Wesleyan University
HISTORY 203: MODERN EUROPE
Topic for the First Paper
Submit a typed four- to five-page paper on one of the following topics. Be sure to support and illustrate your argument with specific information from the reading and the lectures, and use quotations where they help make a point. Follow the guidelines on Preparing Papers. The paper is due on Monday, September 24, at class-time.
1. In his book The Age of Revolution Hobsbawm argues that a dual revolution, comprising the French and Industrial Revolutions, transformed Europe and the world between 1789 and 1848. Could you argue that one of these forces was more important than the other in the transformation? Write about the years from 1815 up to (but not including) 1848, and discuss developments in at least three of Europe’s major countries.
2. In the first half of the nineteenth century, monarchical power flourished in Prussia, Austria and Russia, while in Britain monarchy had only vestigial powers, and in France it could not be made to work for long. Can you explain the success of monarchical rule in some countries and its failure in others? Discuss developments in at least three of Europe’s major countries.
Members of the Special Writing Sections: The paper you hand in on September 24 must be an advanced draft, with your ideas worked out and mostly whipped into shape; among other things, that will make the writing tutor’s comments most useful to you. The draft will be returned on Friday, September 28, in class (be sure to be there!). On Saturday or Sunday, September 29 or 30, you will meet with the writing tutor of your section to go over her or his comments; and the final, revised paper is due at class-time on Monday, October 1. The revised paper is the one I read and grade, but you are expected to hand in the marked-up draft along with it.
Take care while writing to:
Low grades in this course often come from lapses in these things!