The Compare/Contrast
(C&C) Essay
About the C&C
• The C&C focuses on developments across at least
two regions or societies
• Essays must ANALYZE the reasons for the
similarities and/or differences
• A variety of historical thinking skills (argumentation,
causation, synthesis) are evaluated
• Time allotted for this essay is 40 minutes (5-10 of
which should be spent planning/outlining).
C&C Prompts
Find the Phrase!
Highlight the KEY PHRASE in each prompt
2002 C&C
• Analyze and compare the differing
responses of China and Japan to western
penetration in the 19th century
2003 C&C
• Compare and contrast the roles of women in
TWO of the following regions during the
period from 1750 – 1914.
•
•
•
•
East Asia
Latin America
Sub-Saharan Africa
Western Europe
2004 C&C
• Compare and contrast how the First World War
and its outcomes affected TWO of the following
regions in the period from the war through the
1930s.
• East Asia
• Middle East
• South Asia
2005 C&C
• Compare and contrast the political and
economic effects of Mongol rule on
TWO of the following regions:
• China
• Middle East
• Russia
2006 C&C
• Compare and contrast the goals and
outcomes of the revolutionary process in
TWO of the following regions:
• Mexico, 1910
• China, 1911
• Russia, 1917
2007 C&C
• Within the period from 1450 to 1800,
compare the processes (e.g., political,
social, economic) of empire building in the
Spanish Empire with the empire-building
processes in ONE of the following
• The Ottoman Empire
• The Russian Empire
2008 C&C
• Compare the emergence of nation-states in
nineteenth-century Latin America with the
emergence of nation-states in ONE of the
following regions in the twentieth century.
• Sub-Saharan Africa
• The Middle East
2009 C&C
• For the period from 1500-1830, compare
North American racial ideologies and their
effects on society with Latin
American/Caribbean racial ideologies and
their effects on society.
2010 C&C
• Analyze similarities and differences in
methods of political control in TWO of the
following empires in the Classical period.
• Han China (206 BCE – 220 CE)
• Mauryan/Gupta India (320 BCE – 550 CE)
• Imperial Rome (31 BCE – 476 CE)
2011 C&C
• Analyze similarities and differences in the
rise of TWO of the following empires:
• A West African Sudanic empire (Mali OR
Ghana OR Songhay)
• The Aztec Empire
• The Mongol Empire
2012 C&C
• Compare demographic and environmental
effects of the Columbian Exchange on the
Americas with the Columbian Exchange’s
demographic and environmental effects on
ONE of the following regions between 1492
and 1750.
• Africa
• Asia
• Europe
2013 C&C
• Analyze similarities and differences between
the role of the state in Japan’s economic
development and the role of the state in the
economic development of ONE of the
following during the late nineteenth and early
twentieth centuries.
• China
• Ottoman Empire
• Russia
Rubric
&
Class Expectations
The Thesis
Thesis
• Because the central task in the question is comparative and
asks for both similarities and differences, acceptable thesis
statements also need to be comparative, stating at least
one similarity and one difference.
• Thesis statements also need to be explicit, not simply
restatements of the question or vague statements, such as
“there were more similarities than differences.”
• Thesis Musts
• Address Prompt
• Place/Time
• 3 Categories
• 1:2 Ratio (1 or 2 Similarities/ 1 or 2 Differences)
• Do not restate phrase in thesis
How to Write The Thesis
• “X and Y are similar in 1, but different in 2 and 3.”
• “X and Y are different in 1, but similar in 2 and 3.”
• Example:
• “The Chinese and Russian revolutions are
different in that China’s revolution was rural
while Russia’s was urban, but are similar in that
both countries’ plans for economic development
failed and both revolutions were driven by
Communist theories.
How to Write the Thesis, cont.
2007: Within the period from 1450 to 1800, compare the
processes (e.g., political, social, economic) of empire building in
the Spanish Empire with the empire-building processes in ONE of
the following: a) The Ottoman Empire; b) The Russian Empire
The Spanish and Ottoman Empires were similar
in that they were both involved in the process of
empire building during the period of 1450 to 1800 and
both were heavily involved in global trade, yet differed
in their underlying strategies for the empire building
process, and in the religious makeup of the empires.
How to Write the Thesis, cont.
2009: For the period from 1500-1830, compare North American
racial ideologies and their effects on society with Latin
American/Caribbean racial ideologies and their effects on society.
The racial ideologies of N.Am and LA/C from
1500-1830 were different in the degree to which the
races became culturally fused, yet were similar in that
they created a racial hierarchy and an increase in
violence and conflicts.
The Order
• Introduction – Thesis and categories
• Paragraph 1 – Group 1 (similarity/difference)
• Paragraph 2 – Group 2 (similarity/difference)
• Paragraph 3 – Group 3 (whichever you picked in
Paragraph 2)
• If desired, conclusion with restatement of thesis.
•
•
•
•
Structure for Body Paragraphs
Discuss one region first and provide
evidence (ex: Ottoman Empire)
Discuss second region and provide
evidence (ex: Spanish Empire)
Analysis why this similarity/difference
occurred
Direct Comparison Statement as
Concluding Statement for Paragraph–
Spanish vs. Ottoman
What Order?
Similarity
Difference
Difference
Difference
Similarity
Similarity
Difference
Difference
Similarity
Similarity
Similarity
Difference
In case time
is not to your
advantage,
always
organize
your essay
according to
the top row.
What Good Responses Should Include
• Need at least 9 pieces of evidence (3
paragraphs = 3+ pieces of evidence per
paragraph)
• Include dates to demonstrate the ability to
describe with some precision when continuity
and change happen
• Describe an extra-regional connection or global
context to explain continuity or change
• Students must make connections clear.
Direct Comparison
• Direct comparisons should be placed at the end of your
paragraphs (similarities and differences), and are concise
evaluations of the differences or likenesses of the two things
in question.
• Example: Thus, both China through Mao Zedong and Russia
through Vladimir Lenin utilized Marxist philosophies
regarding communism to promote a communist revolution
among the peasants.
• Example: Unlike Han China, which used a centralized
system of government which was bolstered by a large
bureaucracy, Gupta India utilized a decentralized system of
government that divided the land via naturally-created
regional divisions.
Analysis
• Analysis must explain WHY a similarity occurred (why both regions
developed similarly/used a similar thing), or WHY a difference
occurred (why did one region utilize A, while the other utilized B).
Analysis should be included directly before the Direct Comparison in
each paragraph.
• Example: Both Lenin and Mao Zedong are learned in Marxist
philosophy and see it as the means by which their respective societies
can industrialize and move into a new era.
• Example: The Han Dynasty utilized the centralized system of the Qin
Dynasty and made minor modifications, mostly to the process of
applications to the bureaucracy. The Guptas, on the other hand, did
not inherit a system of centralized politics; rather, the Guptas came to
power after the Kushan collapse and had to create a government
system from scratch. Thus, the Guptas felt a system relying on the
naturally-created regional divisions in India would work best for that
population.
2011 C&C
Prompt
Analyze similarities and differences in the rise
of TWO of the following empires:
• A West African Sudanic Empire (Mali OR
Ghana OR Songhay)
• The Aztec Empire
• The Mongol Empire (n/a for this essay)
2011 C&C
Marking it up
Write an essay that:
• Has a relevant thesis and supports that thesis
with appropriate historical evidence.
• Addresses all parts of the question.
• Makes direct, relevant comparisons.
• Analyzes relevant reasons for similarities and
differences.
2011 C&C
Marking it up
Write an essay that:
• Has a relevant thesis (1) and supports that
thesis with appropriate historical evidence (2).
• Addresses all parts (2) of the question.
• Makes direct, relevant comparisons (1).
• Analyzes (1) relevant reasons for similarities
and differences.
2011 C&C due Weds 11/13 (Rough Draft), Fri.
11/15 (Final Draft)
Write it at home, double space it, and annotate
the following parts.
1) Thesis – bold
2) Categories– underline
3) 9 Pieces of Evidence – italicize
4) Direct Comparison - different font
5) Analysis - different size or color