Section II: Part A—Document-Based Questions · Part A: First Sample Student DBQ Essay ... In conclusion, the French Revolution came almost entirely from the horrible conditions

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Section II: Part A—Document-Based Questions

(Suggested writing time–45 minutes)

Percent of Section II score–45%

Directions: The following question is based on the accompanying Documents 1–10. (Some of the documents have

been edited for the purpose of this exercise.) This question is designed to test your ability to work with historical

documents. As you analyze the documents, take into account both the sources of the documents and the authors’

points of view. Write an essay on the following topic that integrates your analysis of the documents. Do not

simply summarize the documents individually. You may refer to relevant historical facts and developments not

mentioned in the documents.

1. Assess the following statement:

The underlying causes of the French Revolution were the conditions that existed within French society in

the eighteenth century.

Historical Background: In 1789 France occupied a place of first rank in Europe. France was the center of the

intellectual movement of the Enlightenment and Paris was the center of culture. French books were read

everywhere and French replaced Latin as the international language among the educated and aristocratic

circles of many countries. France, with a population of about 25 million people, was the most populous

nation in Europe. However, conditions in French society masked problems that would lead to a major

upheaval in the country. France was grounded in a society that was a carryover from the Middle Ages.

Document 1

Ordinarily there is no comparison between the crimes of the great who are always ambitious, and the crimes of the

people who always want, and can want only liberty and equality. These two sentiments, Liberty and Equality, do

not lead direct to calumny, rapine, assassination, poisoning, the devastation of one’s neighbors’ lands, etc.; but

ambitious might and the mania for power plunge into all these crimes whatever be the time, whatever be the place.

Popular government is in itself, therefore, less iniquitous, less abominable than despotic power.

The great vice of democracy is certainly not tyranny and cruelty . . .

Source: François-Marie Arouet (Voltaire), “Democracy," in Philosophical Dictionary, New York, Carlton House, (n.d.), p. 96.

Document 2

To Montauban. The poor people seem poor indeed; the children terribly ragged, - if possible, worse clad than if

with no clothes at all; as to shoes and stockings, they are luxuries. A beautiful girl of six or seven years playing

with a stick, and smiling under such a bundle of rags as made my heart ache to see her. They did not beg, and

when I gave them anything seemed more surprised than obliged. One third of what I have seen of this province

seems uncultivated, and nearly all of it in misery. What have kings, and minister, and parliaments, and states to

answer for their prejudices, seeing millions of hands that would be industrious idle and starving through the exe-

crable maxims of despotism, or the equally detestable prejudices of feudal nobility.

Walking up a long hill to ease my mares, I was joined by a poor woman who complained . . . that it was a sad

country.

Source: Arthur Young, Travels in France (1792).

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Document 3

At this moment, sire, I confine myself to recalling to you these three items (upon which we have agreed):

. . . No bankruptcy, either avowed or disguised by illegal reductions.

No increase of taxes; the reason for this lying in the condition of your people, and, still more, in that of your

Majesty’s own generous heart.

No loans; because every loan always diminishes the free revenue and necessitates . . . the increase of taxes. In

times of peace it is permissible to borrow only in order to liquidate old debts. . . .

I shall be feared, hated even, by nearly all the court, by all who solicit favors. They will impute to me all the refus-

als; they will describe me as a hard man because I shall have advised your Majesty that you ought not to enrich

even those that you love at the expense of your people’s subsistence.

Source: Letter to the king from Turgot, new Controller-General of Finances to Louis XVI, outlining his program, 1774.

Document 4

France is a true monarchy, where a single man rules and is ruled by law alone.

. . . the general laws of the kingdom may be enacted only with the consent of the king and the nation . . .

. . . we recognize the nation in the States General, composed of the three orders of the kingdom, which are the

clergy, the nobility and the third estate.

. . . For the welfare of the kingdom we ask, in common with the whole nation, that this convocation be periodical

and fixed, . . .

. . . the States General should not vote otherwise than by order.

. . . the three orders are equal in power and independent of each other, in such a manner that their unanimous

consent is necessary to the expression of the nation’s will.

. . . no tax may be laid without the consent of the nation.

. . . every citizen has, under the law, a sacred and inviolable right to personal liberty and to the possession of his

goods.

Source: Cahier of 1789, The Clergy of Blois and Romorantin.

Document 5

That liberty of the press be granted, upon condition that author and printer are responsible; and the Estates

General shall determine the most severed restrictions in order to prevent such liberty from degenerating into

licence. . . .

The order of nobility desires further that the distinction of three orders in the Estates General be strengthened

and regarded as inherent in the Constitution of the French monarchy, and that opinions be given therein only by

order . . .

That the opposition of one order alone may not delay projects of the other two and result in veto, except by at

least two-thirds of the votes.

That the Estates General be periodic . . . that it approve taxation only until its next assembly; and that if it be not

convoked by the King at the established time, all taxes immediately cease to be valid throughout the entire extent

of the kingdom. . .

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That capitaineries, an obvious violation of property, be generally suppressed; but that . . . proprietors who suffer

therefrom be compensated. . . .

The nobility . . . believes also that it is decidedly expedient that all Frenchmen keep constantly in mind the funda-

mental truth that taxes may be established only with the consent of the nation.

That if the corvée cannot be abolished . . . it must continue to be commuted into a money payment and sup-

ported by all citizens.

Source: Cahier of the Third Estate of Dourdan, March 29, 1789.

Document 6

The order of the third estate of . . . Dourdan . . . wishes:

1. That his subjects of the third estate, equal by such status to all other citizens, present themselves before the

common father without other distinctions which might degrade them. . . .

3. That no citizen lose his liberty except according to law that . . . no one be arrested by virtue of special

order. . . .

5. That the property of all citizens be inviolable (untouchable). . . .

12. That every tax, direct or indirect, be granted (by the Estates General) only for a limited time. . . .

13. That no loan be contracted . . . without the consent of the Estates General. . . .

15. That every personal tax be abolished; that thus . . . the taille . . . be merged with (other taxes) . . . in a tax on

land and real or nominal property.

16. That such tax be borne equally, without distinction by all classes of citizens and by all kinds of property,

even feudal . . . rights.

17. That the tax substituted for the corvée be borne by all classes of citizens equally and without distinction. . . .

Agriculture

4. That the right to hunt may never affect the property of the citizen; that, accordingly, he may . . . cut . . .

produce whenever it suits him; and that stubble may be freely raked immediately after the harvest. . . .

Morals

1. That in the chief town of every bailliage (district) a public school be established. . . .

2. That in cities and villages schools be established where the poor will be admitted without cost, and

instructed in whatever is necessary. . . .

Source: Cahier of the Third Estate of Dourdan, March 29, 1789.

Document 7

8. . . . the nation should hereafter be subject only to such laws and taxes as it shall itself freely ratify.

9. The meetings of the Estates General of the kingdom should be fixed for definite periods. . . .

10. In order to assure to the third estate the influence of which it is entitled in view of the number of its

members . . . its votes in the assembly should be taken and counted by head. . . .

12. . . . A law should be passed declaring members of the third estate qualified to fill all such offices for which

they are judged to be personally fitted.

13. Since individual liberty is intimately associated with national liberty, his Majesty is hereby petitioned not to

permit that it be hereafter interfered with by arbitrary orders for imprisonment. . . .

Source: Cahiers of 1789, The Third Estate of Carcassonne.

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Document 8

The National Assembly, considering that it has been summoned to establish the constitution of the kingdom, to

effect the regeneration of public order, and to maintain the true principles of monarchy; that nothing can prevent

it from continuing its deliberations in whatever place it may be forced to establish itself; and finally that whereso-

ever its members are assembled, there is the National Assembly:

Decrees that all members of this Assembly shall immediately take a solemn oath not to separate, and to reassem-

ble wherever circumstances require, until the constitution of the kingdom is established. . . .

Source: The Tennis Court Oath, June 20, 1789.

Document 9

1. The National Assembly abolishes the feudal regime entirely, and decrees that . . . feudal . . . rights and

dues . . . and personal servitude . . . are abolished without indemnity. . . .

3. The exclusive right of hunting and open warrens is likewise abolished; and every proprietor has the right to

destroy . . . on his own property only, every kind of game.

All capitaineries . . . are likewise abolished. . . .

5. Tithes of every kind and dues which take the place thereof . . are abolished. . . .

All citizens may be admitted, without distinction of birth, to all ecclesiastical, civil, and military

employments and offices. . . .

17. The National Assembly solemnly proclaims King Louis XVI Restorer of French Liberty.

Source: Decree of the National Assembly abolishing the feudal system, August 4, 1789.

Document 10

1. Men are born and remain free and equal in rights; social distinctions may be based only upon general

usefulness.

2. The aim of every political association is the preservation of the natural and inalienable rights of man; these

rights are liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression. . . .

4. Liberty consists of the power to do whatever is not injurious to others. . . .

5. The law has the right to forbid only actions which are injurious to society. Whatever is not forbidden by law

may not be prevented. . . .

6. Law is the expression of the general will; all citizens have the right to concur personally, or through their

representatives, in its formation; it must be the same for all. . . .

7. No man may be accused, arrested, or detained except in the cases determined by law. . . .

9. . . . every man is presumed innocent until declared guilty. . . .

11. . . . every citizen may speak, write, and print freely. . . .

16. Every society in which the guarantee of rights is not assured or the separation of powers not determined

has no constitution at all.

17. Since property is a sacred . . . right, no one may be deprived thereof unless a legally established public

necessity obviously requires it. . . .

Source: Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, August 27, 1789.

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Section II: Part B—Thematic Essays

(Suggested planning and writing time–70 minutes)

Percent of Section II score–55%

Directions: You are to answer TWO questions, one from each group of three questions below. Make your

selections carefully, choosing the questions that you are best prepared to answer thoroughly in the time permitted.

You should spend 5 minutes organizing or outlining each essay. In writing your essays, use specific examples to

support your answer. If time permits when you finish writing, check your work. Be certain to number your

answers as the questions are numbered below.

Group 1Choose ONE question from this group. The suggested writing time for this question is 30 minutes. You are

advised to spend 5 minutes planning your answer in the area below.

1. Discuss the impact of the Scientific Revolution on European society in the sixteenth and seventeenth

centuries.

2. Romanticism was in part a revolt against the ideas of Classicism and the Enlightenment view of society.

Defend or refute this statement.

3. Discuss how total war affected the home fronts of England, France, and Germany during World War I.

Group 2Choose ONE question from this group. The suggested writing time for this question is 30 minutes. You are

advised to spend 5 minutes planning your answer in the area below.

1. Discuss and evaluate the efforts of the Catholic Church in the sixteenth century to address the challenges

posed by the Protestant Reformation.

2. France under Louis XIV was the classic model of absolutism while Spain in the seventeenth century was a

classic case of imperial decline.

3. Describe the factors that contributed to the rise of a youth culture in Europe after World War II.

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Section II: Free-Response Essays

Part A: First Sample Student DBQ Essay

Despite its power and appearance of wealth, France in the latter half of the eighteenth century had deep-rooted

problems. The political, economic, and social conditions within its society were the catalyst for the French

Revolution of 1789. The ideals of philosophers of the Enlightenment as well as poor economic conditions of the

country, combined with an outdated social structure, provided the groundwork for a society that was ready for

revolution in 1789.

The philosophers of the Enlightenment provided the intellectual framework that began to question the limits of

royal power. Voltaire, who is considered to be the greatest of all the enlightened philosophers, admired the British

system of government and believed that “popular government was less abominable than despotic powers” (Doc. 1).

However, Voltaire did not believe in the masses and thought that change had to come from above.

Other philosophers like Montesquieu who supported the division of power within the government and Rousseau

who believed that the social contract provided the basis of government also brought into question the idea of

Divine Right Theory of Government. The flaws of absolute rule became obvious with Louis XVI who had become

king in 1774. He was unsuited to provide the leadership to address the complex economic and social problems

confronting France in 1789. Shy, dull, and corpulent, he preferred the hunting fields and his locksmith’s workshop

to the job of governing. His indecisiveness and the unpopularity of his Austrian wife, Queen Antoinette, created a

uneasiness about his leadership. Although it is difficult to assess the specific effects of the philosophers on French

society, their ideas provided the ideology framework for many participants of the French Revolution.

In 1789, France faced serious economic and financial problems. Although the country had enjoyed fifty years of

economic expansion, bad harvests in 1787 and 1788 resulted in food shortages as well as raising prices for food

other goods. The Englishman, Arthur Young, in Travels in France (1789) noted that people in the province of

Brittany were poor and that millions were starving and that conditions were very bad in the country (Doc. 2). He

was very critical of the king and his minister for allowing this misery. On the eve of the Revolution the number of

poor was estimated at almost one-third of the population.

The immediate cause of the French Revolution was that the government was bankrupt. By the late 1770s, close

to 50% of France’s annual budget went for interest payments on the debt. Another 25% went to maintain the

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military while about 5% was absorbed by the extravagant king and his court at Versailles. Louis XVI called on

several ministers to put the country back on a sound basis. A slogan of Jacques T. Turgot, his financial minister

from 1774 to 1776, “No bankruptcy, No new taxes, No loans,” left little room for anything (Doc. 3). France could

not declare bankruptcy because the French debt was being held by an army of aristocrats and bourgeoisie creditors

and Louis XVI was too weak for such drastic and unpopular action. Turgot also recommended that the government

begin to cut back on its spending for the French court and government (Doc. 3).

The opposition of certain members of Louis XVI’s court, which included Marie Antoinette because Turgot

refused favors to one of her protégées, led to Turgot’s dismissal in 1776. Other finance ministers like the Swiss-born

Jacques Necker were also forced to resign after they proposed to abolish tax privileges. The French tax system was

unfair and outdated and only a thorough reform of the social structure would increase revenue for the state.

As in the Middle Ages, France’s population of 25 million people were divided into three orders or estates. The

First Estate, the clergy, consisted of 1% of the population and owned about 10% of the land. They were exempt

from the taille, France’s chief tax. They had wealth, land, and privileges. The First Estate of the Clergy included

bishops, nobles, and abbots but not the parish priests who were often poor and from the class of commoners. The

Second Estate was the nobles who were about 2% of the population and owned about 20% of the land. They, like

the clergy, were exempt from paying taxes but they also taxed the peasantry.

The Third Estate constituted the overwhelming majority of the population. They were divided by vast differences

in occupation, levels of education and wealth. A vast majority were peasants who owned 40% of the land. The

bulk of the taxes fell on the Third Estate. They alone paid the taille (a tax on agricultural products), tithes (a

church tax), gabelle (salt tax), as well as dues to the local lord for the use of his mill, wine press, etc. The bourgeoisie

were about 8% of the population and included the rising commercial and professional classes. They paid less taxes

than the peasants but felt unjustly treated. They were denied good jobs and wanted to reform a system that was

outdated and did not give them the political and social rights on par with their economic conditions. Another part

of the Third Estate was the urban skilled craftsmen and other wage earners of the city. They were very poor and

less involved in politics but their daily struggle for survival led many of them to play important roles at several

points in the revolution.

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By 1787, the depressed economy and the lack of public confidence made it increasingly difficult for the

government to obtain loans to meet its financial needs. In July 1788, Louis XVI called for a spring meeting of the

Estates General to address the country’s financial crisis. The Estates General was the French Parliament which had

not met since 1614. As part of the electoral process of 1789, each estate drew up a list of grievances called Cahiers

de Doleances. The Cahiers were intended to inform and instruct the deputies about local views and authorize

reform.

The petition for changes coming from the three estates showed a high degree of consensus. There was a general

agreement that royal absolutism should be limited, individual liberties be guaranteed, and taxes would require the

consent of the Estates General meeting regularly (Doc. 4, 5, and 6). The striking similarities in the grievance

petitions of the clergy, nobility, and Third Estate demonstrated a broad commitment to liberal reforms. However,

there were differences underneath the surface. The nobles wanted to abolish the corvée, compulsory unpaid labor

of the peasants and the capitaineries, tax on the hunting rights for the peasants, only if they were compensated

(Doc. 5). The peasants wanted to replace the corvee with a tax that would be paid by all citizens and that all taxes

be shared equally regardless of class (Doc. 6). Within the middle-class members of the Third Estate there was a

greater emphasis on protecting the citizens’ rights than on the needs of the peasants.

The Estates General opened at Versailles on May 5, 1789. The issue of how the Estates General voted would

present immediate problems. The First and Second Estates wanted the Estates General to vote by unit and not by

individual members (Doc. 5). Therefore, the First and Second Estates could outvote the Third Estates two to one.

The Third Estate demanded that each deputy have one vote (Doc. 7). The assistance of liberal nobles and clerics

would give the Third Estate a majority and enable them to pass what they considered needed reforms. Emmanuel

Joseph Sieyes argued in his pamphlet in 1789 entitled “What Is the Third Estate?” that the Third Estate or the

common people were burdened with all the tasks of society and that the nobility consisted of a tiny over-privileged

minority that hurt the nation rather than helped it.

After six weeks of deadlock over voting procedures, on June 17, 1789 the Third Estate declared itself the

National Assembly. On June 20, the delegates of the Third Estate locked out of the National Assembly meeting

hall by Louis XVI, moved to a large indoor tennis court. There, they took the Tennis Court Oath, pledging not to

disband until they had written a constitution for France (Doc. 8). The Tennis Court Oath was the first step in the

French Revolution because the power was coming from the National Assembly and not the king.

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In the summer of 1789 food shortages, rising bread prices, and rumors that the king had sent troops to dissolve

the National Assembly incited the people to action. On July 14, the Paris mob stormed the Bastille, a fortress

symbolic of the Old Regime. The popular uprising had saved the National Assembly and broke the power of the

monopoly of the royal army. Disorder spread throughout France and set off what has become known as the Great

Fear. Peasants rose against nobles, burned castles, and destroyed records of feudal dues. The peasant revolt forced

the National Assembly to abolish the remnants of abuses of the Old Regime. The decree issues on August 4, 1789

ended noble privileges such as peasant serfdom where it existed, exclusive hunting rights, and a host of other

feudal dues (Doc. 9). All male citizens were also permitted to hold any government or military office (Doc. 9).

Three weeks later on August 27, the National Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and

Citizens. The charter proclaimed freedom and equal rights for all men and access to public office based on talent.

Freedom of speech and the press and due process before the law were also included in this declaration (Doc. 10).

All citizens had the right to participate in the legislative process (Doc. 10). The right to rule no longer rested on the

king but also on the general will of the people. The principles of the declaration were captured in the slogan,

“Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity.”

By 1791, the National Assembly established a Constitutional Monarchy but still had to face other issues. The

dissatisfaction of women like Olympe de Gouges who expressed her ideas in the Declaration of the Rights of

Woman and the Female Citizen, combined with the rising expectation of the peasants and the demands of urban

poor for more radical actions as well as the conservative reaction from European monarchs would push the

revolution to more drastic changes. However, between 1789 and 1791, the constructive and lasting reforms changed

the abuses that existed in French society under the Old Regime. A French historian has noted that “the Revolution

had been accomplished in the minds of men long before it was translated into fact.”

Reader’s Comments on Part A: First Sample Student DBQ Essay

■ The student offers a clear, well-developed thesis that addresses the question.

■ The essay is well organized and the student makes use of all of the documents to support the thesis

statement.

■ The outside information is relevant (discussion of the Three Estates, reference to Sieyes) and clarifies the

ideas in the document.

■ The conclusion is strong and ties together all of the analysis.

Possible student score: 8–9

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Part A: Second Sample Student DBQ Essay

When the French Revolution began in 1789, it was an effort by the poor section of French society to revolt

against the horrible conditions they faced during the eighteenth century. Because of the outdated way France’s

social system was organized (Doc 1), this impacted the economic structure of society, which in turn led to a large

group of poor people who were being treated badly. Because of this, they started the revolution that changed

France forever.

Leading up to the Revolution, France was ruled by a series of Kings, who spent money freely and contributed

to the creation of three classes in France—the wealthy aristocrats, the middle class, and the poor (Doc 4). Because

of this, the king was able to pass whatever taxes he wanted, and to enforce whatever laws he wanted, without the

consent of people. This resulted in a very unbalanced class system, where the rich took up less than 5% of the

country, but enjoyed the most power and ability to control what happened. The middle and lower classes had no

voice in government, and were often the ones taxed by the King in order to raise money. Leading up to 1789, the

French kings were all-powerful rulers who spent so much money and borrowed so much money that they destroyed

France’s economy. The wealthy would not pay taxes, and the poor had no money to pay taxes, so the extravagant

life of the King could not be financed, nor could the country’s economy (Doc. 2).

The Economy was the main reason why the French revolted, but underneath the economy was the frustration

that came from being ruled by a king, and not being able to have representation in government. This was considered

to be unnatural by those who supported a representative government (Doc 10), and it was only a matter of time

before people rose up against such unnatural ways of being governed. Philosophers of the Enlightenment such as

Voltaire and Rousseau wrote compelling works about why men should be free to enjoy their rights to pursue life

and liberty (Doc 1). These were the beliefs that spurred people on to revolt against a government that was despotic

and that suppressed their rights while also destroying the economy. These became the rallying cries for the

Revolution. The French wanted their rights to be recognized through a republic-style of government where they

had representation.

In conclusion, the French Revolution came almost entirely from the horrible conditions in France in the

eighteenth century. As the documents show, the king ruled badly, the poor were oppressed, and the economy was

weak. This was a perfect set of conditions for the 1789 revolution that would change France forever.

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Reader’s Comments on Part A: Second Sample Student DBQ Essay

■ The thesis is never stated.

■ There are an insufficient number of documents listed.

■ There is no supporting data when listing documents.

■ There is little or no outside relevant information.

■ The conclusion is weak.


Part B: First Sample Student Thematic Essay, Group 1–1

The Scientific Revolution was a period in history during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in which

scientists challenged traditional authority. The Scientific Revolution brought to Europeans a new way of viewing

the universe and their place in it.

The philosophers of the Middle Ages used the ideas of the Greek philosopher Aristotle and the Egyptian

philosopher Ptolemy to form a geocentric theory of the universe. Medieval theologians such as St. Thomas

Aquinas brought these writings into harmony with Christian doctrines. The Aristotelian view of the world

supported the Ptolemic view of a motionless earth fixed at the center of the universe. This scheme suited Christianity

because it positioned man at the center of the universe.

In 1543, Nicholas Copernicus’ book, On the Revolution of the Heavenly Spheres, which was not published until

after his death, claimed that the earth revolved around the sun and that the sun was the center of the universe. The

heliocentric theory that the sun and not the earth was the center of the universe challenged the teachings of hundreds

of years. By characterizing the earth as just another planet, Copernicus destroyed the impression that the earthly

world was different than the heavenly world. Religious leaders like John Calvin and Martin Luther condemned

Copernicus. However, the Catholic Church did not declare Copernicus’ theory false until 1616, continuing to uphold

that the earth was the center of the universe. German scientist Johannes Kepler’s laws of planetary motion and the

Italian Galileo Galilei’s use of the telescope demonstrated the accuracy of Copernicus’ heliocentric theory.

The greatest figure of the Scientific Revolution was the Englishman Isaac Newton who integrated the ideas of

Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo into one system of mathematical laws to explain the orderly manner in which the

planets revolved around the sun. Newton’s law of universal gravitation showed that the universe operated by rules

that could be explained through mathematics and that a religious interpretation was not the sole means of

comprehending the forces of nature.

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The Scientific Revolution also led to a better way of obtaining knowledge. The English politician and writer

Francis Bacon’s inductive experimentalism of using specific examples to draw conclusions was a rejection of the

medieval view of knowledge based on tradition and the French philosopher and mathematician Rene Descartes’

deductive and logical approach to knowledge combined into the creation of the scientific method, which involved

testing a hypothesis through experimentation to obtain a conclusion that either proved or refuted the original

hypothesis. This analytical and scientific approach to learning began to take hold of society in the late seventeenth

century and had an impact on the Western view of society.

The Scientific Revolution had many consequences for European society. First, it created a scientific community

whose primary goal was the expansion of knowledge. Learned societies like the French Academy of Science and

the Royal Society of London were founded to promote the growth of scientific ideas among different countries.

The new science created in the seventeenth century entailed the search for precise knowledge of the physical world

based on the union of experimental observation with sophisticated mathematics. It refused to base its conclusions

on tradition and established sources on ancient authorities and sacred text.

The Scientific Revolution had few consequences for the economic life and living standards of the masses of

people until the eighteenth century. Science had relatively few economic applications and the Scientific Revolution

of the seventeenth century was primarily an intellectual revolution.

However, the Scientific Revolution was the single most important factor in the creation of a new world view of

the eighteenth century Enlightenment. The belief that human reason was the vehicle that would unlock the secrets

of the universe ended the dominance of religion on society and provided the background for the age of the

Enlightenment.

Reader’s Comments on Part B: First Sample Student Thematic Essay, Group 1–1

■ The essay contains a solid thesis statement.

■ The student supports the thesis with evidence and information about important figures during the Scientific

Revolution.

■ The student provides information about the impact of the Scientific Revolution, and its future influence on

European society.

■ The conclusion could be more analytical.

Possible student score: 7–9 (more toward the lower end of the scale)

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Part B: Second Sample Student Thematic Essay, Group 1–1

In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the Scientific Revolution was an intellectual movement that had a

long-lasting impact in Europe. Because of the Scientific Revolution, Europeans had access to new ways of thinking

that changed their lives forever. One of the biggest impacts of the Scientific Revolution was that the church was no

longer viewed as the authority on all matters. Because of this so-called “Revolution,” which was actually peaceful

and did not involve any violence, logic and reason became the guiding principles for life, and the church’s influence

became secondary in people’s everyday lives.

One key area that came to light during the Scientific Revolution was the notion of the earth’s place in the solar

system. The church had always advanced the idea that the earth was the center of the earth, and that the sun

revolved around the earth. It was important for the church to put forth the theory that the earth was the center of

the universe. The man that contradicted that, Nicholas Copernicus, got into serious trouble with the church. Many

of his contemporaries shunned him, and refused to believe what he was saying. Copernicus was eventually proven

right, but it did not matter because while he was alive, he was rejected by the church and most of the public.

However, the man most associated with the advances of the Scientific Revolution was Sir Isaac Newton. He

worked with the teachings of many scientists who came before him, including Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo, and

developed a comprehensive theory on how the solar system worked. He put forth the idea that religion could not

explain all of life’s phenomena, and that science is the true path to understanding how the universe is organized.

Newton developed a theory of gravitation that proved that the earth was not the center of the universe, and that

there were many planets and the earth was just one of them.

Other thinkers in the Scientific Revolution included Francis Bacon, who performed many experiments, and

Rene Descartes, whose saying “I think therefore I am” can be seen as the motto of the Scientific Revolution—

thought is the most important path for people. This was a significant shift from the previous commonly held view

that the church could, and should, dictate the way people thought, and that the church’s beliefs should not be

questioned. Bacon and Descartes both devoted their lives to performing experiments—just the very process of

experimenting went against traditionally held beliefs.

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Because of the Scientific Revolution, many other key periods in European history were possible. The

Enlightenment would not have happened without the Scientific Revolution. In addition, the Renaissance would

not have happened without the groundwork that informed the Scientific Revolution.

In conclusion, the Scientific Revolution was a pivotal time period in Europe and resulted in many important

developments. Even today, scientists use the same methods that Newton, Descartes, and Bacon developed. This

means that the Scientific Revolution was important.

Reader’s Comments on Part B: Second Sample Student Thematic Essay, Group 1–1

■ The thesis statement is incomplete and poorly stated.

■ The student provides some details about the thinkers/important figures in the Scientific Revolution, but

does not fully explain their contributions and/or provides only incomplete factual information.

■ There are not enough details on the impact of the Scientific Revolution.

■ The conclusion is poorly organized and does not cover all the key points of the Scientific Revolution.

Possible student score: 3–5 (Weak essay)


At the end of the eighteenth century a new intellectual movement known as Romanticism emerged which

profoundly influenced the arts and enriched European culture. The Romantic Movement was in part a revolt against

Classicism and the Enlightenment. Classicism was a set of artistic rules and standards that fit perfectly with the

Enlightenment belief in rational order and restraint. Classicists believed that the ancient Greeks and Romans had

discovered eternally valid aesthetic rules and that playwrights and painters should continue to follow them.

The Enlightenment stressed reason as the chief means for discovering truth. The Enlightenment’s leaders

believed that by using the scientific methods they could explain the laws of human nature and society. Enlightenment

thinkers thought that all problems could be solved because human reason could explain the law of society and

nature. The philosophers of the Enlightenment saw human nature as something uniform and criticized the Catholic

Church because it rejected human reason.

The Romantics rejected the Enlightenment because it blocked the free play of emotions and creativity and

triumphed reason over emotion. The forerunner of the Romantic Movement appeared from about 1750. Jean

Jacques Rousseau was the most influential. Like other Enlightenment thinkers, Rousseau was passionately

15

committed to individual freedoms, but unlike them, he attacked rationalism and civilization as destroying rather

than liberating the individual.

Romanticism fully crystallized in the 1790s primarily in England and Germany. The French Revolution created

the belief that radical change was possible not only in politics but in cultural and artistic life. Romantic writers

emphasized emotion and sentiment and stressed that these inner feelings were understandable only to the person

experiencing them. Romanticism also encouraged unrestrained imagination and spontaneity in both art and

personal life.

In Germany, the early Romantics of the 1770s and 1780s called their movement Storm and Stress (Sturm und

Drang), and many romantic artists of the early nineteenth century lived lives of tremendous emotional intensity.

Great individualists believed that the full development of each person’s unique human potential was the supreme

purpose in life.

Many Romantics had a passionate interest in history which was best personified in the writings of Sir Walter

Scott whose novels became best sellers in the first half of the nineteenth century. Ivanhoe, in which Scott sought to

evoke the clash between Saxon and Norman knights in medieval England, became one of his most popular works.

Nowhere was the break with Classicism and the Enlightenment more apparent than in Romanticism’s general

conception of nature. Nature was portrayed in the Enlightenment periods as beautiful and chaste, like an eighteenth

century formal garden. The Romantics in contrast were enchanted by nature, sometimes they found it awesome

and others saw nature as a source of spiritual inspiration. Most Romantics saw the growth of modern industry as

an ugly, brutal attack on their beloved nature and on the human personality. Poets such as William Blake and

William Wordsworth wrote about the horrors of the Industrial Revolution. By emphasizing feelings, the Romantics

helped create humanitarian movements to fight poverty.

Visual arts were deeply affected by Romanticism. To Romantic artists, all artistic expression was a reflection of

the artist’s inner feelings. A painting should mirror the artist’s vision of the world and be the instrument of his own

imagination. The French painter Eugene Delacroix was a Romantic master of dramatic colorful scenes that stirred

the emotions. His painting of Liberty Leading the People dramatically depicted the revolutionary tricolor as

French citizens rallying to the cause of freedom after the overthrow of Charles X in 1830.

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It was in music that Romanticism realized most fully and permanently its goals of free expression and emotional

intensity. Whereas the composers of the Enlightenment had remained true to the well-defined structures such as

the classical symphony, the Romantic composers used a great range of forms to create a thousand musical

landscapes and evoke a host of powerful emotions.

Romantic composers also transformed the small classical orchestra, tripling its size by adding wind, percussion,

and brass, and string instruments. Though Romanticism dominated music until the late nineteenth century, no

composer ever surpassed the German composer Ludwig van Beethoven. He produced nine symphonies, five piano

concertos, a violin concerto, an opera, and two masses. His expanded use of the orchestra was a revolutionary

movement from the controlled and formal composition of the Enlightenment.

The Enlightenment of the eighteenth century with its focus on reason and rationality was directly contrary to

the Romanticism of the nineteenth century. The Romanticists’ emphasis on emotion, feelings, and imagination

would, like the ideas of the Enlightenment, be a fateful step in the development of European society.


■ The thesis is simple but clearly stated.

■ The student provides strong background information about the context of the Romantic movement and

where it came from in Europe.

■ The student provides many strong examples of Romantic artists, thinkers, and writers.

■ The conclusion is good.

Possible student score: 8–9 (very good essay)


Romanticism was a movement that happened in Europe during the very end of the eighteenth century.

Romanticism rejected the movements that had come before it—the Enlightenment and the Classical movements—

and put forth the idea that the individual emotions a person experienced were powerful, necessary, and could

greatly influence all aspects of life. The Romantic period produced some of Europe’s finest writing, art, and

philosophy, and that is why we still study it today.

The Romantics were very focused on nature—they admired the natural world, and rejected the Enlightenment’s

belief that nature was something that did not have much to do with humans, and that it did not influence things

17

that much. The Romantics disagreed strongly. Nature was their inspiration, the source where they drew ideas and

they took great offense to what was happening to nature as life became more industrialized. Industrialization was

running the natural beauty of Europe, and it was a threat to the artistic and overall vitality of the Romantic era.

Most importantly, the Romantics believed that people needed to develop their own personal potential as much

as possible through the experience of intense human emotions and feelings. Because of this, during the Romantic

period, amazing works of art, literature, and music were produced. This wasn’t possible during the Enlightenment,

where people were much more formal and structured. This is another reason the Romantics did not like

industrialization—it forced people to work jobs that were unnatural and stifled their potential, and made the

difference between the lower and upper classes much more pronounced. Romantics were the first people who

wanted to do something about fighting poverty.

Art was also extremely important during the Romantic period, as were literature and music. One example of a

Romantic composer was Beethoven. His work was extremely emotional, and so was his life because he was deaf

and very unstable in general. Despite this, he was able to channel his emotions into writing some of Europe’s most

popular orchestral works, which were grand, sweeping concertos and symphonies unlike anything the world had

heard before. Beethoven is the best example of the Romantic philosophy of people experiencing a full range of

emotions and developing their potential in their chosen field. Other Romantic artists include William Blake, Mary

Shelly, William Shakespeare, and other fine artists and writers. Their work is very emotional and focuses on nature.

The Romantics were a big contrast to everyone that came before them. But Romanticism was a very important

time in European History because it made other movements possible, and the art of that time is still a great

inspiration today.


■ There is a thesis statement, but it is not entirely accurate or fully developed.

■ The student’s analysis is very superficial and does not provide enough examples.

■ There are factual omissions and errors in the examples provided, such as that William Shakespeare was not

a Romantic writer.

■ The conclusion is incomplete and poorly developed.

Possible student score: 1–3 (Very weak essay)

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In August 1914 European nations entered World War I with enthusiasm and the hope that it would be a quick

war. The common cry was “The boys will be home by Christmas.” However, by mid-October, generals and political

leaders began to realize that more than patriotism would be needed to win the war. The prolonging of World War I

made it a total war that affected the lives of all citizens regardless of how far removed they were from the battlefield.

The nations needed to organize the masses of men and materials for years of combat. In France, for example,

the generals found themselves needing 100,000 heavy artillery shells a day as opposed to the 12,000 they had

anticipated using.

In each country, governments of national unity began to plan and control the economic and social life in order

to wage total war. Free capitalistic systems were temporarily shelved as governments established planning boards

and priorities on what was to be produced and consumed.

The Jewish industrialist Walter Rathenau convinced the German government to set up the War Raw Materials

Board to ration and distribute raw materials. Under his direction, every useful material from foreign oil to barnyard

manure was inventoried and rationed. Food was also rationed, with men and women doing hard manual work

receiving extra rations.

After the Battle of Verdun and Somme in 1916, German military leaders decreed that all agriculture, industry,

and labor be used for fighting the war. In Great Britain, mobilization for total war was not as complete as in

Germany. In 1915, the government organized private industry to produce for the war, control profits, allocate

labor, fix wage rates, and settle labor disputes. By December 1916, the British economy was largely planned and

regulated directly by the state.

The social impact of total war was as great as the economic impact. World War I opened up new roles for

women. Since so many men went off to fight at the front, women were called on to assume jobs and responsibilities

that had not been available to them before. In every country, large numbers of women left home and domestic

service to work in industry and offices. By 1917, women comprised 43% of the labor force in Russia. In Britain, the

number of women employed who held new jobs or replaced men rose by over one million. By the conclusion of the

war, women were employed in jobs traditionally restricted to men such as chimney sweepers, truck drivers, farm

laborers, and factory workers in heavy industry. In 1918 in Germany, 38% of the workers in the Krupp Armament

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Works were women. However, despite the noticeable increase in women’s wages that resulted from government

regulations, women’s industrial wages were still not equal to men’s wages at the end of war.

The role played by women during wartime economics did have a positive impact on the women’s movement for

social and political emancipation. Immediately after the war ended, women gained the right to vote in Germany,

Austria, and Great Britain. War also promoted social equality, blurring class distinctions and lessening the gap

between rich and poor. Greater equality was reflected in full employment and a sharing of hardships.

World War I had a profound impact on European society. Total war forced European countries to temporarily

abandon the private enterprise system and adapt greater government planning. Women’s position in society greatly

changed as they began to play a greater economic role due to conditions created by World War I.


■ The thesis is strong and fully addresses the question.

■ Information is organized and fully supports the thesis.

■ The student provides extremely specific and relevant examples.

■ The conclusion is detailed and analytical.

Possible student score: 8–9 (Very good essay)


World War I was unlike any war Europe, or the world, had seen before, and it had a tremendous impact in the

everyday lives of people in England, France Germany. Because of World War I, many changes took place in these

three countries, for all citizens—even people who were not fighting in the actual war.

One of the biggest impacts the war had was an economic impact. This was felt in all three countries, Germany,

England, and France. Each of these countries needed a very large supply of war materials—ammunition, combat

equipment, tanks, guns, and rations—and to support this need, the economies of these countries had to shift to

produce them. The governments dictated what business should produce. Companies were shut down from their

usual industry to become factories or war supply stations. This need for materials also impacted the food supply of

each country. The citizens who were not fighting had to preserve materials for the troops, so they had to cut back

on their own food supply. This impacted the everyday lives of people in England, Germany, and France. In general,

the government in each of these countries was able to dictate the standard of living for the people in their countries.

20

The work force also changed during World War I. Because so many men had to go fight, women needed to

work. The shortage of men combined with the incredible demand for supply changed the entire face of the work

force. No longer did women stay at home and take care of domestic things. They now worked in factories and in

other war-related businesses. Eventually, women kept working and then achieved true equality in society by getting

the right to work in Germany, England, and France. This would not have happened without World War I.

All of this was going on while the actual war was being fought, and this impacted people too. Young men left

their homes and their families to fight for their country, and World War I resulted in the most deaths that had ever

happened in Europe.

In conclusion, World War I had a huge impact on the lives and economies of people in Great Britain, Germany,

and France.


■ The student includes a thesis statement but it is simplistic and weak.

■ The student provides some good examples but does not provide enough detail.

■ The student applies a very superficial treatment to the topic, and offers minimal analysis.

■ The conclusion is weak.



By the mid-sixteenth century, Lutheranism had been established in Germany and Scandinavia, and Calvinism

in Scotland, Switzerland, France, the Netherlands, and Eastern Europe. At first, the Catholic Church responded

slowly because the popes were preoccupied with political affairs in Italy and the awesome difficulties of reforming

so complicated a bureaucracy as the Roman curia. However, the Catholic Church eventually underwent a

revitalization in the sixteenth century which became known as the Catholic Counter-Reformation, or the Catholic

Reformation.

This Catholic Reformation refers to the steps taken by the church to deal with the issues created by the success

of Protestantism. The reform of the Church began under the leadership of Pope Paul II who reigned from 1534-

1549. He appointed a reform commission to ascertain the church’s ills. The commission’s report in 1537 blamed the

church’s problems on the corrupt policies of popes and cardinals. He also supported the creation of the Index of

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Prohibited Books in Catholic countries that included the works written by Erasmus and Galileo that Catholics

were forbidden to read. Pope Paul II also revived the medieval Inquisition (Church Courts) which put heretics on

trial for their religious beliefs and killed many of them.

The centerpiece of the Catholic Reformation was the Council of Trent, which was convened by Pope Paul II and

met intermittently from 1545 to 1563. It was called not only to reform the Church but also to secure reconciliation

with the Protestants. Lutherans and Calvinists were invited to participate but their insistence that the Scriptures be

the sole basis for discussion made reconciliation impossible. Thus any efforts to reconcile with the Protestants failed.

Another problem was the medieval conciliar movement which sought to place the papacy under the control of

a church council. Some bishops wanted a concrete statement asserting the supremacy of a church council over the

papacy. The Council of Trent was dominated by the papacy and enhanced its power. Despite these obstacles, the

Council took concrete steps to address some of the issues that had sparked the Reformation. It condemned abuses

such as nepotism and simony, the selling of Church offices. Recognizing the necessity for better educated clergy, it

required every diocese to establish a seminary for the training of the clergy. The Council even prescribed the

curriculum and insisted that a preference for admission be given to the sons of the poor. The Council also refused

to concede any points of theology to the Protestants. The Council gave equal validity to the Scriptures and to

tradition as sources of religious truths and authority. It reaffirmed the seven sacraments and the traditional

Catholic teachings on transubstantiation. It also rejected Luther’s belief that individuals did not need the guidance

of the Church in understanding the Bible. Belief in purgatory and the use of indulgences was strengthened although

the selling of indulgences was prohibited.

The Society of Jesus, or the Jesuits which was founded by Ignatius Loyola in 1534 and recognized as a religious

order by Pope Paul II in 1540, played a powerful role in resisting the spread of Protestantism, converting Asians

and Latin American Indians, and spreading Christian education all over Europe. The Jesuits were committed to

pious living and the new order was founded on the principles of absolute obedience to the papacy, a strict

hierarchical order for the society. A special vow of absolute obedience to the pope made the Jesuits an important

instrument for papal policy.

The Jesuits also played a significant role in upholding Church dogma and won political influence as advisors to

kings. They also used the Inquisition, especially in Italy and Spain, to suppress heresy to control Protestantism and

22

to reassure the dominance of Catholicism. Finally, the Jesuits began to distinguish themselves as they educated

young Catholics in schools and universities.

The Council of Trent did not meet everyone’s expectations. Reconciliation with Protestantism was not achieved,

nor was reform brought about immediately. Nevertheless, the Council of Trent enabled the Catholic Counter-

Reformation to establish the solid basis for the spiritual renewal of the Church and a clear body of doctrine and a

unified structure under the acknowledged supremacy of the popes for over four centuries.


■ The thesis is clearly stated and incorporates ample background information.

■ The essay clearly articulates the efforts made by the Catholic Church to address the Protestant Reformation.

■ The student provides strong examples of differences between Lutheranism and Catholicism.

■ The student could have developed the conclusion more.



When Martin Luther started the Protestant Reformation in the 1500’s, and then his religion, Lutheranism (aka

Protestantism), it had a very big impact on the Catholic Church. Before Lutheranism became popular, the Catholic

Church reigned supreme in Europe, and was able to do whatever they wanted. They were extremely corrupt, which

is why Martin Luther revolted to begin with. After Martin Luther showed that Protestantism would be popular,

the Catholic Church got concerned so they tried many things to address the Reformation with one of their own,

called the Catholic Reformation. This happened in the sixteenth century.

Pope John Paul II was the Catholic leader in the mid 1500’s, when it was clear that Lutherans were becoming

more and more important. He decided that in order for the church to remain relevant, they had to make serious

reforms, and address the corruption issues, such as selling indulgences and corrupt priests. Pope John Paul started

a group of people who were in charge of investigating what was going on in the church. They discovered that the

Church’s popes, cardinals, and other leaders were corrupt, which was making people leave the church.

This papal-appointed commission then led something called the Council of Trent, which was responsible for

most of the changes in the Catholic Reformation. These changes included banning the selling of indulgences—

though indulgences were still available—as well as upper-level position in the church. The Council tried to work

with the Lutherans, but there were just too many spiritual differences for them to work well with each other. They

23

had a huge difference about many big items—the role of the pope, the role of the Bible, and the role of the church.

Lutherans believe that people don’t necessarily need the church to understand the bible, also known as the

Scriptures. The Catholic Church disagreed with this, and the Council of Trent only strengthened this belief. In

addition, the Lutherans did not follow the pope. The Catholics said that the pope is the ultimate authority. The

Council of Trent was the big reason that the Catholic Church kept the pope, and thus they were unable to come to

any understanding with the Lutherans. Some people in the Catholic Church wanted to try to bridge the differences

between the two churches, but the people in charge—including the members of the Council of Trent—worked to

make sure that this never happened.

The Catholic Reformation tried to solve problems that happened after the Protestant Reformation, but was

unsuccessful in the end. The Catholic Church and the Lutheran church remain separate to this day in Europe and

all over the world.


■ The thesis is very weak.

■ No details are included about the results of the Catholic Reformation.

■ The essay contains very superficial information that is often factually inaccurate.

■ The conclusion is abrupt and incomplete.



France during the reign of Louis XIV (1643–1715) in the seventeenth century is regarded as the best example of

the practice of absolute or divine right monarchy. Spanish absolutism and greatness had preceded that of France

and by the 1600s Spain became the classic case of a country in decline.

After the death of Louis XIV’s minister, Cardinal Mazarin, he adapted the ideal of the Divine Right of the

King. This concept had been developing in France since the sixteenth century. According to Bishop Jacques

Bossuet, one of Louis XIV’s advisors, the king was chosen by God to rule and only God had authority over the

king, not a parliamentary body or any group of nobles. The Divine Right Theory of rule provided the justification

for the absolute sovereignty of Louis and his famous statement “L’etat c’est moi” (I am the state) and represented

his belief that there was no higher authority that could ever control him. During his 72-year reign, the longest in

24

history, Louis XIV’s French monarch reached the peak of absolutist development. One of the keys to Louis’ power

was his control of the central policymaking of government. He successfully collaborated with the nobility to

enhance both aristocratic prestige and royal power.

In 1682, Louis XIV installed his royal court at Versailles, a small town ten miles from Paris. The Royal Court at

Versailles served as a means of preserving royal power and as a center of French absolutism. He required all the

great nobility of France, at the peril of social, political, and economic disaster, to live at Versailles for at least part

of the year. Since the King controlled the distribution of offices, pensions, and other benefits, nobles vied to win

his favor. Louis XIV established a centralized state administered by a professional class taken from nobility. These

professional bureaucrats served the state but did not share power with the King. During his long reign, Louis XIV

never called a meeting of the French Parliament, the Estates General, and thus ensured that the nobles had no

means of united opposition or action.

The art and architecture of Versailles served as a fundamental means of carrying out state policy. The King

used architecture to overwhelm his subjects and foreign visitors and to reinforce his power. The Versailles Palace,

at a cost of $100 million with 1,400 fountains, became a reflection of French genius. Peter the Great of Russia and

Frederick the Great of Prussia would try to model their palaces on Versailles.

Under Louis XIV, European countries envied France’s success in industry and agriculture. His able finance

minister, Jean Baptiste Colbert, helped revive trade and the economy. While he did not invent the system of

mercantilism, which is a collection of government policies for the regulation of economic activities by and for the

state, Colbert vigorously applied it to France to promote good farming methods, support internal improvements, and

create a strong merchant marine that enabled France to establish trading posts in Northern America as well as Asia.

France’s economic success provided Louis XIV with the finances to pursue an aggressive foreign policy. The

French army under Louis XIV was modern because the states, rather than the nobles, employed the soldiers. Many

historians believe that the new loyalty based on professionalism and the size of the French army also helps explain

the success of absolutism under Louis XIV.

The reign of Louis XIV is considered the Golden Age of France. French became the language of polite society

and replaced Latin as the language of diplomacy and scholarship. Louis was referred to as the Grand Monarch or

Sun King because like the sun he was the center of all power. He was a strong patron of the arts who encouraged

writers like Moliere and Racine to pursue their crafts. The French style of classicism and fashion were the model

25

for all of Europe. The eighteenth-century philosopher Voltaire characterized the second half of the seventeenth

century as the “Age of Louis XIV.”

As French power was growing, Spanish power was diminishing during the seventeenth century. During the

sixteenth century, Charles V of the Hapsburg Dynasty who ruled from 1519 to 1566 and was the grandson of King

Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, was one of the most powerful leaders in Europe. However, the defeat of the

invincible Spanish Armada in 1588 was a crushing blow and ended Spain’s dominance of the sea. By the early

seventeenth century, the seeds of disaster were beginning to affect the country’s strength. Between 1610 and 1650,

Spanish trade with her colonies fell 60 percent and at the same time the gold and silver from the colonies began to

run dry as the production of metal steadily declined after 1620.

Despite these economic changes, the royal expenditures in Madrid constantly exceeded revenue. To meet the

mountainous debt and declining revenue, the Spanish crown repeatedly devalued the coinage and declared

bankruptcy. National credit declined as the Spanish kings found no solution to deal with an empty treasury other

than to cancel debt. The lack of a strong middle class also contributed to the country’s decline. Spain had only a

tiny middle class. Disdain for money in a century of increasing commercialism was a significant facet of Spanish

culture. Public opinion condemned moneymaking as vulgar and undignified. Those with influence or connections

sought titles of nobility and social prestige. Others entered economically unproductive professions or became

priests, monks, and nuns. In 1609, Philip II had expelled 300,000 Muslims which significantly reduced the pool of

skilled workers and merchants. Spanish aristocrats who continued to maintain an extravagant lifestyle were forced

to raise rents on their estates. However, heavy taxes and high rents drove the peasants from the land and contributed

to agricultural decline.

Seventeenth-century Spain was a victim of the past and could not forget the grandeur of the sixteenth century.

Spain continued to fight expensive wars even though it lacked financial resources. These conflicts brought disaster.

In 1659, the Treaty of the Pyrenees, which ended the French-Spanish wars, marked the end of Spain as a great

power. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes can be used to describe Spain during the seventeenth century. Quixote

means idealistic but impractical, living in the past and searching for past glories.

France and Spain in the seventeenth century were two countries that were developing in opposite directions.

Whereas Louis XIV would dominate the world in which he reigned, Spain’s role as a great power would decline and

never regain the status that it had achieved in the sixteenth century.

26


■ The thesis statement is strong.

■ The essay is rich in detail but could go further in analyzing the differences between the two countries.

■ Details supplied support the thesis.

■ The conclusion relates to the thesis and is strong.

Possible student score: 7–9 (Strong essay on the lower end of the scale)

Part B: Second Sample Student Thematic Essay, Group 2–2.

Spain and France in the seventeenth century were two nations heading in opposite directions. Although they

were both once strong, in the seventeenth century, Spain began to decline and France kept rising and rising in its

status in the world. Ultimately, Spain declined forever, and France continued its rise to power throughout the

seventeenth century and beyond. This impacted all of Europe for years to come.

In the seventeenth century, Spain was suffering from the effects of having its navy, the Armada, defeated in the

late sixteenth century. This was a horrible fate for Spain, whose Armada had been its key strength and the key

reason why the country rose to power in the years before the seventeenth century. Because its navy had been

defeated, Spain’s imports and exports were impacted negatively, which hurt their economy. This was the beginning

of the end for Spain. Their debt soared, their trade declined, and their country never was able to be as powerful as

it had been in the sixteenth century and earlier.

At the same time, France was doing really well, due to their charismatic and all-powerful leader Louis XIV. He

was the supreme leader of France—this was called divine absolutism. Louis thought he was destined to rule, and

that he was more powerful than any force, including religion or government. This absolutism had very positive

effects on France. Their economy improved, they were viewed as the strongest nation in Europe, and became the

envy of everyone. Louis lived in complete luxury, and his home, Versailles, was the standard of wealth and he held

lavish parties and gatherings for the nobles and aristocrats in France. However, his methods were controversial.

Louis never allowed anyone else to make decisions, and this alienated many aristocrats in France.

Clearly Spain and France were headed in two different directions. Spain was declining, and France was rising,

even though they were both being ruled by kings.

27


■ The thesis statement is not clear.

■ The essay contains few or no basic facts.

■ The essay is disorganized.

■ The conclusion is poor.

Possible student score: 1–2 (Very weak essay)


Economic prosperity and a more democratic classic structure had a powerful impact on youth culture throughout

Western Europe. The baby boomers born after World War II developed a distinctive and very international youth

culture. Self-consciously different in the 1950’s, this youth culture became increasingly oppositional in the 1960s

interacting with a revival of leftist thought to create a counterculture that rebelled against parents, authority, and

the status quo. Young people in the United States took the lead. Although American students in the 1950s were

referred to as the “Silent Generation,” some young people rebelled against the conformity of middle class suburbia.

The young rebels represented by Elvis Presley and James Dean were part of this rebellious culture.

The beatnik movement of the late 1950s expanded the theme of revolt and Jack Kerouac vividly captures the

restlessness of beatniks in his work, On the Road. This subculture which clustered in certain urban areas like

Haight Ashbury in San Francisco quickly spread to major American cities and western European cities.

Rock music helped tie the international subcultures together. In the 1960s, the British rock group, The Beatles,

thrilled millions of young people, often to the dismay of their parents. Like Elvis, the Beatles suggested personal

and sexual freedom that many older people found disturbing. The lyrics of the Beatles became wildly popular on

both sides of the Atlantic in the 1960s.

Rock appealed across national and cultural borders. Rock music became part of a continuing critique of

contemporary society. It was Bob Dylan, the young folksinger turned rock poet, who best expressed the radical

political aspirations of the younger generation in the words, “The Times They Are A-Changin,” which captured

the growing alienation between the generation of the Great Depression and the post-World War II baby boomers.

Increasingly discontent with middle class conformity and the injustices of racism and imperialism fueled by the

young leaders of social protests reflected a growing spirit of rebellion.

28

Several factors contributed to the emergence of the international youth culture in the 1960s. First mass

communication and youth travels linked countries and continents together. Second, the post-war boom meant that

young people became an unusually large part of the population and could therefore exercise an exceptional

influence on society as a whole. Third, post-war prosperity gave young people more purchasing power than ever

before. This enabled them to set their own trends from mass fads in music and dress as well as a rejection of

conventional social customs.

The new standards were evident in the breakdown of the traditional family in Europe. Divorce rates increased

dramatically, especially in the 1960s, while the incidents of premarital and extramarital sexual experiences also rose

substantially. A survey in the Netherlands in 1968 revealed that 78% of men and 86% of women had participated

in extramarital sex. The new attitude towards sex, the popularity of rock music, and the emergence of the drug

culture were the manifestation of a growing youth movement that questioned the status quo and fostered rebellion

against the older generation. Spurred by opposition to the Vietnam War and the growing political consciousness,

the youth rebellion became a full-fledged protest movement against the established order by the mid 1960s.

Before World War II, higher education in Europe had been reserved primarily for the upper class. After World

War II, European states fostered greater educational opportunities for the middle and lower classes to attend

college. This approach led to a rapid expansion of enrollment. In France, 4.5% of young people went to universities

in 1950. By 1965, the figure had increased to 14.5%

The rapid expansion of higher education created opportunities as well as problems. Overcrowded classes due to

increased enrollment, tensions such as the competition for grades, and little contact with professors came to a head

in the late 1960s and early 1970s in Europe. One of the major issues that mobilized youthful European protesters

was the United States’ war in Vietnam which they saw as an immoral and imperialistic war. In 1968, demonstrations

broke out in universities in Italy, Britain, and France. In part, these were an extension of the anti-Vietnam protests

in American universities in the 1960s. In London, 30,000 demonstrators took to the street against America’s

policies in Vietnam. However, the most far-reaching effect of the revolts occurred in France in 1968. Students

occupied buildings and took over the University of Paris which led to violent clashes with police. Student revolts

linked with radical attacks on capitalist systems led to a general strike by 10 million workers. President Charles De

Gaulle’s Fifth Republic survived by promising educational reforms. Although he survived the crisis, De Gaulle was

forced to resign within a year of the student revolts.

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The youth culture in society in the 1960s grew out of a material prosperity that developed after World War II

and became an international youth culture because of common elements that included a rejection of materialistic

culture and status quo of the West. The youth culture which was united by its music, arts, fashion, and widespread

use of illegal drugs sought to change society by revolting against the established order.


■ The thesis statement is specific but simply stated.

■ The essay is rich in facts and shows a good connection between the youth cultures of America and Europe.

■ The essay contains a good analysis of the reasons for the rise of youth culture.

■ The conclusion is creative but needs greater analysis.

Possible student score: 6–7 (Mixed essay)


After World War II, the youth in Europe began to form a counterculture that was different from any youth

culture that had developed in the past. Because of World War II, the youth were ready to develop their own culture

and be independent people. There were so many youth, that it was easy for them to have a big impact on their

countries and their rebellion and counterculture spread like wildfire throughout Europe and the United States.

Youth culture after World War II had many elements—music was a big part of the youth culture that developed

after World War II. Young people in England and all over Europe and in the United States listened to music that

their parents and adults didn’t like, including rock n’ roll, which was associated with trouble and rebellion. Young

people were sick of being told what to do by adults in charge, and began to get more organized about rebelling.

Music helped them with this because it was something all youth liked and could agree on, especially since people in

charge didn’t like popular music. In England the Beatles became popular there and then spread to the whole world.

They were the biggest band ever to exist, and their music encouraged youth to be disobedient and to rebel against

structure. That is what rock n’ roll music did for all youth—the music encouraged youth to rebel and not follow

order and structure. Other examples of rock music include Elvis, who was the first person to make rock n’ roll

popular. He started in the USA and his music was so popular it spread to Europe. Elvis influenced the Beatles, who

became the most popular band in history.

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Fashion is another area where youth developed their own culture. After World War II, youth were ready to do

their own thing and dress how they wanted. They were rebelling against strict society, so they started to dress the

way they saw rock n’ roll singers and other popular bands dress. Rather than wearing dress clothes, their fashion

was much more rebellious and they wore things like leather jackets, jeans, and followed the same style of entertainers.

As media, television, and the news began to develop after World War II, youth had more ways to stay connected,

so they knew what was going on all over the world. This resulted in the youth protesting wars that happened after

World War II. Most notably, youth in the US and Europe protested the Vietnam War. This is one way that youth

used their common interests to bond together against mainstream society, which they viewed as having started

unnecessary wars.

In general because of World War II, youth were able to band together to form a culture that went against the

mainstream and went against what people in authority wanted them to do. They were ready to stop following

authority and because they were all connected to each other, they became a more powerful voice in Europe and

also in the whole world.

Reader’s Comments on Part B: Second Sample Student Thematic Essay, Groups 2–3

■ The student does not provide a thesis statement.

■ The student states several times that World War II had an impact on youth culture, but never demonstrates

how or why.

■ The essay is very general, with no details.

■ The writing is unclear and redundant.

■ There is no conclusion.
