Bronx cheer time!

I realize the timing could be better on this, as we are beginning spring break today, but just in case you become bored and/or desperate to work on history, the 395 exam...it IS a takehome, that should make things slightly easier.

History 395/WSUTC/spring '07—TAKEHOME Midterm exam—due on or before class on April 4, 2007

Directions: Prepare answers to the following questions--brilliantly formulated, superbly organized and flawlessly written, using as much detail as possible from the lectures, videos, readings, personal research/reading. It is hard to determine “how long” an answer should be, but ballpark would be maybe 2.5 typed pages per answer.

PART I(60%): EVERYONE WILL DO THIS QUESTION:

The Armenian genocide was among the worst atrocities of this war. Although not initially a participant in the hostilities, the United States was involved in this genocide and its aftermath from the start. What was the nature of that involvement, and how did it evolve? You should use Balakian’s book and the World War I document archive(Ambassador Morgenthau’s diary) in composing your answer.


PART II(40%): EVERYONE WILL CHOOSE ONE of these two:

2. Many scholars have bravely attempted to explain the origins of the Great War over the years. Some points of emphasis would include the following:

The rule of William II as Kaiser of the new German state between l888 and l9l4

The division of Europe into armed, hostile camps

The difficulties faced by Tsarist Russia and Austria-Hungary, two fading empires, in the face of rising international tensions.

Individuals unhappy with their lives, or the lives of some of their co-nationals, under "foreign rule."

Your task is to determine which of the above factors is most crucial to the outbreak of war and explain WHY you chose as you did. Again, be specific and judicious in marshalling your evidence.

3. The European conflict of l9l4-l9l8 broke much new ground beyond the cemeteries. Write an essay in which you identify and discuss the impact of some of the “firsts” that this war produced between l9l4 and l9l7. Take care to choose your examples carefully and document them well.