World History 1500-Present

I’ve attached all the lecture notes needed for the assignment, let me know if you need any additional information! I’ve put the instructors directions below, he isn’t very detailed in his requirements so just answer each question and relate it to the notes please and thank you!

The final essay should be based on the lecture notes and the discussion summaries–which provide the framework and major arguments–and supplemented by textbook examples. In other words, if you don’t sufficiently use these materials in your essay, if you base your essay largely on the textbooks, non-lecture/textbook materials, and/or your previous knowledge, the grade will be low.

The lectures and discussions address most essay questions:

For the first question, you need to find sufficient materials on the three steps of the European overseas expansion from the lecture notes: particularly the major features of the early modern period (the 1st step of European overseas expansion), the European expansion from the mid-18th century to the mid-19th century (the 2nd step), new imperialism and the building of global colonial empire in the late 19th century (the 3rd and last step of expansion). Do NOT discuss the Iberian stage, Dutch stage, or the British/French stage along with the individual voyages such as those of Columbus and Vasco da Gama–these materials do not directly address the questions and would not help you to improve the grade.

For the second question, you need to explain the significance of the Western revolutions to the Western global dominance in intellectual/cultural, economic, and political levels instead of the processes of those revolutions.

For the third question, you need to sufficiently explain the impact of major events in the 20th centuries such as two world wars, the Russian Revolution, and the Five-Year Plans along with the briefly mentioned Great Depression (we have discussed these issues in these weeks).

For the fourth question, you need to pay attention to the Western-dominance nature in the current globalization.

The lectures and the discussion summaries provide you with a general framework and major arguments to address the first four questions. The related textbook chapters may supplement your explanation.

For the fifth and final question (the impact of colonialism), you need to do some research beyond the lectures and the discussions.