Please write a 3-5 page paper on the following topic:
By 1991, the struggle over how nation-states should organize themselves and how
conflict between them could be resolved had seemed settled once and for all, after long
struggle during the twentieth century. The end of World War II brought an end to fascist
states, apart from Spain where Francisco Franco ruled until his death in 1975. The fall of
communism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union from 1989-1991 seemed to leave
only liberal democracy standing. Some Asian countries and Cuba continued to be ruled
by Communist parties, though China shifted to embrace the market in a hybrid form of
government by the 1980s.
In 1992, political commentator Francis Fukuyama declared “ not just … the
passing of a particular period of post-war history, but the end of history as such: That is,
the end-point of mankind’s ideological evolution and the universalization of Western
liberal democracy as the final form of human government.” Liberal democracy’s free
elections, free markets, and reliance upon rational discussion were also supposed to
defuse internal tensions within nations and encourage cooperation across political
boundaries. According to the democratic peace theory, democratic or republican forms of
government avoid going to war and contribute to a more peaceful international system.
The experience since 1991 has not supported these optimistic projections. This
period witnessed erosion of democratic norms and challenges to international
cooperation. Provide a balanced assessment of historical developments that have
supported cooperation or conflict since 1945 and discuss what this suggests about future
prospects for cooperation about significant transnational problems, most notably climate
change.
We have considered three books that have tried to take lessons from the time
period of this course and suggest prospects for the future: Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny:
Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway, The
Collapse of Western Civilization: A View from the Future, and Peter Turchin, End Times:
Elites, Counter-Elites, and the Path of Political Disintegration. How do these works try to
use history to speculate about future challenges and developments? What is their view of
how social change takes place? On your reading of the history, what prospects are there for
the issues they raise? Be sure to compare these three books and draw your own lessons,
using your knowledge of the history we have covered from 1945 to the present.
This is a history course, not a political science course. As such, I’m not asking
you to describe what should occur or who is right, but what recent history suggests about
how future challenges might be met (or unmet). The focus should be on historical causes
and developments. Historians are not expert fortune tellers, but can put things into
context and consider the range of trends that exist. Give your assessment of the
challenges we face and the prospects for meeting them.
The paper is due Friday, April 26 through Canvas. It is important that you follow
the instructions below for how to write your paper.
Your paper should be written in the following format:
1) Please keep to the assigned length. The paper should be typed, double-spaced,
with 12 font type and standard margins. Please do not exceed the length requirement by
more than one page. If the paper is less than two full pages or more than six pages (not
counting the bibliography or cover sheet), your grade will be lowered one grade level
(e.g. from B to B-).
2) Please underline your thesis sentence and restatement in the introduction and
conclusion, as well as the key sentence of each remaining paragraph. Your grade will be
lowered one grade level if you do not underline the correct sentences.
3) Please provide a cover sheet including your name, a title for the paper, your
thesis statement, and the key sentences you have underlined in the body of the paper.
This constitutes an “after-the-fact” outline and should make clear your argument.
Your grade will be lowered one grade level if the cover sheet with this information is
missing.
4) Please include footnotes and bibliography in the notes and bibliography system
of the Chicago reference style (not the author-date system). Inconsistent use of the
Chicago style will result in a one-grade penalty (e.g. from A to A-). For significant errors
in using this style, a two-grade penalty will apply (e.g. from A to B+). Paragraphs lacking
either footnotes or bibliography will be penalized three grades (e.g. from A to B). This is
the standard referencing system used by most historians. It makes the evidence for
historical claims clear by including footnotes at the bottom of the page, with a full list of
sources given alphabetically at the end.
Your paper will be evaluated based upon consideration of the strength of the
following: thesis, organization, evidence, and response to critics. You will be assigned
a preliminary grade of A, B, C, D, or F based upon a reading of your cover page. This is
why the cover sheet is important. If you get the structure right, then you help ensure that
you have made a strong argument that is clear to the reader. Your entire paper will be
read to confirm or change this preliminary grade. Your grade will also take into account
any grade penalties for incorrect format given above. The following ten steps are
designed to help you construct a well-written paper that meets the accepted conventions
of academic writing. Please read carefully and let me know if you have any questions.
These steps can help you to write good academic papers in your future courses.
1) Write an argumentative essay.
Academic essays make an argument designed to convince a specific audience.
Your goal is to develop your own analysis of this question, though it will build upon the
theoretical and historiographical perspectives found in the readings and the historical data
found there. You will also want to defend your interpretation. A scholarly argument is an
exercise in persuasion: you don’t just want to state an opinion, but convince your
(hypothetical) reader that your interpretation is correct. While I will read the papers in
order to grade them, you don’t want to address the paper just to me, but to a broader
educated audience. Don’t assume that your reader is familiar with the facts discussed in
the class (so your hypothetical audience would include your friends and students outside
the course). At the same time, imagine that some within your audience are familiar with
course materials (other students in this class) and may hold different interpretations.
Consequently, your essay should be informative and persuasive.
2) Write an effective introduction.
You should give an introduction to the paper in the first paragraph. Give some
general information about your topic to provide some context for what you are talking
about, what problem you are trying to solve, and why it is important. The paragraph
should lead naturally to your thesis statement at the end of the paragraph.
3) Write a strong thesis statement.
A thesis states succinctly your position on the topic and the reasons for it. You
can think of this as having two parts, a viewpoint and an argument, connected by the
word “because” or the equivalent. A thesis should encapsulate your argument in a
succinct, memorable way. The thesis should set up expectations in your readers about
what you will demonstrate in the remainder of the paper.
4) Organize around key sentences.
Your paper should be organized to support your thesis. When you are gathering
ideas and evidence to support your thesis, group similar ideas and evidence together.
Throw out weak or irrelevant evidence and focus your writing to support the overall
argument. Make sure that each paragraph has a succinct key sentence that states the topic
of the paragraph.
Well-written essays are organized around paragraphs with key sentences that
make one point. Key sentences come early in the paragraph—either the first sentence or a
sentence following transitional discussion linking the paragraph to the previous
paragraph. Key sentences orient you to what is coming and should allow you to anticipate
what the rest of the paragraph will cover. They announce the topic of the paragraph
without trying to prove anything. If the rest of the paragraph does not match the topic
stated in the key sentence, there is a problem. Likewise, if the key sentence refers to
issues going beyond what is covered in the rest of the paragraph, then it is too broad.
Well-written paragraphs subordinate the discussion to the topic in the key
sentence. They arrange the evidence in a way suitable for the writer’s purpose, not
according to the layout of the source readings. This means that you should not just cover
the same information in the same way and in the same order as the sources you draw
upon. Each sentence should make a logically distinct point about your topic and together
those sentences should contribute to a succinct, but comprehensive understanding of the
topic. This means that you will be providing a logical organization of this information
and the footnotes you give for individual sentences may draw upon a number of different
passages in the reading.
5) Use your thesis and key sentences as an outline.
By taking your thesis statement and the key sentences for all the paragraphs in
your paper out and placing them in a cover sheet, you will be constructing an outline that
reveals the organization of your paper. Please use this outline to consider whether your
paper is well organized or not and if it omits anything crucial to your argument. Please
also check that every key sentence is relevant to establishing your thesis. If it is not,
remove the corresponding paragraph from your paper and rewrite. It is virtually
impossible to write a strong essay without significantly revising your paper. Examining
your outline after you write a draft can reveal problems with the organization of your
paper. In most cases, I can tell whether a paper is likely to be an A, B, or C based on the
quality of the outline.
6) Provide the most accurate and persuasive evidence for your position.
You will need to provide evidence for your position throughout the paper by
supporting your ideas with concrete examples from the reading or other class sources.
Please do not use outside sources; this is not a research paper. Moreover, I’m concerned
with your use of the evidence available to you in the course that is relevant to our paper
topic. You are not being judged by outside knowledge you may have and inclusion of
such knowledge invariably leads students away from the main task.
Do not just summarize the course reading, however. Instead, gather and organize the
evidence given in the reading and videos in a way that supports your argument. Keep in
mind that your use of evidence will be judged by its accuracy and its use to support your
case. Therefore, not just any piece of evidence will be persuasive in all essays. If you
leave out facts that would support your case better than those you included, this weakens
your essay.
7) Write in your own language and document your sources using the correct format.
You should cite the reading directly, including page numbers, for information that
you draw upon. The paper should include footnotes (not endnotes) and bibliography in
the humanities style of the Chicago-style format (see
https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-1.html). In
order to write a college paper, you need to be aware of the rules for proper attribution of
ideas and language derived from another source. Any plagiarism, whether intentional or
stemming from ignorance or carelessness, will result in an F for this course. Please see
“Acknowledging the Work of Others,” available at
http://www.cs.cornell.edu/courses/cs674/2007fa/ack-others.pdf for more information.
This means that you cannot use sentences that are the same as (or very similar to)
sentences in the reading or from another source or paper.
Footnotes are used by writers to document the sources from which they draw
information. ANY ideas, language or information not your own must have the source
cited in a footnote. A reader can then see where you took your information from. Any
ideas, language, or information not properly cited are considered plagiarized. After a
source has been cited in full in your paper, you should use a shortened version consisting
of the author’s last name and a short book title along with the page number. Lastly,
footnotes do not substitute for a bibliography. One needs a bibliography at the end of a
paper in addition to the footnotes. All sources that you used in your paper and that appear
in your footnotes must be included in your bibliography. Do not include sources in your
bibliography that you did not use in your paper. Please note that the sources are formatted
differently in the bibliography than in the footnotes.
8) Respond to criticisms of your thesis respectfully.
You should anticipate objections to your thesis and use of evidence that a
knowledgeable person may have and include responses to them. Since arguments are
directed to an audience to persuade them of a particular position, you can expect that
alternative arguments are possible and plausible. After all, there would be no point
making an argument if it was obvious or accepted by all. Since those who agree with
your position already don’t need to be persuaded, arguments are directed at convincing
those who disagree. Ignoring counterarguments is a sure way to alienate your audience.
Consequently, you should discuss criticisms fairly and respond to them. Considering and
disposing of potential counterevidence throughout the essay is a good way to demonstrate
that you have considered all sides and are presenting a balanced, defensible argument.
9) Write with appropriate tone.
The tone of your writing refers to the writer’s attitude towards his subject and
reader. Using a tone that conveys rudeness or hostility is a sure way to alienate your
reader. Your tone should not be negative. Avoid personal attacks or declarations that the
opposing view is stupid or wrong. In addition, you want to avoid a tone that suggests a
lack of seriousness or a casual attitude inappropriate to academic writing. Try to present
your discussion in a concise, clear, and straightforward way, taking disagreements with
your position in stride, subjecting them to courteous consideration and argument. Above
all, remember that academic discourse is not the same as political polemics or internet
chatting.
10) Write an effective conclusion.
The conclusion should revisit your thesis, perhaps stating the main point in
another way that is made possible by what the body of your paper has accomplished. You
should revisit what problem you were looking to solve, why it is important, what your
view is, and what the argument is that you have defended in the paper. Ideally, you
should leave your reader with a memorable restatement of your thesis that makes clear
the broader significance it has for future work in the field. Please underline the
restatement of your thesis and include it on your cover sheet.
Sample Paragraph
The dog has been a useful companion to humanity for thousands of years.
Domestication of the dog occurred during the hunter-gatherer stage and prior to the
domestication of other animals such as goats or sheep.1 Early man could utilize the dog
for many tasks beyond mere companionship. Other uses for the dog could include guard
duty or even as a food source for humans.2 Humans on the arctic island of Zhokhov may
have even hunted with dogs.3 Evidence from the same island also suggests that dogs may
have been used to pull sleds; however, the evidence is not conclusive.4
1 Steven Mithen, After the Ice: A Global Human History, 20,000-5000 BC (Cambridge: Harvard
University Press, 2003), 77.
2 William F. Ruddiman, Plows, Plagues & Petroleum: How Humans Took Control of Climate
(Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2005), 69.
3 Mithen, After the Ice, 388.
4 Mithen, After the Ice, 387.
Bibliography
Mithen, Steven. After the Ice: A Global History, 20,000-5000 BC. Cambridge: Harvard
University Press, 2003.
Ruddiman, William F. Plows, Plagues and Petroleum: How Humans Took Control of
