Thematic Review: The purpose of the thematic essay is to test your understanding of BROAD THEMES of World History over time. While you will not have documents, you are given great freedom to determine what you will write about.The most popular topics over the past ten years are:

1. Geography2. Change: Revolutions, ideas, turning points3. Influence of Individuals4. Belief Systems5. Political and Economic Systems6. Human Rights

This packet will give you some examples of thematic essay questions and ask you to create notes for yourself so that you will not be surprised on the Final.Geography and the Environment: This theme has to do with relationships among people, places, and environments. Environment means the surroundings, including natural elements and elements created by humans.Thematic: Geography: Geographic factors have influenced historical developments and historical events of nations and regions.

o Task: Choose two nations and/or regions and for each:o Identify and describe two geographic factors in each nation and/or regiono Explain how each factor has influenced the historical development or a specific historical event in each nation

and/or region

Geographic Feature:

Specific Nation or Region

Positive effects on that nation or region Negative effects on that nation or region

Rivers

Mountains

Deserts or Rainforests

Bodies of Water (Peninsula, Isthmus, Islands, Archipelago)

Climate

Belief Systems: are the established, orderly ways in which a group or individuals look at religious faith or philosophical tenets

o A belief system is an established, orderly way that groups or individuals look at religious faith or philosophical principles. These systems have often affected politics, society, and the economy in the nations or regions in which they are practiced.

o Task: Select two belief systems from your study of global history and for each Explain one major idea of the belief system Discuss the effects the belief system has had on the politics, society, and/or the economy of a specific

nation or regionBelief System and founder

Specific Nation or region

Major Ideas of the Belief System Effect of belief system on the politics, society, and/or the economy of a specific nation or region

Animism

Buddhism

Confucianism

Hinduism

Islam

Judaism

Political Systems: address certain basic questions such as: What should a government have the power to do? What should a government not have the power to do?

o Political systems have affected the history and culture of nations and societies.o Task:o Choose two different political systems and for each

Describe the characteristics of the political system Discuss how the political system has affected the history or culture of a specific nation or society

Thematic: Political Changeo Often, governments implement policies in an attempt to change society.o Task: Choose one example from global history where a government attempted to change society and

Describe the change the government wanted to bring about Explain why the government wanted to make this change Describe one specific policy the government used to try to bring about this change

Discuss the extent to which this change was achievedPolitical System

Characteristics How Affected Specific Nation or region

Specific Policies this type of Government tried to bring about.

Absolute Monarchy

Direct Democracy

Parliamentary Democracy

Communism

Fascism

Feudalism

Totalitarianism

Individuals in History: Theme: Change — Ideas

• The ideas of individuals have had a significant influence on groups, nations, and regions.• Task: Select two individuals and for each

Explain a specific idea developed by the individual Describe the historical circumstances that surrounded the development of the idea Discuss how the idea influenced a group or a nation or a region

Theme: Change [Individuals Who Have Changed History]

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

o Task: Identify two 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

Individual Specific Writing

Idea Historical Circumstances

How idea affected specific nation or region

Positive and negative effects of that idea

Adam Smith

Confucius

Deng Xiaoping

Galileo

Isaac Newton

Johan Gutenberg

John Locke

Joseph Stalin

Karl Marx

Kemal Atatürk

Machiavelli

Mao Zedong

Martin Luther

Mikhail Gorbachev

Mohandas Gandhi

Otto von

Bismarck

Peter the Great

Economic Systems must answer the three basic economic questions: What goods and services are to be produced and in what quantities? How shall these goods and services be produced? For whom shall these goods and services be produced?

Thematic: Economic Systems o Societies have developed different economic systems for many reasons. Some of these economic systems include

manorialism, capitalism, and communism.o Task: Identify one society and one economic system that has been used or is being used in that society and

Discuss the historical circumstances surrounding the development of that economic system Describe two features of the economic system Evaluate the impact the economic system had on this society during a specific historical period

Economic System

Historical Features Impact on a specific society

Traditional Economy

Manorialism

Mercantilism

Capitalism

Marxist Socialism (Communism)

Turning Points/Change: Turning points are times when decisive changes occur. Turning points often have political, social and cultural impact. Thematic: Turning Points Turning points are major events in history that have led to lasting change.

o Task: Identify two major turning points in global history and for each: Describe the historical circumstances surrounding the turning point Explain how each turning point changed the course of history

Turning Point Date Historic circumstances How this changed the course of historyNeolithic Revolution

Industrial Revolution

French Revolution

The Russian Revolution

The Crusades

Renaissance

Reformation

The Enlightenment

Voyages of Columbus

Collapse of Communism in the Soviet Union

Justice and Human Rights: Justice is fair, equal, proportional, or appropriate treatment given to individuals in interpersonal, societal, or governmental interactions. Human rights are those basic political, economic and social rights to which all human beings are entitled. At times throughout history, justice and human rights have been violated. Some of these abuses include: unequal treatment under the law; ethnic persecution; religious persecution; any sort of persecution.

Thematic: Human Rights Violations

o The human rights of many groups have been violated at different times in various nations and regions. Efforts by governments, groups, and individuals to resolve these human rights violations have met with mixed results.

o Task: Select two groups who have experienced human rights violations in a specific nation or region and for each Describe one historical circumstance that led to a human rights violation in the nation or region Describe one example of a human rights violation in that nation or region Discuss the extent to which a government, a group, or an individual made an attempt to resolve this human

rights violation

Group Historical Circumstance Violation How problem was “fixed”Apartheid

The Holocaust

Women’s Suffrage

The Slave Trade

Caste System

Chinese students in Tiananmen Square

Indigenous people in Latin America during the Encounter

Event Dates Description: What key ideas? Influences? Key people?

Code of Hammurabi

1800 BC

English Bill of Rights

1688 AD

Laws of the Twelve Tables

450 BC

Justinian’s Code

The Sharia

Magna Carta 1215

Nationalism: is a feeling of pride in and devotion to one’s country or the desire of a people to control their own government. It is sometimes a divisive force and sometimes a force that unifies. In many cases it is a source of conflict.

Thematic: Theme: Nationalismo Throughout history, nationalist movements have begun in different countries and regions with the hope of

achieving either unification or independence. The results of these movements have been mixed.o Task: Select one country or region and

Describe the historical circumstances that led the people of this country or region to begin a nationalist movement

Describe a goal of the nationalist movement Discuss a method used to achieve this goal Discuss the results of this nationalist movement on this country or region

Nationalist Movement

Historical Circumstances and important people

Goal Method Results

German Unification

Italian Unification

Indian Independence

Zionism

African Independence Movements

Turkey

Pan-Arabism

Balkans

Conflict has occurred throughout history, and its costs have sometimes been very high. The causes of conflict may be political, social or economic.

Thematic: Conflicto Conflicts between groups of people have threatened peace in many nations and regions.o Task: Identify one conflict that has threatened peace in a nation or region and

Discuss one major cause of that conflict Identify two opposing groups involved in the conflict and discuss one viewpoint of each group Discuss the extent to which the conflict was or was not resolved

Conflict Dates Causes Two opposing groups

How was the conflict resolved/not resolved

World War I

World War II

Cold War

Movement of People and Goods: Cultural Diffusion is the constant exchange of people, ideas, products, technology and institutions from one region or civilization to another.

Thematic:: Tradeo Trade routes and trade organizations have had an impact on nations and regions. The effects have been both

positive and negative.o Task: Identify two trade routes and/or trade organizations and for each

Explain one reason for the establishment of the trade route or trade organization Discuss one positive effect or one negative effect of the trade route or trade organization on a specific nation

or regionTrade Route Reason for

trade routeSpecific Positive effects Specific Negative effects

African Trade Routes

Silk Road

Crusades

Columbian Exchange

European Union

Imperialism: is the domination by one country of the political and economic life of another country or region. Imperialism has had both positive and negative effects on colonies.Example of Imperialism

Historical circumstances

Positive effects Negative effects

British in India

European Powers in Africa

Japan in Asia