Download ESSAYS - Sewanhaka Central High School District

ESSAY TOPIC: NON-POLITICAL REVOLUTIONS
ENLIGHTENMENT
Changes brought about by
Impacts that the revolution had
revolution:
on particular societies:
-Occurred in 1700s
-New ideas about role of
-Led to Enlightened Despots that
-Inspired by ideas of Scientific
government (challenged divine
make reforms to
Revolution
right and absolute rule)
government/society
-Rejection of traditional
-Supported principles of
-Maria Theresa & Joseph II of
beliefs/questioning
democratic republic
Austria=tax and legal reforms,
authority/using reason to
-John Locke: Natural Rights (life, religious toleration
discover truth
liberty, property)
-Frederick the Great of
-Government has a responsibility Prussia=free press, civil service
to protect these rights and if it
system
doesn’t, people can overthrow it -Catherine the Great of Russia=
-Rousseau: what’s good for
built schools, religious tolerance
everyone is more important than -Inspired a sense of
what’s good for the individual
individualism, a belief in
-Montesquieu: separation of
personal freedom, and a sense
powers
of equality
-Voltaire: free speech
-GROWTH OF NATIONALISM
THAT LEADS TO AGE OF
REVOLUTIONS (American,
French, Latin American)
NEOLITHIC REVOLUTION
Changes brought about by
Impacts that the revolution had
revolution:
on particular societies:
-Occurred 10,000 B.C.-6,000 B.C. -Change from nomadic lifestyle
-Allowed river valleys to develop
(hunting & gathering) to farming complex societies
-Paleolithic Age (“Old Stone
Age”): simple tools, temporary
-Egypt: people settle near Nile
settlements, cave paintings
River, have bureaucratic govt.
-Warmer weather and climate
ruled by pharaoh, rigid social
change allows for plants to be
structure, hieroglyphics, and
grown
advanced technology to build
-Farming and domestication of
pyramids
animals cause=dependable food
source
-Indus River Valley: Harappa and
-Population growthtowns
Mohenjo-Daro demonstrate
develop into cities (permanent
urban planning (grid-like roads)
settlements)
-Governments form, religions are
organized, new social classes
emerge, system of writing
develops, roads and bridges
built, technology improves
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
1750-1850
-Starts in Great Britain because of
geography, available money,
population growth, and natural
resources
PROTESTANT REFORMATION
1500s
ESSAY TOPIC: TURNING POINTS
Historical circumstances
surrounding the turning point:
-Agrarian Revolution (change in
farming methods) results in
increased food production, new
technology, and population
boom
-Means of production of goods
shifted:
 from hand tools to complex
machines
 from human and animal
power to steam power
-Technology developed rapidly
and production increased
-Movement of people from
farms to cities (urbanization)
-Coal and iron ore (new sources
of energy) lead to steam power
-Factories develop (at first near
rivers)
-Mercantilist economies (mother
country takes raw materials from
colonies) become capitalist
economies (private
ownership/supply and demand)
Historical circumstances
surrounding the turning point:
-Renaissance leads people to
question Roman Catholic
Church’s authority
-Church became too powerful
(excommunication, owned land
& collected taxes), fought wars
to expand influence, used money
to build grant cathedrals
-Sale of indulgences: certificates
that granted forgiveness of sins
& lessened time the soul would
spend in purgatory
-German monk Martin Luther
posts 95 Thesis, which were 95
arguments against indulgences,
on church door
How the turning point changed the
course of history:
-Laissez Faire economics:
businesses should be allowed to
operate free of government
regulation
-Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations
-Leads to rise of capitalism
(competition among
business/supply and demand)
-Rise of big business
-Poor living and working conditions
in cities and factories
-Middle class gains power
-Improved transportation
(railroads, steam engines)
-Increase in standard of living
-Emergence of socialism (Karl
Marx)—against evils of capitalism
wants workers to unite and
overthrow owners
How the turning point changed the
course of history:
-Protestant religion is formed along
with other new Christian
denominations (Calvinism and
Anglicanism)
-Roman Catholic church tries to
regain power (Counter
Reformation), makes some reforms
(Council of Trent) but loses power
-Salvation through faith alone,
people read and interpret Bible for
themselves, clergy is less powerful
and allowed to marry
-Loss of religious unity in Western
Europe
-Religious wars broke out between
Catholic and Protestant nations
-Power of monarchs increased
-Rise of nation-states
ESSAY TOPIC: POLITICAL REVOLUTIONS
FRENCH REVOLUTION (1789-1800)
CAUSES:
-Social, political, and economic
inequalities
-3rd Estate (commoners) had most
people but least rights, taxed the
most, no say in govt.
-Deficit spending: king spent money
that France didn’t have
-Enlightenment ideas spread
-Bad harvests cause starvation
RUSSIAN REVOLUTION (1917)
CAUSES:
-Rigid social structure where czar held
all power
-Peasants & urban workers were
starving and poor
-“Bloody Sunday” 1905: protestors
shot by czar’s guards
-WWI=food shortages and many
deaths
-Vladimir Lenin promises people
“peace, land, & bread,” calls for
overthrow of capitalism, and creation
of socialist society
EFFECTS ON SOCIETY:
-Moderate Phase: 3rd Estate
forms National Assembly which
took the “Tennis Court Oath,”
and eventually wrote a
constitution to limit the power
of the king
-Declaration of Rights of Man
and Citizen states people have
natural rights and includes tax
reforms
-Radical Phase: Radical group
known as Jacobins led by
Robespierre starts “Reign of
Terror”
-Slogan “Liberty, Equality,
Fraternity”
-People accused of supporting
the king were killed by guillotine
-War with other countries who
feared Revolution
-Napoleon overthrows weak
Directory and seizes power
DID IT ACCOMPLISH ITS GOALS?
YES!
-King was overthrown and
peasants/workers gained some rights
(Declaration of Rights of Man and
Citizen)
-Upper classes lost power
-Gap between rich and poor narrowed
-Napoleon creates Napoleonic Code
(equality of citizens and religious
toleration)
EFFECTS ON SOCIETY:
-Lenin comes to power and
Bolsheviks become elite group
-Reds defeat Whites in Russian
Civil War
-Interests of state placed above
interests of individual
-New Economic Policy is
createdgovt. owns large
businesses, some private
property allowed
-U.S.S.R. is created (first nation
with Communist economic
system)
-Stalin comes to power and
creates totalitarian state
DID IT ACCOMPLISH ITS GOALS?
YES!
-Land is redistributed to peasants,
gave workers control of factories and
mines
-Russia was withdrawn from WWI
NO!
-Napoleon comes to power and acts as
an emperor who held absolute power
-Congress of Vienna turns back the
clock to the way things were before
Revolution (restores King to France)
NO!
-Totalitarian states are formed denying
people rights
-Dictators replace czars
-Communism does not create a
classless society b/c Communist party
is superior
-5 Year Plans lead to collectivization of
land, crop failures, and famine
RENAISSANCE
ESSAY TOPIC: GOLDEN AGES
Achievements during:
-1400s-1600s
Causes:
-Crusades increase trade
between Europe and Middle East
making Italian city-states
wealthy centers of trade
-Italian-city states are in a
strategic location on the
Mediterranean
-Commercial Revolution leads to
rise of capitalism, banking, and
rise of new middle class
-No strong central government,
weakened power of the pope in
Italy
-A revival in learning about the
classical civilizations of ancient
Greece and Rome
-Began questioning the Roman
Catholic Church and began a
new secular (non-religious) way
of thinking called humanism—
emphasis on the achievements
of the individual
-Art was realistic (lifelike
portrayal of people) & used
perspective—to give art a threedimensional effectarts were
supported by wealthy patrons
-Advances in architecture
(domed cathedrals)
ATHENS (AGE OF PERICLES)
Achievements during:
500-400 B.C.
Greek city-state of Athens
-Greek city-states unite to defeat
Persians in Persian Wars
-Established a direct
democracy—citizens were
directly involved in the day to
day affairs of government (only
male citizens over age of 20)
-Athenians served on juries
-Greek philosophers used
observation and reason to
understand why things
happened
-Greek sculptors made realistic
art that showed the human body
in its most perfect form
-Architectural achievements like
the Parthenon (temple) use
columns
How they influence modern
world:
-Leonardo da Vinci—painter,
sculptor, inventor (Mona Lisa),
Michelangelo—painter, sculptor
(statue of David, Sistine Chapel)
-Literary achievements: began to
write in vernacular—everyday
language of ordinary people
-Famous writers: Shakespeare
(plays) & Machiavelli (“The
Prince”—rulers should use
whatever means necessary to
rule and ensure their success
“the ends justifies the means”)
- Johann Gutenberg invents the
printing press in 1456
-Books became cheaper and
more available
-Literacy increased—more
people learned to read and write
-Ideas spread rapidly, access to
new knowledge
How they influence modern
world:
-Byzantine and Islamic Empires
preserve elements of Greek
culture (spread through cultural
diffusion)
-Established basic principle of
rule by the people—used as the
basis for future democracies
(majority rule, civic debates,
juries, rule of the law)
-Greek architecture used in
many public buildings today
-Ideas of Socrates, Plato, and
Aristotle influence philosophy,
government, politics, and
ethics—continue to be discussed
in universities today
-Greek tragedies and comedies
written (literature and plays)
-Herodotus and Thucydides
record history
ISLAM
Developed in the Arabian
Peninsula (Middle East) in the
600s
-Monotheistic
HINDUISM
Originated in India in 1500 B.C.
-Polytheistic
ESSAY TOPIC: BELIEF SYSTEMS
Key beliefs/practices:
-Founder is Muhammad, an Arab
merchant from Mecca, told to
spread the word of Allah or god
-Muslims united by their holy
book, the Qur’an (Koran)—
direct word of god; guide to life
and Sharia—body of laws that
unites Muslims of different
backgrounds
-Provides order, stability, sense
of community
-Major belief—5 Pillars of Islam
1. Faith in one god
2. Fasting during holy month of
Ramadan
3. Daily prayer 5x a day
4. Charity for the poor
5. Hajj: pilgrimage to holy city of
Mecca
Key beliefs/practices:
-No single founder—developed
out of Indus Valley and Aryan
cultures
-Indians believe in many gods
but are united by one spirit,
Brahman
-Goal is to achieve moksha or
union with Brahman
-Reincarnation is necessary to
give people more time to
achieve moksha
-Performing actions in one’s
lifetime (karma) and fulfilling
moral and religious duties
(dharma) determines caste in
next life
-Caste system (developed by
Aryans)
-Caste system limits social
mobility and provides order and
stability(priests and warriors on
top, Untouchables at the bottom
-Vedas are religious writings
Influence on region:
-Division of Sunni and Shiite has
led to conflict and violence in the
Middle East (Iraq, Iran)
-Pilgrimage to Mecca promotes
cultural diffusion
-Expansion of empires Umayyad
and Abbasid
-Prophet Muhammad stressed
education and learning—leads to
cultural centers of learning like
Baghdad, Cairo, Cordoba
-Suleiman expands Ottoman
Empire because religious unity of
Muslims and religious toleration
-Timbuktu because Islamic
cultural city because of Mansa
Musa’s pilgrimage to Mecca
Influence on region:
-Gupta empire is golden age of
Hinduism (caste system is
expanded, untouchables given
worst jobs and separated from
rest of castes)
-Village life governed by caste
rules and traditions
-Hindu law required people to
marry only within own caste
-Hindu centers of learning are
established—leads to
development of the concept of
zero, decimal system, Arabic
numerals, advances in medicine,
architecture, and literature
-Caste system controls India until
new age of imperialism when
British crown takes control
APARTHEID IN SOUTH AFRICA
HOLOCAUST
-1939-1945
ESSAY TOPIC: CONFLICT/HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
Historical circumstances:
Effect on two groups involved:
-1700s- Dutch, French, and German settle -African National Congress was set
South Africa—known as Afrikaners
up to oppose white domination
(Afrikaner farmers became known as
(used boycotts and civil
Boers)
disobedience)
-1910: South Africa gains independence
-Nelson Mandela leads underground
from Great Britain
movement to mobilize young South
-White minority controlled
Africans to resist apartheid laws
government/economy
(jailed for treason)
-Blacks majority was not allowed to vote
-ANC turns violent after Sharpeville
-Whites passed racial laws that restricted Massacre
rights of blacks
-Desmond Tutu, a black, South
-1948: government expanded racial
African bishop and civil rights leader
segregation by creating policy of
convinced businesses to limit trade
apartheid (claimed that apartheid would
and investment in segregated South
allow each race to develop its own
Africa
culture)
-Apartheid ends in 1994
-Required black Africans and other
-Nelson Mandela elected president
nonwhites to carry pass books (I.D.
in 1994
Books), live in certain zones, segregated
- Since 1994, South Africa has faced
public facilities and transportation, forbid huge challenges
interracial marriage
-Limited resources
-Blacks paid low wages and had inferior
-Large income and education gap
schooling which kept them in poverty
between blacks and whites
-High poverty and unemployment
-AIDS Epidemic
Historical circumstances:
Effect on two groups involved:
-Germany was blamed for WWI and had
-6 million Jews (2/3 of Jewish
to pay reparations—economy suffered
population) are killed
due to inflation, unemployment, and
-Jews live in constant state fear and
debt
lose sense of security
-Hitler wanted to create “living space” for -Jews migrate to different countries
the “superior” Aryan race in Germany
for protection
-Hitler’s goal was to create Third Reich in -After WWII, Jews gain their own
which Aryan race would dominate
country in Israel
Europe
-Hitler committed suicide and Nazi
-“Final Solution” was the systematic
leaders flee Germany
extermination of Jews (used as scapegoat -Nazi leaders put on trial for human
for Germany’s problems)
rights violations—Nuremberg Trials
-Nuremberg Laws restricted rights of
-Germany divided up after WWII
Jews, Kristallnacht (“Night of Broken
between Allied countries
Glass”)= attacks on Jewish communities,
Jews were placed in ghettos, shipped on
cattle cars to concentration camps
(Auschwitz) where they were starved,
worked, shot, or gassed to death
COMMUNISM
FASCISM
ESSAY TOPIC: POLITICAL SYSTEMS
Characteristics of system:
-Karl Marx and Richard Engels (German
philosophers) write The Communist
Manifesto
-History was a class struggle between
“haves”—(bourgeoisie=wealthy
capitalists) and “have-nots”—
(proletariat=working class
-The proletariat would eventually rise up
and overthrow the capitalist system
-Called for a worldwide revolution
-Supported by workers and peasants
-The proletariat would take control of the
means of production (the farms, factories,
railways, and other large businesses) and
establish a classless, communist society, in
which wealth and power were equally
shared
-No private property
-Government eventually withers away
-Fascists believed in seizing power by
force and violence
-Believed that dictatorship was a strong
and efficient form of government
-Government controls every aspect of
human activity—totalitarian state
-Supported extreme nationalism
-Believed in imperialism so their nation
could develop and rule an empire
-Built up military and glorified war
-Only superior nations would have power
in the world (“survival of the fittest”)
-Placed the goals of the state (nation’s
government) above individual rights
-Against communism
-Believed social classes were necessary for
a stable society and favored upper classes
and industrial leaders
-Brought the economy under government
control BUT PRESERVED CAPITALISM
Region affected:
-Lenin comes to power in the Soviet
Union by exposing peasants and urban
workers to ideas of communismleads
to Bolshevik Revolution of 1917
-Once in power, Communist Party holds
all political power—takes control of
banks and businesses
-New Economic Policy- tries to correct
economic failures by allowing some
private ownership of business and land
-Stalin uses communism to become a
totalitarian dictator
-Harsh tactics eliminate enemies (Great
Purge, gulags—prison camps,
censorship, propaganda)
-5 Year Plans to increase agriculture and
industry using collectivization lead to
starvation and supply shortages
-Differences between Communism and
western democracies leads to Cold War
-Gorbachev’s policies of perestroika
(reshaping govt. & economy) and
glasnost (openness to democratic ideas)
lead to collapse of Communist Soviet
Union
-Benito Mussolini organizes the Fascist
Party in Italy after WWI
-Promises to end unemployment, gain
more land for Italy, and eliminate all
Communist threats (reaction to Treaty of
Versailles and harsh conditions after
WWI)
-Used force and terror to gain control of
Italy
-Black Shirts: “combat squads” that used
intimidation to gain support
-Killed and jailed enemies
-Used censorship and propaganda
-Ended free speech, free press, and free
elections
-Inspired blind loyalty to leader
-Developed cult of personality
-Encourages women to “win battle of
motherhood”=have 14 children or more
ISLANDS
LOCATION
ESSAY TOPIC: GEOGRAPHY
How the factor affected development of
How geographic feature promoted or hindered
specific region:
cultural diffusion:
-Island chains were very mountainous which
Hindered Cultural Diffusion:
meant there was a lack of good farmland
-Greeks believed they were superior to people
-Greeks become skilled sailors and develop
from foreign lands (Egyptians and Persians)—
seafaring trade
called them “barbarians”
-Isolated and protected Greek city-states from -Developed traditional religion honoring many
foreign invasions
gods and goddesses
-Greeks developed a unique culture and
-City-states developed differently and
society
independently of one another:
-Led to a decentralized government with many -Athens=limited but direct democracy, laws made
different city-states (polis)
by assembly (only male citizens over 20), stressed
education for boys, women inferior to men
-Sparta=monarchy with two kings, totalitarian
city-state, military society with training for all
boys, women obey men but own property
-Sparta did not allow trade with other city-states
-Differences between city-states led to conflict
and caused the Peloponnesian Wars, leading to
the decline of Ancient Greece
-Japan’s location on the Ring of Fire makes it
Helped Cultural Diffusion:
vulnerable to earthquakes, volcanoes, and
-Location near China and Korea helped spread
tsunamis
ideas and knowledge from the mainland to the
-Living in unsettled natural environment
islands of Japan
causes a deep respect for nature—leads to the -Selective Borrowing: language (kana), Buddhism
development of Shintoism (worship of kami— (Zen Buddhism), art & architecture, and
spirits in living and nonliving things)
government (Confucian ideas) were all borrowed
-Shintoism unites all of Japan
and adapted—preserves a traditional Japanese
-Since it was an island nation located in the
culture
Pacific it was protected from foreign invasion
-Need for raw materials and natural resources
-Since it was surrounded by water, Japanese
leads to expansion after Meiji Restoration
life revolved around the sea—fish was major
-Location near China and Russia leads to Sinofood source and industry
Japanese War (1894) and Russo-Japanese War
-Location near mainland China allowed it to
(1904) which were fought over control of Korea,
learn from the Chinese but it was too far away land, and resources
for the Chinese to conquer
Hindered Cultural Diffusion:
-Island location allows Tokugawa Shogunate to
keep Japan isolated from other cultures
-Banned all trade with western merchants and
prohibited Japanese from travelling abroad
-Japan lags behind the western world in industry
and technology
-Forced to open up by Commodore Matthew
Perry which leads to Meiji Restoration
CAPITALISM IN
WESTERN
EUROPE
DURING THE
INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION
ESSAY TOPIC: ECONOMIC SYSTEMS
Historical circumstances
Two features of economic system:
leading to economic system:
-Farmers—who had lost jobs -All property, including the means
due to the enclosure of farm of production, is privately owned
lands & improvements in
-Private businesses and
farming technology during
individuals are free from public &
Agricultural Revolution—
government control so they can
moved to the cities to find
make basic economic decisions,
economic opportunities
including what, where, how
-Capitalism starts in England
much, and at what prices goods
because of the Industrial
will be produced
Revolution
-Prices are determined by supply
-Britain’s overseas empire
and demand
enabled businessmen to
-Competition promotes high
grow wealth and have capital quality and low prices
(money) to invest
-Profits for investors and
-Rising middle class
businessmen
(bourgeoisie) invested their
-Invisible hand of competition
money in new businesses or
would drive the economy
developed new technologies -Factory owners started
businesses to gain profits
-Adam Smith supported
laissez-faire capitalism (wrote
“Wealth of Nations”) which
allowed factory owners to
produce and sell goods with
no interference from the
government (“hands off”)
-Rise of factories allowed
goods to be produced quickly
and cheaply
Impact of economic system
on society:
-Widens gap between rich
and poor
-Workers are paid low wages
and live in poverty
-Working conditions in
factories are unsanitary and
dangerous
-Some people enjoy higher
standard of living (new
technology, new medicines)
-Competing economic and
social views emerge
(Socialism and Communism)
-Labor unions form to protect
workers—bargained with
employers, negotiated for
higher pay and better
working conditions
-Reform legislation was
passed by British Parliament
-Movement toward a global
economy
HITLER
GANDHI
ESSAY TOPIC: LEADERS
Situation leader attempted to change: Action leader took to change
situation:
-Germany was punished by the Treaty -Promises to restore German
of Versailles
pride and create “Third Reich”
-Forced to admit responsibility for the -Uses cult of personality and
war, pay reparations (war payments),
propaganda to promote
lost land (Alsace-Lorraine) and
concept of racial superiority—
colonies around the world, had to
Aryan race must not be
demilitarize (along the Rhineland)
contaminated by Jews
-German economy suffered due to
-Ruled over a fascist oneinflation, unemployment, and debt
party government controlled
after the Great Depression
by the Nazi Party
-Germany controlled by a weak
-Launched public works
democratic government—Weimar
programs to create jobs
Republic—people lose faith in
-Businesses were placed
democracies and communism
under government control
-Ended civil rights, silenced
enemies with a secret police
(Gestapo) and uniformed
troops (SS)
-Indoctrinated (brainwashed)
Nazi Youth with messages of
racism
-British East India Company takes
-Indian nationalist leaders
advantage of Indian diversity to
organize the Indian National
control 3/5 of India
Congress which believed in
-British use sepoys (Indian soldiers) to peaceful protest to gain selfprotect them—violation of their
government
religious beliefs leads to Sepoy
-After Amritsar Massacre
Rebellion
(Indian protestors killed by
-British crush rebellion and put India
British soldiers), Indian
directly under rule of British queen
National Congress calls for
-British held top positions in Indian
complete independence
government and top jobs
-Gandhi urges Indians to use
-Indian resources go to Great Britain
nonviolent resistance by
-British-made goods imported at low
boycotting British goods and
prices replace Indian-made goods—
returning to Indian traditional
local businessmen loose money
ways of textile production--British encouraged Indian farmers to
"Homespun Movement"
shift from growing food crops to
-Use of hunger strikes, civil
raising cotton--leads to famine that
disobedience, and Salt March
killed millions
(protests British salt
-Indians are treated as inferiors—their monopoly by collecting salt
culture is replaced with western ways from sea) to gain global
(schooling, laws, customs)
visibility and embarrass the
British into granting India
independence
Impact action had on society:
-German economy recovers,
unemployment and inflation
decreases
-German nationalism grows
and becomes militaristic—
leads to desire for expansion
-Jews live in constant fear—
used as scapegoats for
Germany’s problems; victims
of genocide and human rights
violations—Holocaust
-German culture was “purged”
or purified
-Religion was controlled by the
government
-His ideas create unity
between Hindus and Muslims
(they call him Mahatma or
“Great Soul”
-Over time British control of
India was weakened, and in
1947, India gained
independence
-India was partitioned or
divided into India and Pakistan
-Tensions between Hindus and
Muslims increased and
millions are killed crossing the
borders
-India sets up a democratic
government with Jawaharlal
Nehru as its first prime
minister
-Discrimination between
castes still exists