Northwestern University
Department of History
History 337, Winter 2000, Professor Mokyr
Note: Since
the amount of material for this course is substantial and there is some
uncertainty about the nature of the final, I have prepared a list of exams.
None of those questions will appear on the exam exactly in this form, but the
actual exam will have similar questions, so this will help students to prepare.
The exam will consist of two parts: the first part will have 5 concepts
and names on which you will be asked to write one (summary) page each,
15 examples are provided below. The second part will have an essay question, 20
examples of which are supplied below.
Part I: Sample identifications (1 page each).
The exam will contain eight concepts of the kind below, choose five. On
each, please write one page in which you identify the person or concept,
describe its significance for the history of the country in question. Use dates
and place-names where appropriate.
1.
Alexander
Kerenski
2.
Schlieffen Plan
3.
Holy Alliance
4.
Giuseppe
Garibaldi
5.
Marshall
Radetsky
6.
Locarno Treaty
7.
King Leopold of
Belgium
8.
Steel industry
after 1860
9.
Georges
Clemenceau
10.
William
Gladstone
11.
Dreyfuss Affair
12.
Georges
Haussmann
13.
Peace of
Brest-Litowsk.
14.
Vichy
government.
15.
Poor Law
Amendment Act
Part II: Sample Essay questions.
Below are 20 questions the likes of which will appear on the exam. The
final will contain two questions, choose 1.
Clues for doing well:
1.
Read the
question well, make sure what is being asked and answer to the point;
diversionary tactics will be merciless penalized.
2.
Dare look at
the larger picture and speculate about general rules at work.
3.
Use facts to
support any generalization and analysis. Use names, dates, and place names to
give your evidence context.
4.
Argue
logically, connecting causes and effects, singling out the roles of individuals
and events.
16.
Describe the
circumstances and causes of the establishment of the second Empire in France,
and assess its successes in domestic and foreign policy.
17.
Compare the
processes which lead to the unification of Italy and Germany in the nineteenth
century and evaluate to what extent the establishment of coherent nation states
in those two countries improved the lives of their citizens.
18.
Discuss the
network of International relations that emerged between 1890 and 1914, the issues
on which the big powers disagreed, and explain how and why they led to the
First World War. Do you feel that the way they developed made the catastrophe
inevitable?
19.
List the main
components of what is known as the “Second Industrial Revolution” and explain
how they affected daily life. Was technology a force for the good from the
vantage point of 1914?
20.
What were the
main elements in the modernization of Russia between 1861 and 1914? What were
the political and economic obstacles that had to be overcome and to what extent
were the policies successful?
21.
Delineate in
some detail the political and economic arrangements that reshaped Europe (less
Russia) in the wake of World War I. Discuss in particular the political,
ethnic-national, and economic arrangements, and to what extent they contributed
to the interwar instability.
22.
What were the
main issues with which the British government had to cope between 1848 and 1914
and how were they coped with? Describe in some details the workings of the
British political system, and how its ability to solve questions differed from
its Continental neighbors.
23.
Describe the
foreign and domestic policies followed by the Habsburg Empire before 1870, and
in particular describe the various ways in which the two interacted.
24.
Delineate the
main events in Germany and the Habsburg Empire in 1848-49 and analyze the
sources of friction and unhappiness that led to the riots and revolutions, and
how they were (or were not resolved).
25.
Assess the role
of technological changes in communications (railroads, shipping, telegraph,
etc.) on the economies of Europe as well as on the political structures of the
various countries.
26.
Describe the
main political and social characteristics that made the government of the
German Empire (as established in 1871) different from other European countries.
To what extent do you feel that its ultimate failure was pre-ordained?
27.
What were the
main causes and features of the Spanish Civil War, and what explains its course
and ending? In which ways was this event specific to Spanish society? To what
extent do you feel that it hastened the onset of World War II?
28.
It is often
said that World War I was a war of technology and resources rather than a war
of men and tactics. Discuss this statement, and explain how it can guide us in
understanding the course and outcome of the War.
29.
Describe the
main outlines of European expansion in Africa and the Middle East between 1870
and 1920. What were the main objectives of the primary participants and how do
you explain the spectacular rise and fall of European Imperialism in this
period.
30.
What were the
main components of the Revolutionary and Reformist Movements in the Continent
in the period 1848-1914, and how did “the Establishment” respond to the growing
calls for economic and social changes in the various countries.
31.
What exactly is
the movement known as “nationalism” and why did it grow as much as it did in
the nineteenth century? What was the impact of Nationalism on the political
development of Germany, France and the Habsburg Empire?
32.
Describe in
some detail the political backgrounds of the “little wars” on the European
Continent between 1853 and 1871, explain what the respective participants hoped
to achieve in each and their actual outcomes.
33.
It is often
said that what explains the rise of the Nazis in Germany is not the actual
defeat in the War of 1914-18 but the economic and political disasters of Weimar
policy. Assess this statement.
34.
In what way was
the rise of Fascism in Europe between the wars (1918-40) an outcome of economic and social tension
and disruptions? Illustrate your answer with as many cases you can think of and
show how the answer differs from country to country.
35.
What were the
main developments in Irish society and politics between 1829 (Catholic
emancipation) and Independence (1922)? How did economic factors contribute to
the nature of the Irish struggle for independence?