I have a few ideas for you that might help you narrow your topic to a suitable range and inquiry. As I can see you realize, both of your topics are enormous and virtually unmanageable without narrowing your focus.
The first idea that came to mind was an inquiry into why it took so very long for the United States to enter World War II. As I'm sure you know, we did not enter the war until we were attacked by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor at the end of 1941. You might want to ask what took us so long. What were the politics that kept us out of the war? And I assure you, there were politics. So that is one inquiry.
Another that struck me is an inquiry into how the "peace" after World War I created the circumstances that led to World War II. There are many reputable and credible historians who maintain that this is the case, and your research on this issue, I promise you, would be very interesting. You may or may not think this is the case, but you can support your opinion with good research.
As for the Cold War, a similar idea occurred to me, which is to wonder how the peace of World War II led to the Cold War. I think you will be able to find relationships between the two in your research, and this, too, is an interesting question.
Finally, the relationship of Russia with the rest of the world is likely the consequence of the Cold War. Its paranoia, its defensiveness, its very government might all be the results of its Cold War with the United States and other nations. This is a question you can answer through good research.
You will notice that these ideas focus on some relationship from one period or event to the next. In my opinion, this is the strength of history, allowing us to see these relationships and learn from them. Nothing in history happens in a vacuum, and if you can tease out these relationships, you will be well on your way to doing history as it is meant to be done.
No comments:
Post a Comment