Eastern Europe Essay Examples and Topics

75 samples

If you want to write good essays on East European Studies, then you need to remember a few cornerstone elements. Here are a few ideas to help jumpstart your paper:

Start by outlining what countries your research includes. Russian and East European studies encompass a wide variety of peoples and nations, and it can be easy to lose the difference between them, for example, confusing Slovenia and Slovakia.

Educate yourself on the differences between West, East, and South Slavs. Their differences are more in-depth than merely culture and language.

Remember that almost no eastern European country is mono-ethnic or follows a single religion. Recognizing that different minority groups exist in all East European countries is essential to your research.

If you can understand the effects that Russian, Central European, and Turkish influences had on the region, you may be halfway finished with your assignment already.

Creating support structures for yourself in your work is permissible and even necessary. It helps you immerse yourself in research, rather than keeping every detail in mind.

Therefore, make sure you keep track of key terms relevant to your location and period. Additionally, do not forget to explain them to your readers to avoid confusion.

Now you can focus on choosing sources for your East European Studies topic. One of the most popular publications used on East European Studies essays is the Slavic Review.

However, if possible, you must try to diversify your bibliography with titles published in a relevant language. While finding books in Church Slavonic is hard, there are many translated sources from most Eurasian countries available online.

Find more sample essays on our website!

75 Best Essay Examples on Eastern Europe

The Russian Revolution by Sheila Fitzpatrick

The author of this book defines the following frames: "The timespan of the Russian Revolution runs from February 1917 to the Great Purge of 1937-8. The first theme is the Bolsheviks' vision of the revolution [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1130

The Trial of Tempel Anneke in Germany

The attempt to use her magical powers to punish the offender and recover the goods led to her arrest for practicing witchcraft. She astonished them, and the jury, and the residents had more reason to [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1191

The Serfs in Poland

The forced servitude of the serfs was usually rewarded by protection and the right to work in the fields of their lords.
  • Pages: 12
  • Words: 3265

Joseph Stalin Foreign Policies

Furthermore, Stalin also was able to develop a strong and capable military defense which he invested heavily in order to safeguard the interest of the Soviet State.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1464

History. A Coca-Cola Bottle as a Cultural Artifact

That is why, the historical roots, the cultural influence, the popularity in the future generation, and the peoples attitude, make the simple thing an artifact. The main ingredients of "Coca-Cola" were: the coca leaves, the [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 856

History of Russian Revolution in 1917

Subsequent to the resignation of Romanovs, the provisional government was created by members of the parliament that was recognized as a legal government of Russia.
  • Pages: 10
  • Words: 2124

Security Failures at the Munich Olympic Games

Although terrorism was already a renowned international threat in the 1970s, security during this event was not strong enough to prevent the invasion of the Olympic village by the Palestinian extremists.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 554

Tsar Alexander I and the Holy Alliance

Catherine the great was advocating and persuading the young Alexander to adopt the principles of the Genevois philosopher, Rousseau. The Bessarabia and the parts of the black sea in the eastern side were also seized [...]
  • Pages: 10
  • Words: 2912

Russian Revolution: What Went Down?

This revolution, therefore, overturned the Provisional Government and established the Soviet Union. While the February revolution overturned Tsar Nicholas II and established a Provisional Government.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 570

Central and Eastern European Transition Economies

Central and Eastern Europe saw a wave of democratization and market-oriented reforms in the late 1980s and early 1990s, as communist regimes collapsed and former Soviet satellites transitioned to democracy and a market economy.
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 2003

The Civil War in Ukraine (2014 – Present)

However, after the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, they did not become less frequent, and the period from 2001 onward demonstrates a fair share of civil wars with [...]
  • Pages: 12
  • Words: 3401

The Battle of Alma, 20 September 1854

The battle of Alma, fought on 20 September 1854, opened the road to Sevastopol and proved the superiority of the allied arms and the French tactics over the cumbersome Russian military.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1417

Researching of Soviet Domestic Surveillance

The goal was to gather information for the authoritarian regime about the local political-military situation in the annexed lands. In the Baltic territories, the surveillance lasted about nine months before they were annexed; the NKVD [...]
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1418

The Fall of the Soviet Union and the US’ Role

It was as a result of declaration 142-H, which led to the acknowledgment of the former Soviet republics during the creation of The Commonwealth of Independent States. The major external forces included the intervention of [...]
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1636

How Chernobyl Accident Happened

They have got the order to postpone the shutdown of the station. The firefighters, emergency, and liquidators of the catastrophe at Chernobyl were exposed to the deadly doses of radiation.
  • 5
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1175

Serbian Nationalism Rise Main Factors

The rising of nationalism at the time when the period of the late 1700s was coming to a close is associated with the multiplication of the thought of well-liked independence.
  • Pages: 10
  • Words: 2744

A Brief History of the Carolingian Empire

Throughout their rise to power, Carolingians had to deal with a lot of resentment, on the part of the rest of Frankish nobility, simply because there were no "transcendent" preconditions for this family to claim [...]
  • Pages: 11
  • Words: 3332

Stalin’s Contributions to the Soviet Union

Stalin was the forth child of Ekaterina and was born healthy, tough, and determined boy in the city of Gori in Georgia."At baptism he was given the name of Joseph; and so the local Greek [...]
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 2126

Dissolution of Czechoslovakia Analysis

The formation of Czechoslovakia in 1918 was the conclusion of the long struggle of the Czechs against their Austrian rulers and of the Slovaks against their Hungarian rulers.
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 3042

Afghanistan and The Soviet Invasion

The very existence of the civil Government in Afghanistan is with the active assistance of the reigning National Alliance, needs the support of foreign powers and NATO allies to stay in power.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 739

Russian Revolution and International Reaction

The principal causes of the failure of the Allied Powers to help the White Army included the disagreement in goals and the general weakness of the Western involvement forces after World War I.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 833

The Cold War’s Aftermath in Europe

The collapse of the Soviet Union, which occurred after the end of the Cold War, led to profound political and economic changes in many countries.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 622

Reform, Prosperity, and Collapse in 1980-1991

The discussion focus on exploring the reasons behind the success of Western Europe associated with embracing globalization and the collapse of Eastern Europe, predominantly the Soviet Union, linked to policy changes implemented by the government.
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1112

Russian Revolutions, Fascism, and Totalitarianism

It was also seeking to apply socialist principles in the political experience in the birth of the Soviet Union and apply it to the worldwide revolution. It was ultimately this aspect that led to the [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1104

Kosovo’s Sovereignty and Way to Independence

Diplomats have had meeting to discuss the future of the kosovo the main discussion is between two groups that is the troika, as the Russian, European and American envoys who are to talk about the [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 659

The Great Purges of 1937 in the Russian Provinces

Although studying the reports and statistical data regarding the effects that the Great Purge had on the citizens of the Soviet Union allows developing a rather profound understanding of the problem, scrutiny of some of [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 462

“The Great Terror on the Local Level” by Hoffman

What makes Hoffman's study especially important for embracing the effects of the Great Purge on the overall well-being of the USSR citizens is the connection between the social and economic issues that could be observed [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 725

Oligarchs and Their Power During Yeltsin’s Russia

The editor of the Russian version of Forbes magazine, an American of Russian descent, Paul Khlebnikov, wrote the book "The Godfather of the Kremlin" in which he addressed the life of Berezovsky in detail.
  • Pages: 9
  • Words: 2467

Communism in Eastern Europe

Therefore, when the call of solidarity was made, there were a lot of people ready and willing to be part of the movement. To them, solidarity was a way of fighting against the evils in [...]
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1676

The Russian Working Class Movement

The growth and expansion of industrialization witnessed a continued decline in the conditions of the workers, which led to the emergence of working class organizations.
  • Pages: 10
  • Words: 2800

The Fall and Demise of the Soviet Union

After the fall of the Soviet Union, the countries that had unified under it emerged as independent states and Russia took all the rights of the Soviet Union. They discussed the Treaty of the Creation [...]
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1979

History of Violence in the Balkans

This began at the start of the nineteenth century when the local educated people among the Balkans started embracing the revolutionary nationalism ideology that was practiced by the Europeans and introduced nations in the Balkan [...]
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1925

Causes of the Breakup of the Former Yugoslavia

In the Yugoslavia context, primordials hold that deep ethnic, social and religious divisions played a significant role in the processes that led to the breakup of the country, while the constructivists hold that ethnic conflict [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 1000

Balkan Region History and Profile

Presently, the definition of the Balkan-peninsula encloses the entirety of the region of Southern-Europe as it is enclosed by water bodies from the Adriatic, the Mediterranean, as well as the Black seas.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 500

The Heritage of the Soviet Union

Thus, to understand the future of these countries, it is important to consider political systems within the countries and define factors which resulted in the development of such regimes.
  • Pages: 12
  • Words: 3340

The Down Fall of the Russian Revolution

The powerful individuals, whose aim was to fulfil the interests of the owners of the means production, controlled the revolution. After the revolution, the Communist Party readjusted its objectives to reflect the aims of the [...]
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1630

Fall the Soviet Union

There were political, economical, and cultural reasons that led to the collapse of the USSR. This led to the collapse of communism as it had lost favor among people in the east.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 629

Poverty in Russia During the Late Nineteenth Century

Most importantly, Pytor Pertovich Semyonova role was instrumental in the life of the peasants living before the revolution since he championed the passing of rules that were intended to guarantee the Russian peasants of their [...]
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1380

Modern Europe Formation: East European Studies

The serious attitude to church and religion also marked the effect of the Byzantine Empire on the neighboring states in the Middle Ages and later; Justinian, the Emperor, built the Hagia Sofia, the Church of [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 693

Byzantine and Islamic Сivilizations

The Byzantine Empire was therefore a Greek state with Greek being the most common language in use instead of Latin which was the official language of the Eastern Roman Empire.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 589

Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878

This war also led to significant recognition of the Christians living within the empire and a peaceful co existence was thus required.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1449

Totalitarianism and Soviet Russia

In the same month, Finland was attacked by the Soviet Union and this led to Emergence of Winter war. However, these policies were ineffective and the fall of USSR was witnessed in 1991.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 1005

Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler

For instance, Rubashov, the main character of the book, was a hero of Civil War and a significant personality in the Party who was trusted enough to become a diplomat in foreign countries.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 886

Napoleon’s Retreat from Moscow

Most of his paintings focused on battle scenes, especially the events that occurred during Napoleonic Wars."Some of his great works included the Prussian Attack and Napoleon's retreat from Moscow which depicts the failure of the [...]
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1644

The Cold War and Its Influence on Europe

Control of Europe was at the centre of the cold war because communists controlled Eastern Europe and wanted to extent their influence to Western Europe as well.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 589
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