World History Essay Examples and Topics

Updated:
856 samples

Due to the breadth of their topic, essays on World History require an understanding of events at various times and places in history. While this prospect may seem daunting, but there are a few means of making your workload look less than it is when it comes to world history topics.

First, start your paper by creating an outline. Even if you have only five paragraphs to write, jotting a few words for each will help you get a few world history essay ideas with which you can begin working.

Doing so prevents you from repeating yourself, as well as gives you a head start on your work.

Second, you should do your research. However, instead of going for only specialized books, try searching for titles that help you get an overview of your subject. This action ensures that you have a perspective that is both wide and informed enough to write such an essay.

Third, you can and must use the tools that are available to you, for example, periodization. Creating a timeline and working within it can help you generate some world history writing prompts.

Another essential tool is contextualization. Since your work relies on finding recurring patterns worldwide, giving them meaning and context will help you evaluate these circumstances better.

Finally, do not make your essay’s subject too scattered. You have a limited amount of pages to get your idea across, so do your best to condense your thought to suit your instructions.

If you can explain your idea in fewer words, then you have a higher chance of being understood by your readers, rather than boring them.

Need more help to start writing? Check the samples below on our website!

855 Best Essay Examples on World History

Post-Cold War Challenges

At the time when strained relations between the US and the Soviet Union ended, the financial systems of several countries, particularly those in Eastern Europe, were in the process of collapsing.
  • Pages: 12
  • Words: 3258

American, French and Haitian Revolutions

The main differences between the revolutions lie in their origins: the American Revolution was stimulated by the unwillingness to pay higher tax revenues to Britain, the French one was stimulated by the willingness to replace [...]
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 328

The History of Cars

The next natural thing that the inventors of the wheel did was to design the axle so that it could fit into the hole made in the centre of the wooden wheel.
  • 5
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2474

Mexican vs. Cuban Revolutions: Comparative Analysis

The Mexican Revolution of 1910 and the Cuban Revolution of the 1960s show that the Revolution's tentacles may spread far and wide due to preexisting sociopolitical, economic, and cultural systems.
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1238

Technological Advancement Essay

In the state of Virginia during the 17th century, human labor was imperative due to the pressing need to grow enough food to serve the people in the community during the winter spell hence the [...]
  • 4.3
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1994

The Conclusion of The Civil War

The main reason that the Confederacy succeeded from the Union was the issue of States' rights which are guaranteed by the Constitution but were almost completely lost following the Civil War.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 615

The History Civilization of China

The prominent dynasties that had significance in the social and the political phases of China included the Shang dynasty and the Ch'in the Chou dynasty.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1214

Chile Before, During, and After Colonization

It borders Argentina to the east, Peru to the north and finally Bolivia to the northeast. Before the landing of the Spanish colonizers during the 16th C, the Inca governed northern Chile while the indigenous [...]
  • Pages: 11
  • Words: 3058

The Process of Production

The hit of the industrial revolution in Europe and America in the 18th century led to a lot of changes and advancement in the production industry.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 613

The Role of Ideology in the Cold War

The Cold War was a significant period for the history of the United States, the Soviet Union, and the Eastern Bloc, as well as other countries.
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2015

Ottoman and Safavid Empires Comparison

The Ottoman empire came to decline as well, but it prospered for a considerably longer time, and its fall was largely determined by the pressure of political powers in Europe.
  • 5
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 624

Importance of the Economic System to the World History

The economic system is the essential structure in which the world functions. Economic socialism is where limited ownership of the means of production and a system of prices, losses, and profits are not used as [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 962

Cultural Exchange Through Trade in the Sixteenth Century

This paper examines how trading activities during the sixteenth century enhanced the exchange of these values among people of different ethnicities who were involved in trade in the different trade routes that existed in the [...]
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1626

Holocaust and Bosnian Genocide Comparison

The current paper aims to compare some of the most notable genocides in history, the Holocaust, and the Bosnian mass murder in terms of their aims, death tolls, tactics, and methods.
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1713

French and Russian Revolutions

In fact, what later came to be known as "Russia's Great October Socialist Revolution", was more of a political coup the members of Russia's Provisionary Government, which was formed after Czar's abdication in 1916, we [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 598

Historical Schools of Thought

They are sure that it is impossible to describe truth with the help of language, which presupposes that historical facts can also be questioned.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 852

Victorian Era Science Discoveries

Initially, the theme of the evolution of animals and humans was considered ridiculous and even blasphemous since the idea of creational theology was widespread in Victorian society.
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 288

State Formation Factors in Africa Before 1880

Even though several reasons led to the states' formation, they were formed due to cultural homogeneity, political organization, trade and commerce, and military body. Trade and commerce also led to the formation of states in [...]
  • 3
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 573

Concept of Studying History

The use of calendars, dating events, and dividing history into different periods are the major tools used in the study of the past occurrences which help explain the present and foresee the future. A good [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1114

The History of Catapults Technology Before 1850

Most of the other literatures detailing the use of the catapult claim that the inspiration came from the bow and sling, which is well known to be a popular weapon in the ancient times.
  • Pages: 10
  • Words: 2734

The General Maritime Treaty of 1820 in UAE History

Kourosh Ahmadi, the author of the book "Islands and International Politics in the Persian Gulf: The Abu Musa and Tunbs in Strategic Context," expresses an opinion that at the beginning of the nineteenth century, an [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1139

Imperialism and Modernization

The skills learnt in farming were of great help to the colonies since they applied them in their farms after independence and this accelerated their modernization process.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 927

British Colonial Racism for Aboriginal Australians

Precisely this colonial racism and genocide can be considered to be the cruelest in the history of the world and may have influenced the ideas and plans of Adolf Hitler, who got inspired by the [...]
  • Pages: 15
  • Words: 4206

Comparing Life in 1800s and Now

The purpose of this paper is to compare the life during the 1800s and now based on the fact that the two eras coincide with two epochs of industrialization.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 570

The Emergence of the Bipolar World

It demonstrates that the consequences of the bipolarity and the Cold War emerging from it were not positive because the world felt constant pressure resulting from the confrontation between the United States of America and [...]
  • Pages: 9
  • Words: 2464

The Islamic Golden Age

The paper will highlight some of the accomplishments made by famous Muslim scientists in order to underscore the contribution of Islam to science. The House of Wisdom contributed to the advancement of research efforts by [...]
  • Pages: 11
  • Words: 2753

History: Cultural Exchanges in the Medieval Period

Based on an appreciation of the contribution of international trade to the growth and development of the medieval world, this paper explores the role of spice, salt, sugar, and silk as important trade commodities of [...]
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1393

The Rise of the Ottoman Empire

Accordingly, the option for administration style came from the empire's direct connection to the previous failed Sejuks dynasty and the closeness to the monarchical Byzantine political structure.
  • Pages: 12
  • Words: 3438

The History of Recolonization of Africa

Samantha Power calls the muteness of the American public to the problems of Africa as one of the main reasons for the inaction of the world community regarding the events taking place in the country.[3] [...]
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1628

Historical Methodologies

This approach sets to highlight the economic history of the society by examining the modes of production used in the society through time.
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1950

Reflecting the Horrors of War

People learn more about the horrors of war through literature but do not infer from experience they gain; the only way they apply the knowledge about the war is the development of more sophisticated weapon [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 612

The Decline and Fall of Spain

According to Atienza and Howden, "the discovery of the New World and the vast hordes of gold and new riches was a springboard vaulting Spain from a barely-known kingdom in medieval Europe, to the most [...]
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2227

The Collapse of the Soviet Union

The fall of the Soviet Union marked the end of the Cold War. According to the author of the post, the defective system theory mainly contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 808

Marriage and Adultery Laws of Emperor Augustus

The laws were enacted to deal with marriage avoidance, the preference for childless unions, marriage of lower class women by the Roman elite, and adultery, all of which threatened the continuity of the Roman aristocracy.
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1791

History of the European Union

The signing of the Lisbon Treaty on December 13, 2009, transformed the structure of the European Community, which was subsequently renamed the European Union.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 818

The Europeans and Native Americans Relationships

This series of military conflicts became a significant constituent of the history of interaction between Europeans and Native Americans and demonstrated the power of the concept of conflict partly forming these relationships.
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1107

Authority from Ancient to Early Modern Times

The concept of authority can be described as the link between administrators who determine the main points of a particular policy and people who take full responsibility to follow and perform that policy in a [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1167

The Maasai and Bushmen of Africa

The Busmen and the Maasai are two communities that are found in Africa and they inhabit the Eastern and Southern regions of the African continent, respectively.
  • Pages: 11
  • Words: 3208

Schelling and Kahn on the Deterrence Power

Schelling proposed that the power of deterrence in the nuclear age is pegged not only on the equality or balance of the nuclear-possessing countries, but on the "stability of the balance".
  • 5
  • Pages: 10
  • Words: 2750

Conflicts in the World

The authors address the viewpoint that Islam is one of the major causes of conflicts which took place in the world lately.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 543

Causes of the Cold War’s End

Reagan's policies may have contributed to the fall of communism, but it is more likely that the internal changes in the Soviet Union and the countries it ruled contributed more to the end of the [...]
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 284

African Nationalism as Colonial Legacy

The oppression of rural areas and production and the prioritization of the urban population has become the main reason for the spread of poverty among the African population.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1469

The Two World Wars: Brief History

The Trade barriers were believed to be the reasons for the war and to avoid war in the future the Bretton Woods system was introduced.
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 656

French and American Revolutions Compared

French Revolution American Revolution Origins of Revolution The French Revolution began to develop in response to economic problems observed in the state because of the outcomes of the agricultural crisis of 1788-1789. Food shortages were observed, and Louis XVI asked the clergy and people to collaborate in overcoming the financial crisis. The public discontent caused […]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 830

Humans, States, Religion in Pre-Industrial Period

This paper explores the nature of the relationship between the human, the state, and the supernatural in pre-industrial societies. One case of a state in which religion provided a structure for the political establishment is [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1129

Imperialism in India

By 1858, the British regained control and immediately passed the Government of India Act, which allowed the British Crown administrators to run the country instead of the British East India Company.
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1095

A Brief History of Chili

Other theories have also suggested that it first spread from Portugal to India and to the rest of the world. Several theories have come up to describe the origin and distribution of chili throughout the [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 611

Ottoman and Safavid Empire

The Safavid empire became very dominant and maintained its authority due to their ability of linking power and religion; in fact this empire advocated the ideology that power was attached to religion which was the [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 675

The Slave Trade as a Manifestation of Greed

In "An Account of the Slave Trade on the Coast of Africa" Falconbridge, who was an eyewitness of the slave trade, describes the way slaves were kidnapped and later sold to the Americans5.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1750

The French and Indian War and Its Aftermath

Specific areas that this paper would look into include: why the Indian tribes fought with the French, what the French did differently to befriend so many Indian tribes as compared with the British, reasons behind [...]
  • Pages: 26
  • Words: 5969

For God, Gold, and Glory: the Famous Motto

The idea of discovery as applied to geographic exploration, and especially the study of the areas that have already been inhabited, seems to be a deeply flawed concept.
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 347

Comparison of American and French Revolution

Both the revolutions were for a cause, the American Revolution took place because the Americans wanted to free themselves from the enslavement of the British and similarly the French revolution took place because the rich [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 565

The Ottoman Empire History: the Rise and Fall

This paper provides an in-depth analysis of the rise and fall of the Ottoman Empire, with a lot of focus on the factors that were very instrumental in the decline of the Empire.
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2229

Scramble for Africa by Pakenham

Of key concern in this essay are the participants in the scramble, their motivations, the different personalities, and their decisions, African's reaction to the scramble and finally factors that led to the scramble out of [...]
  • Pages: 10
  • Words: 2847

Modernization Poised Between History and Prophecy

Secondly, the stage of 'preconditions of take-off' is characterised by the spread of the idea of the possibility of economic prosperity which is a necessity for other desired societal conditions. The last stage of economic [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 908

The African History Periodization

Some thought the history of Africa started with the story of the Europeans in Africa, followed by African historiography. Therefore, it led to the misconception that Africa has no history and created a gap in [...]
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 366

The Scale of Scottish Witch Hunts

Meilan Solly, in her article published in 2019 and titled "This Map Shows the Scale Of 16th and 17th Century Scottish Witch Hunts", explains the stories of witchcraft practice in Scotland between 1590 and 1727.
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 304

Imperialism, Colonialism, and Nationalism

The concepts of imperialism, colonialism, and nationalism were particularly prominent and essential in the 19th and 20th centuries. In conclusion, imperialism, colonialism, and nationalism played a key role in the course of the 19th and [...]
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 352

Industrial and Artistic Developments

In broad terms, one may define the Industrial Revolution as the shift to factory production signified by the use of machinery and collective organization of labor.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 576

Contribution of Qian Xuesen

Qian contributed to the exchange between China and the rest of the world in the field of science through development and improvement of the aviation industry.
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1129

Postcolonialism and Diaspora in the World History

Colonialism is the political ideology that legalizes the invasion, occupation, and exploitation of a given land by stronger states which use their military powers thus displacing the powers of the original inhabitants of the land.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 552

Latin America, Asia and Africa: Impact of Colonialism

The Europeans considered the strange ways and religious practices of the natives as barbaric and considered it to be their moral duty to 'civilize' the 'sub humans' that they had subjugated leading to a superiority [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 497

The Great Depression in Canada

Before the onset of the Great Depression from the years 1919-1929, Canada had the fastest growing economy amongst the developing nations and the only blip to this record was the slight recession they suffered during [...]
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1701

“Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progress” by H. Zinn

Focusing on two major issues - the difference between the native civilizations and the Western civilization in the context of sharing; and the depopulation of the natives in Bahama due to Spanish exploitation and natives [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 720

The Other Character in Oedipus The King

The chorus in Oedipus, the King is an additional set of characters, the Theban elders. They represent "the people" of the city, and they alternately pray, bemoan their fate, or criticize the King.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 780

Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Empires Comparison

During the 15th and 16th centuries, three major Muslim empires were formed and established namely; the Mughal empire, which dominated the greater India, Safavid which ruled the greater Iran, and the Ottoman Empire which ruled [...]
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1656

The Book The Age of Empire

In the text, the author describes the period as important because it led to the establishment of new empires and political structures.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 549

The Protestant Church Reformation

The urge for a reformation was also spurred by the emergence of humanistic philosophies and the spirit of the Renaissance, which drew increased attention to the teachings of the Bible and had the tendency of [...]
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1369

Industrialism, Progress or Decline

The coming of the steam engine in the late eighteenth century accelerated man's belief in the capacity to create entire industries and manufacture goods using technology.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 809

“Big History” by David Christian

Big History is a field of study that attempts to examine the comprehensive history of the Earth, cosmos, humanity, and life by use of the best possible evidence-based research and academic approaches.
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 439

“Diamond in the Rough” Article by York & Mancus

Jared Diamond is among such scientists, and his book, Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, comments on how ancient cultures developed and explains why Eurasia dominated the rest of the world.
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 330

Henry Cabot Lodge: Article Analysis

Lodge believed in the value of the country's commerce while perceiving England's construction of locations in the West Indies as a threat to the US seaboard.
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 301

Trans-Atlantic African Slave Trade

When Portuguese sailors cruised in West Africa in the 1440s to hunt for wealth, spices, and friends in contrast to Muslims and the Ottoman Empire, the one who exacts Mediterranean Sea trade, the initial stages [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 860

The Zulu Nation’s History and Culture

The Zulu people live on the continent of Africa, in the southern part of it, which is known as KwaZulu-Natal. In this family, the husband stands for the chief, and institution of marriage is hallowed.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 587

Simon Bolivar: The Man and The Myth

Bolivar fought a revolution and a civil war simultaneously, and Arana argues that this is a vastly different narrative than the one that defines North America. In conclusion, Arana presents a complete portrait of Simon [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 560

The 20th to 21st Century History

The 20th century was the beginning of many social changes across the globe and several worldwide war conflicts that affected both Western and non-Western countries.
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 400
Headline Generator
We’ll help you brainstorm great title ideas for your essay, research or speech in no time!
Research Question Generator
Get a list of ideas for your essay or term paper. We’ve prepared the best research question generator.
Title Page
Generator
Craft a paper title page with just a couple of clicks. Get it in APA, MLA, Chicago, or Harvard without any effort
Updated: