. 22

1. Despite Marx's claim for Marxism's
    scientific basis, why can Marxism be
    viewed primarily as a product of its age?

2. Evaluate the unification of either Italy or
    Germany: What roles did Cavour and
    Bismarck play? What role did war and
    diplomacy play?

3. What reasons does the author give to
    convince the reader that continental
    industrialization came of age between 1850
    and 1871? How did continental
    industrialization differ from England's?
 

Ch. 23

1. Explain what is meant by the Second
    Industrial Revolution and discuss its
    impact on European society.

2. What do we mean by the phrase
     "mass society" and how was the growth of
     this mass society related to changes in the
     urban environment?

3. Discuss the various explanations for late
    19th century imperialism. Which do you
    believe is the best explanation?  Why?

4. Discuss the structure of European society
    between 1870 and 1894. Why do historians
    focus so much attention on the middle class
    during this period?

5. Compare and contrast middle class and
    working class families. How would you
    explain the similarities and differences?

Ch. 24

1. Explain/define Naturalism in literature and
    Impressionism in art. How were they
    products of or reactions to modern mass
    society?

2. Discuss the various explanations for late
    19th century imperialism. Which do you
    believe is the best explanation?  Why?
 
 
 

Ch. 25

Ch. 26

1. What were the causes of the Great
     Depression? How did the European states
     respond to the Great Depression?

2. What were Hitler's ideas and how did he
     implement them once he and the Nazis had
     established a Nazi state in Germany?

3. What Impact did the growth of mass culture
     and mass leisure have upon European
     society in the 1920s and 1930s?

4. Discuss the causes of WWI: What were the
    long range causes of the war? What nation,
    if any, was the most responsible for causing
    the war?

5. Discuss the effects of WWI on political life,
    economic affairs, the social classes, and
    women.

6. What caused the Russian Revolution?
     How did Lenin and the Bolsheviks manage
     to seize and hold power despite their small
     numbers? How did they secure power during
     the civil war?

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