Advice to Women: Be Independent

How do you explain the differences between this approach to the role of women and the one found in the selection by Elizabeth Sanford in the last chapter? What is the role, if any, of the artist in changing societal norms? What developments in the social, political, and cultural histories of Europe in the period between the two documents may explain the differences you detect within them? Would Ibsen’s play, A Doll’s House, have been controversial when first performed, and if so, why? (page 694)

“Darwin and the Descent of Man”

What is Darwin's basic argument in The Descent of Man? Why did so many object to it when first published in 1871? In your opinion, were those objections justified? Was Darwin a product of his own times? If so, how? In your opinion, what forces in nineteenth-century European society conjoined to stimulate Darwin's thinking and publication on this subject? (page 643)

Extra Credit Post: “Bismarck ‘Goads’ France into War”

What did Bismarck do the Ems telegraph? Were his editorial changes significant? If so, how? Why has it been almost universally claimed that Bismarck’s Ems dispatch changed the course of history? What does this affair tell us about Bismarck's motives and his concept of politics? (page 630)

Garibaldi and Romantic Nationalism

Why did Garibaldi become such a hero to the Italian people in 1860? Does it appear from the newspaper account that Garibaldi was a charismatic leader? If so, how? How important is charisma in a revolutionary leader? How does Garibaldi's comportment (look it up!) as a political and military leader prefigure the conduct of later revolutionary military leaders and activists (think of Vladimir Lenin, Emiliano Zapata, Pancho Villa, Ho Chi Minh, Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, Malcom X)? (p. 627)

The Voice of Liberalism: John Stuart Mill on Liberty

How do Mill's ideas fit into the concept of democracy, safety and national security? Is Mill a democrat? Why and/or why not? What is more important in his thought: the individual or society? What do you believe to be the historic sources or inspirations of Mill's ideas? According to the tenets of the early twenty-first century, would Mill be described as a liberal or a conservative or neither? Why? (page 600)

“The Voice of Conservatism: Metternich of Austria”

Based on Metternich's discussion, how would you define conservatism? What experience obviously conditioned Metternich's ideas? Was Metternich and early nineteenth century conservatism merely a reaction to the events of the French Revolution? Why and/or why not? Based on this selection, discuss the actual policies Metternich would have wanted his government to pursue. (page 592)

“Discipline in the New Factories” (page 568)

As seen in this document (and illustrated above), what impact did factories have on the lives of workers? To what extent have such “rules” determined much of modern industrial life? How is your life marked by the historical development of such rules? Are today’s workers still only “hands” in the opinion of many employers?