What was the most important change that occurred in Europe in the course of the period from the 1880s to World War II? OR 2. What was the most important continuity in European history between 1880 and 1939?

Assignment Question

History Final There will be two parts to this final, each worth 50% of your final score.

PART I: In the first part of the exam, you will be asked to write three short essay responses, of about 400 words each. 1) In the first short essay, choose one of our sets of weekly readings (NOTE: discuss ALL of the readings for that week), and explain how it reflects, illustrates, illuminates, or exemplifies one of the following large-scale trends discussed in the second half of the course: The “demographic transition” of the early 20 Imperial rivalries and the arms race before 1914 Total war The collapse of multinational empires and the formation of “successor states” The formation of communist parties and the Comintern The rise of fascism across Europe The formation of totalitarian regimes The appeal of racism and radical nationalism The growth of state social intervention The expansion of the consumer economy in interwar Europe The impact of World War I on European intellectual and cultural life The clash of ideologies in interwar Europe The Great Depression 2) In the second short essay, choose two terms from the following list of terms, and explain how each was related to, or exemplified, the trend discussed in the first short essay. Comintern National Youth Welfare Act (German) Putilov factory Strength through Joy Kadets Kronstadt Uprising Zhenotdel Law for the Protection of the People and the State Socialist Realism Cheka Sergei Kirov Béla Kun Acerbo Law Leon Blum Magnitogorsk Oswald Mosley Fasci di combattimento dopolavoro “Believe, obey, fight!” Law for the Prevention of Hereditary Diseases Fasci femminili “Viva la muerte!” Friedrich Ebert Freikorps Wolfgang Kapp Lateran Treaty Horseshoe Settlement Ramsay MacDonald Nuremberg Laws 3) In the third short essay, choose one of the trends listed for the first short essay, and explain why it could be regarded as the MOST important of all the trends in that list. Part II In the second part of the exam, you will answer one of the following two questions (you choose which one) in an essay of not less than 750 words and not more than 1,000 words: EITHER 1. What was the most important change that occurred in Europe in the course of the period from the 1880s to World War II? OR 2. What was the most important continuity in European history between 1880 and 1939? This essay should be a focused brief argument for a particular interpretive standpoint. should not be a “data-dump.” you must use concrete examples to support your argument.