GLOBAL REGENTS
THEMATIC ESSAY TOPIC SUGGESTIONS
1. Women’s Rights
a. Increased
 Hatshepsut
 Wu Zhao
 Justinian’s Code
 Peter the Great
 Mary Wollstonecraft
 Kemal Ataturk
 Soviet Russia
 Mao in China
b. Decreased
 Hammurabi’s Code
 Ancient China
 Napoleonic Code
 Athenian Democracy
2. Cultural Diffusion
a. Phoenician alphabet
b. Silk Road
c. Muslim and Greco-Roman
d. Hellenistic Culture
e. Greco-Roman/Western civilization
f. Cyrillic alphabet
g. Results of the Crusades
h. Columbian Exchange
i. Mestizo Culture
j. Hanseatic League
k. Mansa Musa
l. Westernization of Russia
m. Meiji Era
n. Enlightenment in Latin America
o. Industrial Revolution
p. Global Interdependence
3. Belief Systems
a. Islam
 Muhammad was the prophet
 Allah is the God
 Monotheistic
 Quran – holy book
 Sharia – religious laws
 Mecca and Medina are most important cities
 5 Pillars of Faith
1. No God but Allah
2. Hajj – pilgrimage to Mecca
3. Charity/Alms
4. Fasting during the month of Ramadan
5. Pray 5 times a day facing Mecca
 Daily life: Strict social restrictions: NO PORK, no drinking, women must cover body
 Reject western culture for fear that it will hurt the Islamic faith
 Fundamentalists in non-Muslim and moderate Muslim countries frequently use
terrorism to make nations follow Islam more closely
 Shiites are more traditional fundamentalist in interpreting the Quran
 Sunnis are more moderate in their faith
 Countries with large Muslim populations: Middle East (Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt,
Syria), Other parts of the world: Afghanistan, Sudan, Indonesia
b. Hinduism
 Developed in India
 Polytheistic: Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva
 Every living creature has a soul (atman)
 All souls are reincarnated
 Caste System
1. Brahmin
2. Kshatriyas
3. Vaisyas
4. Sudras
5. Untouchables
 Every caste has a dharma – rules of behavior
1. Good dharma = good karma = leads to a higher Varna (caste)
2. Untouchables must ring a bell to warn of their approach
 Holy Books: Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita
 Impact on daily life
1. Villages are separated based on caste
2. Caste must perform sacrifices
3. Sati – women expected to jump on husband’s funeral pyre
4. No challenge to authority
5. Ritual bathing in Ganges
6. Offerings to gods
4. Turning Points
a. WWII
 Background
1. Great Depression ruins European economies led to rise in Fascism and Nazism
2. Alliance system: Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis
3. Appeasement: Ethiopia, Munich Conference, Czechoslovakia, Austria
4. Invasion of Poland 1939
 War (1939-1945)
1. Hitler took over Europe
2. D-Day, Battle of Stalingrad
3. Stalin liberated Eastern Europe
4. Defeat of Germany
 Cold War
1. Iron Curtain
2. Capitalism v. Communism
3. Eastern Europe are communist satellite countries
4. Western Europe allied with US and capitalism
5. Two Superpowers: Soviet Union (USSR): Warsaw Pact and U.S: North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO)
6. Fall of the Soviet Union
b. Industrial Revolution
 Background
1. Rural, farming communities
2. Cottage industry-domestic system
3. Inventions – steam engine, spinning jenny
 Factory System
1. Mass production
2. Shift from skilled to unskilled labor
3. Cheaper goods were produced
4. Reliance on coal and iron
5. Urbanization
6. Textile industry
 Effects
1. Laissez-Faire economics – hands off government
2. Social evils, overcrowding, tenement housing
3. Poor working conditions
4. Socialism
5. Communism: Karl Marx- Communist Manifesto
6. Need for colonies for resources and a market for processed goods
5. Fall of Rome
a. Background
 Week Roman Emperors
 Corruption in government
 Empire was too big to manage
 Reliance on foreign soldiers (mercenaries)
 Rome fell in 476 AD
 Emperor abandoned Rome and fled to Constantinople
b. Effects
 Eastern Roman Empire becomes Byzantine Empire
 Western Roman Empire decentralizes and becomes Latin Christendom dominated by
Pope
 The beginning of the Middle Ages
 Feudalism
1. Power shifts from local leaders instead of emperors
2. Feudal structure
a. King
b. Nobles
c. Vassals
d. Knights
e. Peasants
3. Church structure
a. Pope
b. Cardinal
c. Bishop
d. Priest
4. Decline in learning and trade
6. Forms of Government: Democracy, Monarchy
a. Democracy
 All people are equal
 Rule by the people
 Usually paired with a Republic-Rule through representatives
 Checks and balances – separation of powers, branches of government
 Example: Greece: Athens, all participate in society and government, Pericles: emphasis
educating citizens so they could participate in government
 Golden Age – democracy led to cultural achievements
1. Philosophy: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle
2. Architecture: Parthenon
3. Sculpture
b. Monarchy
 Beliefs
1. Power passed through family lines
2. Absolute power – kings could make any laws regardless of whether they were
supported by the people
3. Did not believe that the king had to follow the laws
4. Divine Right – God selected king and the king rules on God’s behalf
5. Frequently were crowned by the Pope as Holy Roman Emperors
6. Kings granted fiefs (land) and titles to nobles to ensure loyalty
 Louis XIV
1. Sun King – Louis had as much power on earth as the sun
2. L’etat c’est moi – “I am the state”
3. Versailles – spectacular palace built to show the wealth and power of the king
4. Would not talk to Estates General (French Parliament) because he felt the king
did not have to answer to the people
5. Taxes were paid by Third Estate to fund lifestyle of king
6. Created a standing army of 300,000 to protect his power and waged wars in
Europe to increase his influence
7. French Revolution
a. Causes
 M – monarchy abuses, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette (Let Them Eat Cake)
 E – Enlightenment
 A- American Revolution
 T – Taxes on the 3rd Estate (98% of the people)
 Slogan: Liberty, Equality, Fraternity (as found in the Declaration of the Rights of Man
 Chronology
1. 1789 Storming of the Bastille
2. National Assembly takes over
3. 1794 King and Queen executed
4. Jacobins Rule
5. Reign of Terror
6. 1796 Directory appoints Napoleon as Commander in Chief
7. 1799 Coup d etat of Napoleon
8. Russian Revolution
a. Causes
 Weakness of the Czar = continued WWI, Bloody Sunday, poorly equipped military,
lack of bread
 Increase popularity of socialism after rapid industrialization led to exploited workers
and bad conditions
 Slogan: peace, land, bread
 Chronology
1. Czar
2. Provisional government takes power in March 1917
3. Bolshevik Revolution
4. Lenin takes over in November
 Philosophy of the Russian Revolution is based on the ideas of Karl Marx and Friedrich
Engels (Communist Manifesto); labor raises up to rule in a classless society where the
means of production are shared
9. Philosophy of Enlightenment Thinkers
a. Locke – life, liberty, property
b. Voltaire – free speech
c. Rousseau – do not obey an unjust law, man is born free
d. Montesquieu – separation of powers, 3 branches of government
10. Economic Systems
a. Capitalism
 Economics is trade, business, money, and wealth
 Capitalism is an economic system in which supply and demand determine the prices
and quantity of goods produced
 Developed by Adam Smith and explained in Wealth of Nations
 Laissez Faire is the “invisible hand” that guides the economy, no government regulation
of business because the market will make adjustments based on the will of the people.
If prices get too high, people will stop buying
 Oppose any policy that will limit or put restrictions on trade or business
 Critics say in capitalism, business is guided by profit and not the interest of the people
and this may lead to poor working conditions, low wages, exploitation of workers
(Industrial Revolution)
b. Communism
 Economic system in which ALL means of production are controlled by the state
 Command economy – quota system, government established prices and quantities
regardless of demand
 Karl Marx wrote the Communist Manifesto
1. Haves (bourgeoisie, business owners) have exploited the have nots (proletariat,
working class) in factories in Europe
2. Have nots must revolt against the haves
3. Create an equal, non-capitalist, communist government and economy
 Critics – due to government controls, goods were not in abundance. People are not
motivated to work hard or come up with new ideas
 Soviet Union – 5 Year Plans
1. Plans for economic development and production
2. If quotas were not met, workers and management were punished
3. Focus on numbers not quality of products
4. Resources were taken from Eastern Europe to benefit Communist Soviet Union
11. Geography and the Environment
a. Archipelago (Japan): SMALL ISLAND NATION WITH LIMITED NATURAL RESOURCES
 Chain of islands
 Japan has 4 main islands and hundreds of smaller islands
 Japan is 4/5 mountains
 Japan is in the Pacific Rim and is on the Ring of Fire – it suffers from earthquakes
 Effects
1. Japan has high population density
2. Builds with bamboo to deal with earthquakes
3. Relies on the sea for food
4. Lack resources
5. Lack of resources led Japan to seek resources like food and oil from colonies
after WWI
6. Lack of resources results in Japan concentrating on making high value products
like technology (cars, computers, etc)
 Uses terrace farming and floating farms to produce crops
 Island location and proximity to China result in Japan becoming major trading nation
b. River Valley – TINY (Tigris and Euphrates, Indus, Nile, Yellow Rivers)
 Nile
1. Cradle of civilization
2. Egypt known as “Gift of Nile” – reflects Egypt’s dependence on Nile River
3. Located in Egypt, Nile empties into the Mediterranean Sea
4. Nile floods predictably
5. Put silt in 10 mile stretch on either side of river
6. Allows for fertile land for farming
7. Irrigation is developed to increase the amount of arable (farmable) land
8. Geographic barriers like desert, cataracts (waterfalls) and escarpments (steep
cliffs) limit invasion. This safety allowed for Egyptian society to develop
9. Trade with Middle East, Greece, Italy, Northern Africa
10. Located on a major land trade route between Africa and Asia
11. Ease of trade led to many people having access to Egypt
12. Cultural diffusion – many cultures shared information and spread because of
Egypt’s role in trade
13. Effects:
a. Surplus of good led to growth of civilization
b. Lasted 5000 years
c. Led by Pharaoh who communicated with gods
d. Dependence on floods results in development of a religion with gods
who control
12. Justice/Human Rights
a. Code of Hammurabi (Justice)
 Law code of Babylon’s leader, Hammurabi
 Laws were codified and written down for all to see
 Goal: to maintain peace and order
 Set precedent for eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, life for a life
1. Will influence later laws of capital (death) and corporal (physical) punishment
2. Will influence the Muslim Shariah (law code based on the Quran)
3. Will influence the Theocracy of Iran – if you steal, cut off your hand
4. Will have punishments that are less severe for the upper classes (fine for killing
a slave, but if a slave kills a member of the upper class, the slave loses his life)
b. Twelve Tables (Justice)
 Law code of the Roman Republic
 Laws were codified and written down for all to see
 Goal: to maintain peace and order
 Demanded by the Plebeians (lower class) to guarantee their rights so the Patricians
(upper class) could not abuse their power
 Given to the Plebeians (lower class) after the Plebeians threatened to leave Rome
 Plebeians were given the Council of Plebs in government to represent the needs of the
lower classes in the legislature (law making body)
 Set precedent for
1. Equality innocent until proven guilty
2. Equality under the law
3. People of the same status equal before the law
4. Accused should face accuser and be allowed to defend themselves
5. Guilt through evidence
6. Uses of judges
7. Will influence the governments of Western Europe like England
c. Human Rights
 Human Rights are the basic rights that all human beings are entitled to regardless of
race, ethnicity, religion, nationality. The rights include life, liberty, security, freedom
from unfair prosecution and torture, freedom of thought, religion and expression of
ideas
 Holocaust
1. Human Rights Violations
2. 1939-1945 in Germany and Eastern Europe
3. Genocide: deliberate killing of a race of people
4. History in Europe of anti-Semitism (anti-Jewish) and pogroms (attack on Jews)
5. Social Darwinism: belief that the strongest race will survive
6. Background: Adolf Hitler, leader of Germany, wanted a pure Aryan (German)
nation. He argued the Germans needed living space (lebensraum) and must get
rid of competing peoples (subhumans-Untermenschen). This policy led to a
racial policy or “final solution”.
7. Nuremberg Laws: Jews could not marry non-Jews, work in certain fields, travel
without paperwork or walk around without a Jewish star
8. Kristallnacht – “Night of Broken Glass” – 1938 Jewish businesses and
synagogues were destroyed
9. During WWII, Jews were rounded up and put in cattle cars. They were brought
to camps like Auschwitz where the selection process began. Able bodied people
were kept as laborers. Weaker people were brought to gas chambers and then
were burned in crematoriums
10. Dr. Mengele did experiments on Jews at Auschwitz
11. 6 million Jews were killed
12. Camps were liberated in 1945 by Russians and Americans
13. Medical aid was given to survivors
14. State of Israel was created as safe haven for Jews
15. Nuremberg Trials were held to punish and hold accountable officials
responsible for Holocaust
16. International organizations like United Nations and later Amnesty International
were created to protect people from future human rights violations
d. Tiananmen Square
 Background
1. China was a communist nation led by Mao Zedong since 1949
2. Deng Xiaoping attempted to modernize Chinese society to improve technology,
production, and improve China’s standing in the world
3. Students were sent to America and Europe to learn science and technology
4. While abroad, students learned about democracy and freedom
5. 1989, Chinese students gathered in Tiananmen Square to request freedom of
speech, press, and democracy
6. Peaceful protest (100,000 people), marches, speeches, banners. Large stature
erected to symbolize movement (goddess of liberty)
7. Deng Xiaoping ordered military into Tiananmen Square to break up the
demonstration
8. Columns of tanks were sent in to disperse people
9. People were ran over and shot in an attempt to clear the square
10. Tear gas and riot police were also used against the peaceful protestors
11. 7,000-10,000 were killed, 50,000 arrested
12. China refused to grant any freedoms or allow any arrested protestors any due
process or rights under the law
13. Amnesty International called for a boycott of China
14. No formal sanctions were imposed on China, most multinational businesses
ignored calls for a boycott, because nations and corporations made too much
money trading with China
13. Science (Neolithic Revolution, Green Revolution)/Technology: Nuclear Weapons, Steam Engine
a. Neolithic Revolution (New Stone Age)
 Background
1. People had been nomadic (moved around) and were hunters and gatherers
2. Had to continually look for food to hunt and berries to pick
3. Neolithic Revolution (10,000 B.C.) was an agricultural revolution
4. People arrive in river valleys and discover that you can plant seeds and crow
crops (farming began)
5. River valleys were TINY (Tigris/Euphrates in the Mesopotamia, Indus in India,
Nile in Egypt, and Yellow River or Huang He in China)
6. People began to farm and domesticate animals for the first time
7. Allows people to know where food will be so they settle down and stop moving
8. Fewer people are needed to produce food, so some people can get other jobs
 Effects
1. Growth of civilization
2. Food surplus led to growth in population and also an increased number of
people available to do non-food producing jobs
3. Governments are created to maintain order in the growing communities
4. Militaries are created to protect the resources of the community
5. Social hierarchies are developed to organize society into groups of leaders and
workers
6. Religion and culture developed as a way to explain the world, celebrate
achievements, and draw distinctions between different groups of society
7. Trade between competing civilizations develop when surplus of goods occur
14. Green Revolution
a. Background
 Green revolution means increasing food output through “scientific farming”, creating
better, hardier seeds, using new technology, and experimenting with alternative
methods of food production
 The need for food caused money to put into research for farming
 Countries with many geographic barriers (mountains, deserts) have used alternative
methods to feed their people
 Methods:
1. Middle East countries use desalination plants (take salt out of water)
2. Israel uses fertigation: drips of water mixed with fertilizer on each plant
3. India has perfected rice that is drought resistant and can produce 2 crops per
year
4. Japan has used floating farms and hydroponics (grow plants without soil using
water)
 Effects
1. More food produced=more people
Movement of people/goods: Silk Road, Crusades, Columbian Exchange, early people, Bantu
migrations, Silk Road, Mongols, West African civilization, Ottomans, Mughals, Age of Exchange and
encounter, New Imperialism
Nationalism: Italian and German Unification, Assassination of Franz Ferdinand, Latin America
Independence, India, South Africa, New Nations in Africa, SW Asia
Imperialism: British in India, Berlin Conference, Africa, Middle East
Conflicts: WWI, WWII, Crusades, Protestant Reformation, Age of Exchange and Encounter, French
Revolution, New Imperialism, Cold War
Cultural/Intellectual Life: Renaissance, Enlightenment
Geography: River valleys, Greece, China (Silk Road, Great Wall), Japan, Africa, Mesoamerica
Golden Ages: Greece, Rome, India (Gupta), China (Han, Tang, Song), Islam, Byzantine, Mongols
Change: Neolithic Revolution, Fall of Rome, Middle Ages (feudalism, power of the Church, Church
reform and Crusades, Changes in Medieval society), Renaissance, Scientific Revolution, Absolute
Monarchs, French Revolution, Latin America Independence Movements, Industrial Revolution, Rise of
Fascism, Cold War, Green Revolution, Globalization, Collapse of the Soviet Union
Global Problems and Human Rights Violations: Jews and Christians in the Roman Empire, Russian
Pogroms against Jews, Great Purge in the Soviet Union, Holocaust, Chinese students in Tiananmen
Square, Nuclear Weapons, Apartheid, Rwandan Genocide, Genocide in Bosnia, Darfur, etc…
Political and Economic Systems: democracy in Greece, The Roman Republic, Feudalism in
Europe/Japan, Absolute Monarchs in Europe, Capitalism v. Communism, Communism in China,
Fascism