Friday, April 22, 2016


The exam is Friday May 13th (oooo, Friday the 13th exam!) at 10:00

1. What were some of the social, economic, and political changes that occurred in England in the 19th century that may have contributed to their ability to avoid the unrest on the continent?

2. Germany suffered from decentralization and disunity for most of its history. How did the Prussian kingdom manage to unify Germany in the 19th century?

3. Industrialization brought rapid and widespread change to Europe. What were some of the positive and negative aspects of these changes?
4. 1870 saw a resurgence in imperialism and the establishment of European colonies throughout the world. What were some of the reasons that colonialism had fallen out of favor in the years between the fall of Napoleon and 1870? What were some of the reasons that both supporters and critics claimed caused this resurgence?

5. The Russian Revolution of 1917 led to the withdrawal of the nation from the First World War. What were the consequences of Russia leaving the war for themselves, the Western Allies, and the Central Powers?

6. Looking back over the events of the first four decades of the twentieth century, explain some of the major events that are considered to have led to the outbreak of the Second World War.

7. Why did the depression that began in the U.S. in 1929 have such rapid and profound effects on European economies?

8. What were some of the reasons that totatalitarian systems of government seemed appealing to so many individuals in the first half of the twentieth century?

7. Describe the political geography of Europe in the years after the defeat of the Nazi regime in Germany.

Congress of Vienna
Frankfurt Assembly
Otto von Bismark
Young Turks
Paris Commune
Social Darwinism
Boxer Rebellion
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Treaty of Locarno
Maginot Line
Vichy France
Yalta Conference
Truman Doctrine
Warsaw Pact
Prague Spring


MWF 9:00 section exam: Wednesday May 18th at 9:00
TTH 11:00 section exam Tuesday May 17th at 10:00

1. The Byzantine Emperor Justinianian had a long reign that included many accomplishments? What were these accomplishments, who were some of the important individuals that Justinian relied on for support, and what were some of the long term effects?

2. The crusades marked not just the beginning of an attempt by Western Europeans to conquer the ‘Holy Lands’ in the East, but also the formation of a persecuting society? What is meant by this and how did it manifest over the centuries of crusading?

3. Explain the classical revival that took place in Italy during the period historians refer to as the Renaissance. What were some of the effects on art, politics, and the economy.

4. Explain the economic expansion that took place in Europe during the between 900 and 1300 of the common era.

5. How did the political makeup of Europe in 1500 C.E. differ from that in 1300 C.E.?

6. Explain how the Black Death of the 14th century changed the economics of Western Europe. Describe the changes for specific groups, i.e.: the poor in urban or rural areas and members of the nobility, and the merchant class.

7. Explain the causes and major events of the Hundred Years War. Why do some historians refer to the end of this conflict as “the end of the middle ages”?

8. What are some of the reasons that historians believe there was more class conflict and religious conflict after the Black Death of the 1350s and 1360s?

Eremitic monasticism
Vulgate Bible
Five Pillars of Islam
Carolingian Renaissance
Lay investiture
Magna Carta
Bernard of Clairvaux
Babylonian Captivity of the Papacy
Joan of Arc
Golden Bull
Civic humanism
Thomas Moore
Johann Gutenberg

Wednesday, April 20, 2016



HIST 125 MWF 9:00

Wednesday May 4th
Friday May 6th
Monday May 9th
Wednesday May 11th.

HIST 125 TTH 11:00

Tuesday May 3rd
Thursday May 5th
Tuesday May 10th

HIST 127 MWF 10:00

Wednesday May 4th
Friday May 6th
Monday May 9th
Wednesday May 11th.

HIST 127 Paper Three Assignment

Paper three is due on Friday May 6th.

Paper assignment three is a review of a historical film. This link will take you to a site that has instructions on how to structure a review of films for a history class:

Your paper should be a minimum of three pages and a maximum of six pages in length. You may choose one of the following films:

1. “Defiance” directed by Edward Zwick
2. “The Baader Meinhof Complex” directed by Uli Edel
3. “Alexander Nevsky” directed by Sergei Eisenstein
4. “Queen Margot” directed by Patrice Chéreau
5. “Danton” directed by Andrzej Wajda
6. “The Mission” directed by Roland Joffe
7. “The Charge of the Light Brigade” directed by Tony Richardson

HIST 125 Paper Three Assignment

Paper Three is due on Friday May 6th.



1. “Warrior Queen” directed by Bill Anderson
2. “The Lion in Winter” directed by Anthony Harvey
3. “Becket” directed by Peter Glenville
4. “Agora” directed by Alejandro Amenabar
5. “The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc” directed by Luc Besson
6. “The Message: The Story of Islam” directed by Moustapha Akkad
7. “Ironclad” directed by Jonathan English

HIST 127 Reading Four

Reading Questions for "Auschwitz, Auschwitz...I Cannot Forget You" by Max Garcia.
Bring your typed questions and your copy of the book to class on Friday April 29th for discussion.

What was life like for The Jewish community in which Max grew up?

Did the Nazis have Dutch allies?

What happened to the rest of the Garcia family?

How did Max get captured?

What is a Kommando in the context of the concentration camp?

What is the Prominenten Block?

How is Max finally liberated from the camps?

What role does Max play in the American military?

How does Max get to the United States?

HIST 125 Reading Four

Reading Questions for Machiavelli's "The Prince"
Bring the typed questions and your copy of the book to class on Thursday April 28/Friday April 29th for discussion.

1. “…all principalities known to history are governed in one of two ways…” What are the two ways according to Machiavelli and what are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

2. What are the three ways to hold newly acquired states securely, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

3. What are some of the examples Machiavelli uses to show fortune mixed with qualities of personal strength?

4. What are the immediate problems “…with men who either buy their way into power or are granted it by the favor of someone else…”?

5. Explain the idea of “…cruelty used well or badly.”

6. What must a man do “…who is made prince by the favor of the people…”?

7. Because “[e]cclesiastical princes alone possess states, and do not defend them; subjects, and do not govern them…” they must follow a different path. Explain.
8. What are the problems with mercenaries?

9. How should a prince organize the militia?

10. What does Machiavelli think about being loved or feared as a ruler?

Wednesday, March 25, 2015


The seventh and final map quiz will be given with the final exam.

Follow the link below to print out a practice map.

1. Mexico
2. China
3. Sudan
4. North Korea
5. Chile
6. Peru
7. Libya
8. Syria
9. Nigeria
10. Egypt
11. Yemen
12. Pakistan
13. Afghanistan
14. Somalia
15. Chad
16. Morocco
17. Myanmar (Burma)
18. Columbia
19. Nicaragua
20. The Philippines

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Manifesto of the Communist Party: Full Text

Friday, January 4, 2008

Link to artwork by Hieronymus Bosch

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Selected Letters of Cicero

Voltaire's letters on the English 1778

Livy's History of Rome: Book 21 on Hanibal

Memoirs Of The Comtesse Du Barry, with minute details of her entire career as favorite of Louis XV. Written by herself

This is a link through the Gutenbug Project to the full text of this book.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Important doccuments of the Reformation

The Augsburg Confession

Martin Luther: Against the Robbing and Murdering Hordes of Peasants

Martin Luther: On the Jews and their Lies (excerpts for class discussion)

Martin Luther: On the Jews and Their Lies (Full Text)

Friday, December 28, 2007

Witchcraft Doccuments

Here are some selections from doccuments relating to witchcraft.

Monday, August 27, 2007

The Malleus Maleficarum

Thursday, August 23, 2007

revocation of the Edict of Nantes

King Louis the XIV revocted the edict in 1685, less than 100 years after his grandfather Henry IV had proclaimed it.

Robert Bellarmine: Letter on Galileo's Theories, 1615

Galileo's letter of 1614 to the Grand Duchess Christina Duchess of Tuscany was not widely known, and was ignored by Church authorities. When a year later the Carmelite provincial Paolo Foscarini supported Galileo publicly by attempting to prove that the new theory was not opposed to Scripture, Cardinal Robert Bellarmine, as "Master of Controversial Questions," responded.

Copernicus: The Revolutions of the Heavenly Bodies

Nicholas Copernicus was born February 19, 1473, in Poland. He entered the University of Krakow in 1491, then in 1495 went to Padua and studied medicine. In 1500 he was called to Rome and took the chair of mathematics there. He began to believe that the earth went round the sun about 1507 and from that time until his death worked, more or less intermittently, on his exposition of his theory. He delayed the publication of this exposition because of fear of being accused of heresy. Copernicus died May 24, 1543, just as his book was published. The knowledge of the time was not sufficient to prove his theory; his great argument for it was from its simplicity as compared to the epicycle hypothesis.

Monday, January 1, 2001


This is a link to the blank maps that are used for the map quizes.