Assignment

Write a short essay on TWO of the following essay choices, one each from Part I and Part II. Be sure to answer every part of the question. Your essays do not need to be structured exactly like the paper assignment, but you should use complete sentences and you should provide clear and specific examples to support your points.

Part I -- write on one of these two

1. In what ways was there a common identity among people living in the independent nations of the Western Hemisphere? In other words, what kinds of developments (economic, political, cultural, etc.) and experiences did many of the “American” nations have in common in the nineteenth century?

Or

1. What were the driving motivations of reformers in the Ottoman Empire, Russia, China, and Japan? In what ways were reformers trying to make radical changes, and in what ways were their reforms conservative in nature? What was particularly "modern" about the societies created by these reforms? Rank the four in order of how "modern" they were by 1900 and explain that ranking.

Part II -- write on one of these two

1. How did the imperialism of the nineteenth century change Europe's relationship with Africa and Asia? How did imperialism affect both the people of the imperial countries and the people in their colonies? What were some of the long-term effects of empire?

Or

1. Explain how World War I changed international relations on a global scale. How were power relationships altered by the war? What was different about how nations interacted with each other? What remained the same?