QUESTION 1
The 17th and 18th centuries saw the rise of both absolutist monarchs through Europe as well the emergence of an ideological movement called the Enlightenment to challenge them. The traditional assumption that is made today is that absolutism is bad and the Enlightenment is good. I want to flip this assumption on its head and ask you to consider some of the positive impacts of absolutist rule in Europe in this era. Consider specific examples and how and why absolutism was not always a bad thing. On the other side, explore the challenges and problems of the Enlightenment. What did it do to the political, social, and economic order of Europe?
QUESTION 2
Russia occupies a peculiar place in world history. It neither completely fits the model of Western Europe nor does it apply fully the models of the East. First, consider how Russia went from an obscure wintery outpost in the East to a Great Power in Europe and then explore whether or not Russia embraced the West or forged its own path in emerging in the 18th and 19th centuries as a major power
QUESTION 3
Political revolutions consumed the Western world and its colonies in the 18th and 19th centuries. Consider one of these revolutions and explore why this revolution was a failure. What were the goals of the revolutionaries? Why did they not achieve them? Or, if the goals were achieved, why do you consider this revolution a failure?
QUESTION 4
Arguably the most significant event of the 18th and 19th centuries was the Industrial Revolution. This phenomenon, spurred by advances in science and technology, fundamentally reshaped the ways in which we live. First, in what ways did the Industrial Revolution change the world politically, socially, and economically? Second, in what ways did it not change the world? What things did the Industrial Revolution leave untouched, leave in place, or reinforce in terms of the social, economic, and political order of the West during this time?