THEMATIC ESSAY QUESTIONS FOR INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION



THEMATIC ESSAY QUESTIONS FOR INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

1. Identify three major inventors for the Industrial Revolution and discuss their works and the effects their inventions had upon the development of industrialization.

2. What was the significance of the Reform Bill of 1832? To what extent was the Duke of Wellington justified in his comment: "The revolution is made?"

3. Explain and discuss the relationships among the Combination Act, the Bubble Act and the Lowes Act. In what ways were they vital to the future development of industrialization?

4. What were the immediate social effects of industrialization upon British society? To what extent did conditions improve over earlier feudal periods?

5. In what ways did the Chartists differ from the Socialists and in what ways did the success of the former effect the future of the latter?

6. To what extent did the theories espoused by economists such as David Riccardo and Thomas Malthus reflect the spirit of laissez-faire capitalism?

7. In what ways did scientific socialists such as Karl Marx differ from utopian socialists such as Robert Owen?

8. Why was England able to avoid much of the revolutionary activity that shook the European continent during the 1840's?

9. Discuss and explain the relationship of liberalism like that espoused by John Stuart Mill to the growth of industrial capitalism.

10. Use your knowledge of Parliamentary legislation in 19th c. England to discuss and evaluate the validity of the following statement from a Parliamentary committee of 1851;

"The course of modern legislation seems to have been gradually to remove restrictions on the power which everyone has in the disposal of his property, and to remove those fetters on commercial freedom which long prevailed in this country."

11. What factors enabled England to take the lead in industrialization?

12. Evaluate the effectiveness of collective responses by workers to industrialization in Western Europe during the course of the 19th century.

13. Describe and analyze the issues and ideas in the debate in Europe between 1750 and 1846 over the proper role of government in the economy. Give specific examples.

14. Between 1750 and 1850 more and more Western Europeans were employed in cottage industry and in factory production. Analyze how these two types of employment affected employer-employee relations, working conditions, family relations and standard of living during this period.

15. Discuss the effects of the industrial economy on Western European peasant women and working-class women from 1830-1914.

16. To what extent and in what ways was the light of Adam Smith's economic optimism dimmed by the "dismal science" of Thomas Malthus and David Ricardo?

17. Explain why the monarchs of Europe favored mercantilism.

18. "It is no accident that the Industrial Revolution occurred in late 18th century England." Assess the validity of this statement.

19. "The Industrial Revolution diminished the quality of life of the common person in Europe." Defend or refute this statement.

20. Explain how Marx's theories offer both a reason for and a solution to mass poverty in the industrialized world.

20. Describe and analyze the effects of the Industrial Revolution on European society in the 19th century.

21. Discuss three developments that enabled Great Britain to achieve a dominant economic position between 1700 and 1830.

22. Identify features of the 18th century Agricultural Revolution and analyze its social and economic consequences.

THEMATIC ESSAY QUESTIONS FOR REACTION, ROMANTICISM AND NATIONALISM

1. "The European State System established by the Congress of Vienna gave the world a hundred-year peace." Discuss the validity of this statement.

2. "The reactionary agreements signed at the Congress of Vienna made the revolutions of 1848 predictable. Discuss this statement and the philosophy of history it represents.

3. How did Great Britain avoid the convulsions that shook continental Europe in 1848?

4. Was industrialization a factor that promoted or impeded revolution? Discuss this question from the point of view of a Liberal and a Marxist of the period.

5. Discuss the influence, if any, of the Romantic Movement in art and music on revolution in the period 1815-1848.

6. Discuss the ideas of the Utopian Socialists.

7. "If the eighteenth century was dominated by French thought, the nineteenth century can be considered the German century" Discuss this statement paying particular attention to the period 1815-1848.

8. Contrast the revolutions of 1848 in France and Germany.

9. Although divided by class and nationality, the revolutionary movements of the years 1830-1848 shared many common characteristics. Describe the features held in common by revolutionary movements of the period in eastern and Western Europe.

10. "The Romantic artist was inspired by his love of the French Revolution and his abhorrence of the Industrial Revolution." Discuss this statement from the point of view of two different forms of art.

11. "The Romantic Movement was a reaction of youth against age." Citing specific references, discuss the validity of this statement.

12. How was nineteenth century nationalism a force for revolution?

13. Was the nationalism of the nineteenth century a progressive or a regressive force?

14. Discuss the relationship between nationalism and liberalism in the continental Europeans revolutions of 1848.

pare and contrast the effect of nationalism upon the eventual unification of Germany and Italy. To what actions and factors do you attribute the differences?

16. In 1849, Russian troops poured into Hungary in order to crush the nationalist rebellion there and aid the Emperor of Austria. In 1914, a mere 60 years later, Russia would be one of the greatest supporters of Panslavic nationalist operations. Explain and analyze the reasons for this shift in policy.

17. Analyze the relationship between, and effects of, nationalism in France, Italy and Germany.

18. To what extent was the surge of nationalism during the mid-nineteenth century a consequence of industrialism and the growth of the middle class?

19. Nationalism in England tended to be a unifying influence and strengthened not only the position of the government but also the economic position of British industry, whereas, in Austria and to some degree in Germany, nationalism would be a de-stabilizing factor. To what factors do you attribute this phenomenon?

20. Discuss the effects of the nationalist movements of the revolutions of 1848 upon the future governments of Austria, Italy, and Germany.

21. Explain and discuss the reasons for the aversion of the Roman Catholic Church under Pope Pius IX to liberalism and nationalism.

22. What effect did the nationalism of the mid-nineteenth century have upon the socialist and Marxist movements in the various European nations, particularly England, France, Italy, Germany and Austria?

23. In what way did the process and results of German unification in the nineteenth century affect the political future of Europe and the Germany of the twentieth century?

24. How has imperialism been attacked and defended?

25. Analyze and compare the effects of nationalism on Italian and Austro-Hungarian politics between 1815 and 1914.

26. Between 1815-1848 the conditions of the laboring classes and the problem of political stability were critical issues in England. Describe and analyze the reforms that social critics and politicians of this period proposed to resolve these problems.

27. Discuss the effects of the industrial economy on Western European peasant women and working-class women from 1830-1914.

28. Describe the ways in which conservative political and social views shaped the peace settlement of the Congress of Vienna. Explain the consequences of the peace settlement for the period 1815-1848.

29. Discuss the ways in which European Jews were affected by and responded to liberalism, nationalism and anti-Semitism in the 19th century.

30. Nationalism has been one of the great driving forces in modern history. How may it be defined? What contributions to national ideas and movements were made by the a) French Revolution and the Napoleonic era, b) the years 1815-1848, c) the revolutions of 1848, d) the years 1859-1871? Of what continuing importance has nationalism been in the 20th century?

31. Compare and contrast the movements for national unification in Italy and Germany in the years 1815-1871 and their results. Of what special significance was political leadership in each case? How did Realpolitik apply in each instance?

32. What similar developments in national consolidation and nation-building may be observed over the years 1859-1871 in a) Italy, b) Germany, c) Austria-Hungary, d) Russia, e) the United States, f) Canada, g) Japan?

33. Explain how, from the Age of Metternich to the beginning of World War I, democracy in England and France reached much the same place over decidedly different routes.

34. To what extent and in what ways did the move towards unification in mid-19th-century Germany fall out of the hands of the constitutionalists and into the hands of the Prussian militarists?

35. "Austria's suppression of Slavic autonomy within the Empire created more dissolution that unity." Defend or refute this statement.

36. Evaluate the achievements of Napoleon III.

37. Compare and contrast the methods of Cavour and Bismarck in unifying their respective

nations.

38. To what extent and in what ways did Mazzini break new ground for Cavour's program of unification? Did Garibaldi help complete it?

39. Explain why the political situation in Italy in the decade before unification prompted Piedmont-Sardinia to take the lead in the movement.

40. Analyze Bismarck's use of war to achieve unification.

41. "Germany did not unite itself; rather it was conquered by Prussia." Assess the validity of this statement.

42. Evaluate Bismarck as chancellor of the new German Empire.

43. Analyze the policies of three European colonial powers regarding Africa between 1871 and 1914.

44. Discuss some of the ways in which Romantic artists, musicians and writers responded to political and socioeconomic conditions in the period from 1800-1850. Document your response with specific examples from discussions of at least two of the three disciplines: visual arts, music and literature.

45. Assess the role of nationalism in the unification of Germany and Italy from 1860-1871.

46. What political, social and economic changes in France made possible the rise and success of Emperor Napoleon III?

47. Was Napoleon III the fooler or the fooled in France between 1848-1871?

48. Describe and compare the origins and proposals of the utopian socialists, the Marxists, the anarchists and the revisionists during the 19th century.

49. Karl Marx made a number of assertions regarding how the governments would respond to the industrialization of society and expanding capitalism. Discuss the basic theses upon which he predicated these assertions and the specific nature of his assertions. Having done this, discuss Marx’s record as a “prophet” indicating the extent to which his predictions proved valid.

50. “The Crimean War, 1852-1856, was one of the silliest wars ever fought; yet its consequences were extraordinarily important for Russia and for Europe as a whole…”

----William H. McNeill, A History of the World Community

Discuss the origins of this “silly war” and, having done so, indicate the “extraordinarily important” consequences of it on Russia and Europe.

51. Discuss and analyze the differences between Marxism and Utopian Socialism and relate them to changes in the Zeitgeist between 1815 and 1870.

52. Describe and analyze the important cultural and intellectual movements in Europe between 1848-1871.

53. How did the rise of industrialism affect society in England and the continent between 1760-1848?

54. What factors led to the rise of the middle class in England and on the continent between 1760-1848 and how did they differ?

55. How did the goals of the 18th century industrialists backfire, creating the “isms” of the 19th century?

56. Compare and contrast the changing political ideologies of England and the continent from 1760-1848.

57. How did the Industrial Revolution, Romanticism and Nationalism affect government stability in England and on the continent?

58. How did the interaction of ideology and industrialism lead to stability in England and turmoil in the continent?

59. How did industrialism lead to ideologies that supported both individualism and nationalism in early 19th century Europe?

60. Analyze the ways in which England and the continent differed in their political and economic ideas and practices between 1815-1848.

61. To what extent did the predominant ideological trends of the early 19th century contribute to the rise of the middle class in England compared to the continent?

62. Analyze three examples of the relationship between Romanticism and nationalism before 1850.

63. How did social, political and economic changes in the early 19th century make England different from the continent?

64. The rise of the middle class and concomitant industrialization was necessary for a modern liberal government in mid 19th century England. Defend or refute.

65. How did romanticism, nationalism and the Industrial Revolution affect government stability in mid 19th century England and on the continent?

66. How did the Industrial Revolution, liberalism, romanticism, nationalism and the rise of the middle class combine to shape 19th century Europe?

67. How did different patterns of industrialization lead to political, social and economic differences between Europe and England in the early 19th century?

68. What factors in the first half of the 19th century lead to the rise of the middle class and the increasing isolation of England from the rest of Europe?

69. Why was England able to institute social, political and economic reforms more peacefully than its continental counterparts?

70. Contrast the impact of nationalism in Germany and the Austrian Empire from 1848-1914.

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