Essays and Research Papers on 20th Century Europe

A 12 page research paper that examines the lingering controversy that still surrounds this famous German WWII bombing raid that destroyed the medieval city of Coventry, England. Some experts feel that Churchill knew of the raid in advance and intentionally allowed Coventry to be bombed so that the Germans would not realize that their Enigma ...

A 5 page analysis of the book The Anatomy of Courage by Lord Moran. As a young medical officer, Lord Moran observed World War I. As Winston Churchill's personal physician, he observed World War II. Therefore, Lord Moran's observations and insights about courage and fear on the battlefield come from first hand experience. No ...

A 5 page analysis of Victor Frankl's account of life in the Nazi concentration camps of World War II. His purpose in relating his experiences is to demonstrate the ways in which the experiences in the camps altered the minds of the prisoners and how the knowledge that he gained from this experience can be ...

An 11 page research paper that analyzes Winston Churchill's the Hinge of Fate. Churchill, who guided Great Britain through the trauma of World War II, recorded his experience in an extensive series of personal memoirs. One of the books in this series, The Hinge of Fate, records Churchill's perspective on the war from the ...

This 6 page paper considers the changes in gender representation between 1992 and 1997 in the British parliament and examines the impact it may have had on polices and actions. It is argued that the influence may not be as great as it seams, with a political marketing campaign being used to emphasise female values ...

This seven page paper presents an overview of the United Kingdom Millenium Dome. It opens with a discussion about what the dome is and what it has to offer its estimated 35,000 daily visitors. It then moves into a discussion about how the project was born and the public sentiment in the UK about its cost ...

Many people believe that the conflict that has plagued Northern Ireland for more than a quarter of a century is based on religious conflicts between Catholics and Protestants. This 5 page paper explores the role of different institutions based on social, economic and political status as well as historical background. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

This 6 page paper looks at the effect that national identity has had on devolution in Scotland. The formation of a parliament is Scotland has been the breakthrough which many nationalists had hoped for, yet it may be in this that the continued cry for a separate national identify stops. The paper looks at the ...

This 5 page report discusses Prussian militarism and its relevance to the ways in which Germany’s military ultimately developed and its direct connection to the two World Wars. As the vanguard of one of Europe’s most developed society’s, the Prussian military was thought of as an organization of the finest men the forerunners of Germany had to offer. Bibliography lists 5 ...

A 7 page research paper that details the relationship between the Polish army and the Soviets between 1939 and 1981. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 15 page paper discussing the issue of secession of the Basque region from Spain. There is a surge of nationalism, or rather tribalism, surfacing in many areas of the world. In northern Spain, many - but not all - the Basque people would have their own homeland, separate and distinct from Spain. ...

This 9 page paper considers the role of the second world war in the collapse of the British Empire. Examples of India, Zimbabwe and Australia are used to demonstrate the different perspectives. The bibliography cites 8 sources

A 3 page discussion of the ideologies of Fascism and the Nazi Party. Discusses the role of Hitler and Mussolini in bringing these ideologies to fruition and in unleashing phenomenal horrors on the world. Suggests desperation and the hypnotic effect of the men themselves as the reasons that the people followed these men. Suggests ...

A 5 page paper discussing factional reactions to the Spanish Civil War. Of course we know now that any revolution for democracy is born of an intense and pervasive desire for it. In the time of the Spanish Civil War, the bloody struggle was that of ideologies pitted against one another. Internalizations of that ideology were ...

This 7 page report discusses capitalist democracy and the fact that it is more often seen by the so-called “mainstream” as the framework through which a market economy is able to flourish while the rights and privileges associated with individual liberties are encouraged and supported. The ideas and ideals of capitalist democracy are also established within the cultural framework through ...

A 6 page outline on the societal changes which occurred during the Twentieth Century. Discusses some of the major events such as World War I, World War II, and the Cold War. Coordinates the technological evolution experienced in this century with the societal changes which have occurred and outlines the impacts of advanced ...

This 3 page report discusses some of the numerous events and a significant array of policies ultimately brought about the end of the Cold War. From events as monumental as the destruction of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union to other far less spectacular events. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 5 page research paper that looks to William Bolitho's 1926 text on Mussolini for an explanation of how Fascism took over Italy, and then to a summation of Italian progress under Mussolini's rule. No additional sources cited.

This 6 page report discusses how Adolf Hitler’s anti-Semitism grew in the two decades preceding World War II and how he used it to inspire the German people. By 1921, Hitler was speaking to groups that numbered in the thousands. By the time he published “Mein Kampf” (1924) membership in the Nazi party had grown to the tens of thousands. ...

This 6 page paper explores the development of the Iraqi state and the impact that colonialism probably had in that context. Iraq is looked at in relationship to other world changes in the twentieth century. Saddam Hussein's behavior and motivations are discussed in depth. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

This 10 page paper provides a review of four specific articles on the ethics of medical experimentation on human subjects and the implications. This paper considers the argument that benefits can still be derived from assessments of the outcomes of the Nazi experimentation and the various arguments on the ethics of using the results ...

This 10 page report discusses Germany at the turn of the 20th century and the various issues confronting it prior to World War I. The international rivalries of European nations, the brewing revolution in Russia, the changes taking place in all nations but especially those of the Western world were proving to have a significant impact on Germany. Germany’s out-of-date ruling ...

Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust: This 6 page report discusses these two books and compares their differing premises regarding the actions taken (or not taken) by “ordinary” German citizens during the Holocaust. Browning’s premise was that circumstances such as peer pressure, career promotion, and the mindless conformity of society led large numbers of common, everyday people to participate in murdering the ...

An 11 page discussion of the decisions which were made regarding East Germany and West Germany after World War II. Details the outcome of the Yalta conference and the relegation of West Germany to U.S. influence and East Germany to Russian influence. Contends the ultimate economic and political success of West Germany to ...

This 8 page paper examines the reasons for the League of Nation's reputation of inefficiency and inability to prevent armed conflict. Bibliography lists 11 sources.