NYSED Global History and Geography Online Resource Guide

Thematic Essay:
Regents Review

Topics

Please be prepared to answer a thematic essay question during class. You will be required to follow standard testing procedures and complete the essay by the conclusion of the period. You will write on three topics focused around the theme. Listed below are some potential themes and examples/suggestions:

Change - Turning Points

Ninth Grade	Tenth Grade
Crusades	Collapse of European Imperialism
Fall of the Roman Empire	Fall of the Berlin Wall and Collapse of the Soviet Union
Neolithic Revolution	French Revolution
Protestant Reformation	Nelson Mandela's opposition to Apartheid and his election as president of South Africa
Renaissance	Rise of Totalitarianism
Scientific Revolution	Russian Revolution
The year 1492	The year 1914

Human and Physical Change

Great Britain / Capitalism

Russia and the Soviet Union / Communism

Western Europe / Manorialism and Feudalism

Economic Systems and Change

Climate	Mountains, Deserts, Island/Island Location, and Plains
Coastline	Rain Forests
Irrigation Systems	River Valleys
Mineral and Natural Resources	Road and Canal Systems
Monsoons	Terrace Farming

Individuals and Leadership

Ninth Grade	Tenth Grade
Alexander the Great	Otto von Bismarck
Aristotle	Simon Bolivar
Catherine the Great	Napoleon Bonaparte
Confucius	Mohandas Gandhi
Leonardo da Vinci	Mikhail Gorbachev
Elizabeth I	Adolf Hitler
Johannes Gutenberg	Jomo Kenyatta
Hammurabi	John Locke
Queen Isabella	Toussaint L'Ouverture
Genghis Khan	Nelson Mandela
Martin Luther	Joseph Stalin
Muhammad	Boris Yeltsin

Justice,Human Rights, and Conflict

Armenian Massacre

Blacks in South Africa

Christians during the early Roman Empire

Conflict in Northern Ireland

Forced Famine in the Ukraine

Notes

In developing your answer, be sure to keep these general definitions in mind:

analyze means to determine the nature and relationship of the component elements
describe means to illustrate something in words or tell about it
discuss means to make observations about something using facts, reasoning, and argument; to present in some detail
explain means to make plain or understandable; to give reasons for or causes of; to show the logical development or relationships of
evaluate means to examine and judge the significance, worth, or condition of; to determine the value of

Directions

Write a well-organized essay that includes an introduction, several paragraphs addressing the task below, and a conclusion.

Essay 1

Theme: Change [Political Events]

Twentieth-century political events have had positive and negative effects on global history.

Task:

Identify three 20^th-century political events* and for each:

Discuss the historical circumstances surrounding the event.
Evaluate the extent to which this event has had a positive or a negative effect on global history.

* Topic 1 - Rise of totalitarian governments in Europe
* Topic 2 - Nelson Mandela's opposition to apartheid in South Africa
* Topic 3 - You may use any major political event from your study of global history. Some suggestions you might wish to consider include: Lenin's establishment of a Communist government in Russia, the dismantling of the Berlin Wall, and development of nuclear weapons in India and Pakistan.

Do not use United States events in your answer, although the discussion of positive or negative effects may involve the role of the United States.

Guidelines: In your essay, be sure to:

Develop all aspects of the task.
Support the theme with relevant facts, examples, and details.
Use a logical and clear plan of organization, including an introduction and a conclusion that are beyond a simple restatement of the theme.

Essay 2

Theme: Justice and Human Rights

Throughout history, the human rights of certain groups of people have been violated. Efforts have been made to address these violations.

Task:

Define the term "human rights"
Identify three examples of human rights violations* that have occurred in a specific time and place.
Describe the causes of these human rights violations.
For one of the violations* identified, discuss one specific effort that was made or is being made to deal with the violation.

* Topic 1 - Blacks in South Africa
* Topic 2 - Jews in Nazi Germany
* Topic 3 - You may use any examples from your study of global history. Some suggestions you might wish to consider include: Christians in the early Roman Empire, native peoples in Spain's American colonies, untouchables in India, and Muslims in Bosnia.

Do not use the United States in your answer.

Guidelines: In your essay, be sure to:

Develop all aspects of the task.
Support the theme with relevant facts, examples, and details.
Use a logical and clear plan of organization, including an introduction and a conclusion that are beyond a simple restatement of the theme.

Essay 3

Theme: Conflict

Differences among groups have often led to conflict.

Task:

Identify three ethnic, religious, political, and/or cultural conflicts* and for each:

Discuss the historical circumstances that led to the conflict.
Analyze the effect of this conflict on two groups involved.

* Topic 1 - The Holocaust
* Topic 2 - Apartheid in South Africa
* Topic 3 -You may use any examples from your study of global history. Some suggestions you might wish to consider include: the persecution of Christians during the Roman Empire, the Reign of Terror, the Armenian massacres, the forced famine in Ukraine, and the conflict in Northern Ireland

Do not use any conflicts that occurred in the United States in your answer.

Guidelines: In your essay, be sure to:

Develop all aspects of the task
Support the theme with relevant facts, examples, and details. Use a logical and clear plan of organization, including an introduction and a conclusion that are beyond a simple restatement of the theme

Essay 4

Theme: Change (Individuals Who have Changed History

The beliefs and achievements of individuals have changed global history. These beliefs and achievements have had positive and negative effects on society.

Task:

Identify three individuals* who have changed global history and for each:

Explain one belief or achievement of that individual.
Discuss the positive and/or negative effects of the individual's belief or achievement.

* Topic 1 - Nelson Mandela

* Topic 2 - Mohandas Gandhi

* Topic 3 - You may use any individual from your study of global history. Some suggestions you might wish to consider include: Hammurabi, Confucius, Aristotle, Alexander the Great, Muhammad, Johannes Gutenberg, Queen Isabella, Leonardo da Vinci, John Locke, Catherine the Great, and Simon Bolivar

Do not use individuals from the United States events in your answer.

Guidelines: In your essay, be sure to:

Develop all aspects of the task.
Support the theme with relevant facts, examples, and details.
Use a logical and clear plan of organization, including an introduction and a conclusion that are beyond a simple restatement of the theme.

Essay 4

Theme: Change - Turning Points

Political, economic, and social conditions have often led to turning points that have changed the course of history for nations and peoples.

Task:

Identify three turning points* from your study of global history and for each:

Describe the causes, key events, and historical circumstances that led to the turning point.
Explain how each turning point changed the course of history for nations and peoples.

*Topic 1 - World War I
*Topic 2 - French Revolution
*Topic 3 - You may use any examples from your study of global history. Some suggestions you might wish to consider include: the Neolithic Revolution, the fall of the Roman Empire, the Crusades, the Renaissance, the Encounter, the Russian Revolution of 1917, Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa, and the fall of the Berlin Wall/collapse of Soviet Union.

Do not use any turning points in United States history in your answer.

Guidelines: In your essay, be sure to:

Develop all aspects of the task.
Support the theme with relevant facts, examples, and details.
Use a logical and clear plan of organization, including an introduction and a conclusion that are beyond a simple restatement of the theme.