Question Description
5 pages
1. What were the most significant changes in Africa during the nineteenth
century, and why did they occur?
2. During the nineteenth century, both Japan and China faced a combination of
internal tensions and Western imperialism. How did these two countries
respond to these challenges? Where did this leave both countries by the start
of the twentieth century?
3. What were the global consequences of WWI? How did the settlement at the
close of the war mark the start of a new era in international relations? What
pre-war problems did this resolve and what new tensions did it create?
4. Thinking about political extremism during the interwar period, write an
essay comparing either Italian fascism or German National Socialism with
Stalinism. In what ways were these political regimes similar and where did
they differ? How were they both seeking to address similar economic, social,
and political issues.
5. Compare the struggle for independence in two countries following WWII.
What were the factors that led to the push for independence? Were they
both violent? If so, why? If not, why not?
6. Using two cases, explore the nature and character of genocide. In what
contexts does it seem to emerge and why does it appear so difficult to
prevent?
7. The Cold War dominated international politics during the second half of the
twentieth century. What were the causes of the Cold War? Using two
examples, describe how even though the US and the Soviet Union never went
to war, the Cold War featured a host of violent conflicts often playing out in
the Third World. Why did the Cold War make these conflicts so lethal?