Interesting European History research topic?

Question

I need a topic to do a 15-page research paper on. It has to be from European history, and has to have happened at least 50 years. I am interested in something to do with science from early 1800s onward and has to be relatively specific, but not too specific. It can also be something like the Bolshevik revolution or Hitler's Germany or something, just please not anything to do with painting/scuplture/art!

I have to have an analytical research question. For example, a topic could be, in what ways did [insert name of one of Chopin's masterpieces] influence nationalism in [insert place]?

PLEASE!! Anything helps!! If you have the slightest idea, please tell!!

Answer 1

How about Charles Darwin's voyage to the Galapagos in 1835? We are still arguing about that one.

Answer 2

Definitely on the Scientific Revolution/The Enlightenment. It's a great topic. You can talk about how we found out that we, the Earth, were not the center of the Universe...That we actually revolved around the sun like all of the other planets.

If not that, try talking about Martin Luther and his struggles in Germany when he went against the Roman Catholic Church. He didn't believe in the sale of indulgences, so he wrote the 95 theses...a lot of **** went down. He was called to the Diet of Worms (pronounce Verms, I think) and was told to recant his allegations against the Church. He refused and became the famous creator of Lutheranism.

If not that, the French Revolution. I love the French Revolution! A specific topic about the French Revolution, however..hm. You'd have to just write on it in general. Causes: Why did it happen? (ex: weak leadership, economic problems, much more)...Big Events: The marriage of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI, Storming of the Bastille, when the women chased down Antoinette (don't know if there was a specific name for that), the royal family's attempted escape, death of Louis XVI (last king of France) & Marie Antoinette. Important people/objects: Robespierre (started the revolution...and was eventually killed because of it), Guillotine (the "National Razor"), and another guy..I forget his name AHH! He went against Robespierre, you'll have to look him up. Outcome: Death of royal family, what was in its place, etc.

It would definitely cover 15 pages. You just have to make sure you organize well or it'll be VERY confusing for someone who hasn't studied European History (well, your teacher has, but I'm sure he'll take off points if your ideas are all jumbled).

During your research, make sure you get information that you think is substantial and put it into a time line, then go from there.

Hope that helped.

EDIT!!!!!---If you do the French Revolution, your question could be: How did the French Revolution effect France and Europe and made it what it is today?

Or you could actually do a term paper on the American Revolution and tell how that led to the French Revolution...Because it actually influenced the French Rev. But I guess the American Revolution, even though it included Britain, is more of American history. So....I'm out of ideas.

If you do the Scientific Revolution..how about...How did the Scientific Revolution/The Enlightenment change the views of Europeans socially, economically, and religiously? Or something like that.

I really hope that I was of some help to you.

Answer 3

How about the impact that Napoleon's conquests had on the societies he conquered? What changes were brought about and how lasting were they? How would Europe be different today without them?

Or earlier in history...

You could look at the changes in naval technology that facilitated exploration of the new world and the building of empires and colonies all over the world.

The European/African slave trade. The north africans did a brisk business of capturing and enslaving whites at the same time as we were doing the same to them. Tangled up in there is a complicated web of piracy and naval warfare that is pretty interesting.

Gosh I could go on and on but all I cna do is military stuff since that's what I dig. Hope this helps.

Answer 4

Doesn't seem like anyone here really addressed your quiestion the way you wanted. I'm a 20th century history student and right now I'm studying decolonization (French at the moment). An interesting question that I've had a few professors propose in their lectures over the past few years of 20th century European history has been "why was French decolonization bloody and British decolonization relatively peaceful?". I always thought that sounded like an interesting paper to write, but I've never found the opportunity to do it. Just a thought I had when I saw your question, it reminded me of papers I've written and thought you might find interest in that. Cheers.

Answer 5

It would be best to write something regarding the Renaissance and its overall effects on class and cultural development. This period of European history played a huge role in shaping the entire world to come, right up to the present day. Also, something on the Renaissance would be extremely easy to write about since it is such a heavily developed and broad topic with many sub-issues. Good luck!

Answer 6

This may fall under your "no paintings/sculpture/art" category but I feel that I should throw it out there anyway.

Hagia Sophia. It's in Instanbul Turkey and was first made to honor the Christianity. Now that Turkey has converted to Islam it is now a mosque. Instead of destroying a beautiful piece of artitecture they made it their own.

To me, it's always been interesting that two sparring religions can find common ground in one building.

Answer 7

Im not sure if "has to have happened at least 50 years" means it has to have reverberated and had effects within the last 50 years, or just had to LAST 50 years. I would recommend looking into the reign and history of Charlemagne during the mid 8th and early 9th centuries in France/Germany.







Charlemagne-

742 AD-Charles born in the territory between the Loire and Rhine Rivers

768-Pepin the Short, Charle's father, dies, splitting kingdom between Chares and 17 year old brother Carloman

771-Carloman falls sick and dies, his Lombard wife and sons, potential heirs to the throne, flee to the Lombard capital of Pavia, allowing Charles to grab the entire kingdom

772-Invades northern empire of the Saxons, wagin a 32 year war

774-Invades Italy and captures the Lombard throne

799- Pope Leo III asks Charles to protect him from another rival papal faction

800-Charles marches into Rome and arrests and imprisons Pope Leo's rivals. Christmas Day of that year, Pope Leo crowns an unknowing Charles, proclaiming him the ruler of the Western Roman Empire. History would come to know his empire, although it is not called this while he lived, as the Holy Roman Empire.

804-Finally defeats the Saxons, forcibly converts them to Christianity

811- Marches on and captures part of Norther Spain

814- January 28th, Charles dies of pneumonia. Buried in his castle's chapel, the castle would be leveled by WWII fighting, leaving on the chapel itself, known as the Aachen Cathedral

Was a walking contradiction during his reign. Standardized weights and measures, sponsored building programs. Although he supported major educational undertakings, including sending nuns, monks and scholars to make copies of classic Latin literature, and wished to make his kingdom into St. Augustine's "City of God", he was a brutal ruler. Forced his conquered enemies to convert to Christianity, often at the sword, and spent 50 of his 72 years at war.

Was not called Charlemange during his reign, that title was given to him after he died by his contemporaries. Charlemagne-Charles the Great ( "le magne" in French)

Could speak Frankish (a Germanic language predating modern French), could read Latin, and mastered enough Greek to understand Byzantine emissaries, yet he is believe to have not been able to write.

A tall man, over 6 feet, Charlemagne towered over his kinsman. However, it is unlikely he ever wore a beard, as he is often portrayed in paintings and sculpture.

Used the term "Emperor" for only a year, and only after he established peace with the Byzantine Empire, who had a claim on the Western Roman Empire. Even then he used a long title: "Charles, the most serene Augustus, crowned by God, great and peaceful Emperor who governs the Roman Empire and who is, by the mercy of God, King of the Franks and Lombards". Although he did not reject the crown of the Western Roman Empire given him by Pope Leo III, he was upset because he did not want the Pope to be seen as more powerful than he (Charlemagne) was, thus the "crowned by GOD" part of his title.

Both France and Germany (where his capital was) claim Charlemagne as one of their best rulers. Napoleon proclaimed that he was "the successor, not of Louis XIV but of Charlemagne". Hitler even "tried to wrap his Third Reich in the hallowed cloak of the fatherland's glorious ancestor 'Karl de Grosse' " .



I used an old report I did for my college history class to give this info. I don't have the original bibliography and so can't tell you what exactly the sources were, but I used a lot of them from different books and magazines and websites. Hope it helps.

Answer 8

Development of glass to make more effective astronomical telescopes/discovery of planet Neptune.

Answer 9

Barbarosa.

Answer 10

women's role outside the home sphere.Christine de pizan and other leading women would be good to name.