[SOLUTION] The Soviet Union
World War I (1914-1918) started out as a European/Western conflict, but quickly became a truly global war. How and why did regions outside the West become involved in the war, and what were their motivations and contributions in the course of the war? After adequately addressing the question in general, illustrate your essay with specific examples from at least three of the following:1. China2. Japan3. India4. The Ottoman Empire5. African colonial territories6. NOTE: excluded from this essay are the United States and other thoroughly Western societies like Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.SECOND ESSAY TOPIC (choose your favorite one, from A-E):A. Compare and contrast China from the late 1940s to 1989 with Russia/The Soviet Union from about 1914 to 1991. What factors in each of these countries contributed to A) the initial victory of their communist revolutions, and B) the governmental policies/actions of these communist governments? In summary, C) what were their key successes and failures?B. From 1815 to 1914, the West presented a significant set of challenges to rival states. Describe the nature of these challenges in general terms, then compare and contrast how TWO of the following regions responded to both general and specific challenges of the West.i. Imperial Russiaii. Ottoman Empireiii. Indiaiv. Either China OR Japan (not both)C. Describe and explain how, on the one hand, China grew increasingly impoverished and weak in the 19th and early 20th centuries while, on the other hand, Japan grew wealthier and stronger. (Consider events through the end of World War I).D. What were the major motives for Western-style imperialism, from about 1800 to 1914? Be sure to define important concepts, and to include specific illustrating examples from at least two of the following imperial regions/powers: Europe, the U.S., and Japan.E. Analyze major trends in decolonization in the years after 1945 (post-World War II). Consider a.) how and why territories under previous imperialst domination gained independence, and b.) what political and economic systems they could (and did) choose to adopt, and c.) what some of the major problems and successes were for these countries in the first few decades of their independence. Illustrate your remarks with detailed examples from the history of specific countries in at least two of the following regions:i. Indiaii. Southwest Asia / the Middle East (several countries; use select examples)iii. Southeast Asia (several countries; use select examples).iv. Africa (many countries, use select examples)v. Latin America (several countries; use select examples)NOTE: This essay should be a combination of generalizations (listing a wide variety of trends and explanations for about a page), plus more detailed illustrations from the history of at least two specific countries (about another page). For your specific country examples, an effective method to prepare would be to look up your chosen countries in the index of the textbook and read everything the textook has to say about them in the years after World War II; in some cases, this is a very manageable amount of information.
