Assignment task: In many ways the period we cover in this course (the Enlightenment to the 1960s) was one that saw a gradual, if inconsistent, expansion of rights across Europe and the territories its states controlled. When the Enlightenment began, inequality was the order of the day. Almost everywhere, the commoners or Third Estate had no rights yet provided the bulk of the labor and taxes the privileged orders depended on. Following the French Revolution, with its motto of "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity," the next two centuries would witness efforts-some peaceful some violent-- by people living in Europe or its empires to gain rights. Very often demands for rights were made in the name of groups defined by class, ethnicity, gender and religion. For this essay, you need to choose ONE of these categories (class OR ethnicity OR gender OR religion) and explain how social and political rights were obtained or denied during this period based on these identities. You should identify three or four key moments, periods or turning points where groups defined or defining themselves in this manner gained or lost rights between 1789 and 1960. (You do not need to discuss EVERY moment of that history; you just need to focus on key moments.) You should also describe how those rights were gained. Were these changes peaceful or violent? Were they permanent or temporary? If you choose gender, for instance, you would want to consider the ways rights were expanded or limited based on contemporary notions of gender. You would also want to consider when women gained rights, who advocated for those rights, when gains were made, what rights were sought and attained, etc. If you were writing about ethnicity, you would want to think about nationalism, imperial expansion and decline, etc.
Note: It is important to use information effectively from the Lualdi readings to support your argument.