For this week’s discussion, you must have completed reading Chapter 12, pages 297-317 in the Pavlac textbook.
For this Discussion, answer ONE of the instructor-provided.
- Some historians have described the Crimean War as a turning point in post-Napoleonic European history. Do you agree with these historians? Why or why not? If not, is there another point from this period that you think better qualifies?
- Otto von Bismarck was one of history’s greatest political minds, an undisputed fact even among those who disagree with his ideology or policies. He also left a legacy of rather interesting and brilliant quotes. Choose one of Bismarck’s quotes as listed below and explain what it means in the historical, political and social context of his time as Chancellor.· “The great questions of the day will not be decided by speeches or votes of the majority–that was the error of 1848 and 1849–but rather by iron and blood.”· “The less people know about how sausages and laws are made, the better they’ll sleep at night.”· “A government must not waver once it has chosen its course. It must not look to the left or right, but go forward.”· “He who is not a socialist at 19 has no heart. He who is still a socialist at 30 has no brain.”
- The latter half of the nineteenth century saw the rise of the concept of realpolitik as a primary method for European states to interact with one another. Choose a specific example of realpolitik from this era, describe it, and discuss whether or not the actions taken were justifiable in the long run.
- In this era, art, science, and culture took incredible strides. What specific movement or event in these fields do you think had the most impact on Western society? Why?
