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Western Civilization II (HI104), Tuesday/Thursday Section
Anthony A. Ball, Instructor

 

Paper Assignments and Primary Sources
Distributed in Class on 2/20/01

 

I.    General Instructions

The writing assignment for this course consists of a short paper.  Papers should be 5-7 pages long, typed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins left/right and top/bottom. You should use a normal sized font (10 or 12 point). Please do not prepare an elaborate cover page or use any kind of plastic folder or jacket. Simply type your name and course information in the upper right hand corner of the first page, in the same way that I have done here. The paper is due in class on 5/3.  Late papers will be penalized one (1) letter grade for each day, or part of a day, late.  Under no circumstances will papers be accepted after 5/8.  Your final paper should be closely proofread. Your grade will be adversely affected by excessive spelling and/or grammatical errors.

The purpose of this assignment is to get you to use primary sources in formulating your own opinions about the history of western civilization.  As I will state throughout the course, a primary source is simply any document, image, artifact or other thing created during the historical time period being studied.  Hammurabi's Code (c. 1790 B.C.E.) is a primary source.  Your textbook itself is not a primary source.  However, the textbook contains many primary sources which you should consider for your topics.  Each chapter includes one or more "Witnesses" boxes, usually first-hand accounts of a particular aspect or problem in western society.  Many of the visual images in the textbook (paintings, sculpture, etc.) are also legitimate primary sources from which you may draw appropriate conclusions.  It is important that you avail yourself of these sources, although most of the information for the papers will likely come from the web site.

Go to the web site (TonyBall.com) and follow the links to Western Civilization II, Tuesday/Thursday Section.  Click the "Assignments" icon.  There you will see this document, along with links to the various primary sources listed below.  You are to use these sources to write your papers.  If you do not have access to the Internet, you should utilize the computers in the library or in the school computer labs.  The librarians are familiar with my web pages and can help you.  I am also available during my office hours or by appointment if you need help obtaining the documents.

You need not use all the primary sources listed for each topic.  You should utilize enough sources to be able to answer the question in a 5-7 page paper.  During the course of the semester, I am very likely to add more primary sources under each topic.  Although I will announce new sources in class, you should check the site periodically to see whether any new material has been added for your topic.  I may also add one or two additional topics during the next couple of weeks.  I will announce any such additions in class, but you should also check the web site on your own.

At the end of the paper you should provide a list of the sources utilized. If you have used a primary source from the web site, simply cite that source in the same manner as it appears on the list. For example, Aelius Donatus, On Barbarism (undated, after 354 C.E.).   To cite other sources, refer to the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, which is on reserve in the library.

There are two types of additional research which you may want to do. First, you may need to re-read specific parts of the textbook or other secondary sources to get background information in your topic. Be very careful in utilizing secondary sources. The purpose of this paper assignment is to get you to use historical evidence to draw your own inferences and conclusions, not to rely on what another historian or writer has to say. The most common reason for a low or failing grade on these paper assignments is reliance on secondary rather than primary sources. You will definitely receive a failing grade for plagiarism (i.e., passing off substantial portions of a secondary source as your own writing).

You may also want to find additional primary sources. If you find these on the Internet, be absolutely sure they are from legitimate sites and contain accurate and authentic information. The sources that I am putting on the web pages and the Witness Boxes contained in the textbook should be sufficient for most of the topics.

Question 1:

What were the ideals of the French Revolution? To what extent did French peasants and the urban poor ultimately benefit from the Revolution? What effect did turmoil in France during the 1790’s have on other European nations?

Primary Sources as of 02/20/01:

Report of the Estates of Normandy (1651)
Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789)
Decree Abolishing Feudalism (1789)
Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790)
Olympe de Gouge, Declaration of the Rights of Women (1791)
La Marseillaise (1792)
Maximilien Robespierre, The Cult of the Supreme Being (1793)
Maximilien Robespierre, Justification of the Use of Terror (1794)

 

Question2:

How did the status and roles of European women change during the 18th and 19th centuries? What were the principal aims of feminist movements that developed during this period? To what extent did the progress made by women depend on their class and social position?

Primary Sources as of 02/20/01:

Daniel Defoe, The Education Of Women (1719)
Olympe de Gouge, Declaration of the Rights of Women (1791)
Society for Promoting the Employment of Women (1860)
Helen Taylor, The Claim of Englishwomen to the Suffrage Constitutionally Considered (1867)
Susan B. Anthony, Women's Right to Vote (1873)
E. Wardlaw Best, "Women Are Divided into Two Sets" (1897-1898)

 

Question 3:

How did European nations justify 19th century imperialism? What were the principal aims of the imperial powers? What roles did Social Darwinism and religion play in the creation of overseas empires?

Primary Sources as of 02/20/01:

British Imperialistic Anthems (Multiple Dates)
Herbert Spencer, Social Darwinism (1857)
British Missionary Letters, Urging the Annexation of The South Sea Islands (1883)
Jules Ferry, On French Colonial Expansion (1884)
Capt. F. D. Lugard, The Rise of Our East African Empire (1893)
Wilfred Scawen Blunt, Britain's Imperial Destiny (1896-1899)
Rudyard Kipling, The White Man's Burden (1899)
Karl Pearson, National Life From the Standpoint of Science (1900)
John Hobson, Imperialism (1902)
Edward Morel, The Black Man's Burden (1903)

 

Question 4:

Discuss the evolution of Anti-Semitism in Europe (not just Germany) from the 18th century through the Holocaust. How did perceptions of and prejudices against Jews change during this period?

Primary Sources as of 02/20/01:

Martin Luther: The Jews and Their Lies (1543)
Encyclical of Pope Benedict XIV on Jews and Christians (1751)
Voltaire, Jews (1756)
Jakob Friedrich Fries, On the Danger...Presented by the Jews (1816)
The Jewish Chronicle, Outrages Upon Jews in Russia (1881)
Adolf Hitler, First Anti-Semitic Writing (1919)
Caricatures from "Der Sturmer" (1928-1931)
Joseph Goebbels, "The Jew" (1929)

 

Question 5:

What factors explain the rise of fascist and totalitarian regimes in Spain, Italy, Germany and the Soviet Union during the 1930's?  Why were so many people in these societies willing to forego democratic processes and embrace dictatorial rule?  To what extent is democratic government now secure in Europe?

Primary Sources as of 02/20/01:

Joseph Goebbels, "Hail Moscow" (1927)
Caricatures from "Der Sturmer" (1928-1931)
Joseph Goebbels, "The Jew" (1929)
Leon Trotsky, "Fascism: What It Is and How To Fight It" (1930-1932)
Benito Mussolini, What is Fascism (1932)
Unknown, The Educational Principles of the New Germany (1936)

 

Question 6:

Compare and contrast early forms of socialism: utopian socialism, anarchism and Marxism.  How did early socialists respond to the changes in society brought about by industrial growth and modernization?  What specific programs and solutions did they offer to redress inequality and exploitation?

Primary Sources as of 02/20/01:

Robert Owen, A New View of Society (1813-1816)
Charles Fourier, Excerpt from Theory of Social Organization (1820)
Karl Marx, Scientific Socialism (1844-1875)
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, Excerpts from The Communist Manifesto (1848)
Erfurt Manifesto: Program of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (1891)
Prince Peter Kropotkin, Anarchism: Its Philosophy and Ideal (1896)
William Morris, Why I Am A Socialist (1896)

 

Question 7:

How did World War II and its aftermath reshape Western Europe and the values embraced by Western European governments?  To what extent have Europeans been able to adhere to and enforce the standards of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights in recent decades?  How have immigrant groups, religious minorities, and ethnic minorities fared in Europe since 1945?

Primary Sources as of 02/20/01:

Charter of the United Nations (1945)
Robert Jackson, Nuremberg Trials, Opening Address for the U.S. (1946)
Winston S. Churchill, "Iron Curtain Speech" (March 5, 1946)
International Labour Organisation, Convention Concerning Forced or Compulsory Labor (1948)
United Nations, Universal Declaration on Human Rights (1948)
Nikita Krushchev, Secret Speech (1956)
CHRIS HEDGES, "Bosnia Journal: Ethnic Diversity Distorts History, Art, Language," New York Times,
(November 25, 1997)