20 History Essay Questions That Will Boost Your Interest in the Subject

For many students, history is a favorite topic. From history, individuals and governments can learn from their mistakes. Interesting stories from the past, major battles and unique developments can make an interesting essay for a history class. By choosing one of these interesting history essay questions, students can become more engaged in the subject and find a paper topic that garners them a top score in their class.

20 History Essay Questions

  1. How are the Xinhai Revolution and the May Fourth Movement similar? Which event was more relevant to the course of history?
  2. What impact did the Bubonic Plague have on the course of history in Europe? Roughly one out of three people died in the plague, so what role did this have on European culture and development?
  3. How did imperialism play a role in the downfall of the Qing dynasty?
  4. What was the Christmas Truce that occurred in World War II? Why did it happen and did it have any long-term effects?
  5. How did slavery and slave rebellions have a formative role in shaping Jamaica's history?
  6. Following World War I, the generation was known as the “Lost Generation”. How did this group of individuals become known by this moniker? Why?
  7. What role did World War I have in causing the Second World War?
  8. Why and how did the Catholic Church lead the governments of Europe during the Middle Ages? How did Europe escape from the control of the church?
  9. After settlers arrived in the New World, small pox and other diseases decimated up to 95 percent of the population. What role did this have in the conquest and colonization of the Americas?
  10. What were the causes of the Panic of 1819? How did future economic panics lead to the formation of the Federal Reserve Bank?
  11. What factors allowed William the Conqueror to become the king of England? How did French rule of England make England into a cultural backwater for 200 years? How did it effect the formation of the modern English language?
  12. What role did geography play in Greek history?
  13. How did Buddhism spread to China, and what impact did it have on the Chinese empire?
  14. What brought about the end of apartheid in South Africa? Why did this repressive system and segregation continue for so long in South Africa?
  15. How did the rise of the Industrial Age cause Karl Marx to write the Communist Manifesto?
  16. What role did the Tokugawa shogunate play in Japanese history?
  17. How did the United States play a role in the creation of Panama? How was the Panama Canal responsible for this involvement?
  18. How were peasants in western Europe similar to serfs in Russia? How were they different?
  19. Why did Britain stop using the gold standard after the end of World War II?
  20. What Enlightenment concepts influenced the start of the French Revolution?

Posted by July 7th, 2016

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