World History Essay Examples and Topics

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944 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!

944 Best Essay Examples on World History

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

A History of Romantic Love

The paper examines the history of love starting from the ancient times then to the medieval chivalry and finally the contemporary period.
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 2011

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

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

“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 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 Hispanization of the Philippines” by J. Phelan

In the first part of his work about the reaction and adaptation of the Filipinos to the Spanish culture, John Leddy Phelan outlines a profile of both the conquerors and the conquered, highlighting the commercial [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 586

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 Code of Hammurabi: The King of Justice

The first step in evaluating the justice of the Code of Hammurabi is the examination of the judge's position. As mentioned above, Hammurabi was not the first Mesopotamian king to create a set of laws [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 918

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

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

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

Ottoman Empire’s Fall and Impact on the Arab World

Also, an overview of the impacts on the Arab World is provided to enhance the understanding of the issue and its significance for the region. First, the military performance of the empire was in a [...]
  • Pages: 9
  • Words: 2222

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: 2
  • Words: 1791

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

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

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 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

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

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 Death Penalty

The death penalty became legal in America in 1776 during the revolutionary war. The US Supreme court ruled the death penalty as unconstitutional in 1972.
  • Pages: 13
  • Words: 591

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

The Comparison of the Roman and the U.S. Senate

First of all, one should mention that the institutions have to be responsible for limiting the power of political leaders. This is one of the tasks that the Roman Senate had to cope with.
  • 5
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1104

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

Fidel Castro and His Achievements

Castro was proud of being a Cuban and he strived to create the Cuban identity. Castro deprived Cubans of the rights to life, liberty, and property.
  • 5
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1385

Jamaica Independence History

The Tainos are said to have stayed in the island peacefully until the Spanish arrival which is said to have caused a lot of unrest in the island.
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 575

World History: The Roman Empire

Understanding the document first requires one to understand the historical background of the Roman Empire: the formation of the Republic and its collapse.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 841

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

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

Weapon Development in Early European Civilizations

Because it took rather serious processes to create the weapons that now are known as the realities of the ancient times, these were one of the most powerful inventions of the mankind, which is an [...]
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2840

Purposes of Historical Reenacting

One must be very enthusiastic about this course and must reflect on the past and be seen to be happy since a re-enactor gets to immerse himself in the deep world of the past, learn [...]
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1141

Southernization in the History of Southern Asia

During the time of Schaffer, the culture of the Indian ocean was the most dominant player in the Afro Eurasian trade system and included commercial exchanges from China, India, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 312

The Four Voyages by Christopher Columbus

The voyages were made in the Caribbean and Central America between 1492 and 1504 following the consent granted to him by the monarch. In the course of his expedition, he discovered and named the Island [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 845

The Free Software Movement

Among the examples of significant social movements in history is the Free Software movement, which led to the development of GNU/Linux and other free and open-source software products.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1401

Anglo-Zulu 1879 War Analysis

The Zulu nation had been invaded by Voortrekkers and up to the time it was subdued by the British, it had fought numerous battles and even when the Zulu finally lost to the British, they [...]
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 2284

Slavery History: Letters Analysis

The letters analyzed in this paper give a piece of the picture that was observed during the 1600s and the 1700s when slaves from different parts of the world had to serve their masters under [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 576

Public Enemies During the Great Depression

In the 1930's most people in America were feeling the impact of the Great Depression due to the crashed economy. During the great depression, most people were facing the challenges of starving and losing their [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 872

Sex at Dawn by Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jethá

The book offers a variety of evidence to prove the case that the human species is not adopted for monogamy. The advantage of this is that it appeals to both academic and non-academic audiences, but [...]
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1728

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 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

Peter Holquist’s “State Violence as Technique”

In his essay "State Violence as Technique" Peter Holquist states that eliminating certain categories of people, for instance "Kulaks", was performed by Stalin with the purpose of perfecting communism; his essay is coherent and well-written, [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 581

The Pax Romana and the Pax Mongolia

They further had improved the system to bring water from the mountains to the cities of roman.most of Northwest Europe and almost all lands around the Mediterranean Sea were under the jurisdiction of the vast [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 748

The Theory of Historical Recurrence

In addition, it is important to concentrate on the idea that events and experiences of the past can influence the development of an entire nation.
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1155

The History of Tanzania

Tanzania is the country with a rich history that began with the migration of the first Cushitic tribes, continued with its colonization by Germany and Britain and its struggle for independence, and resulted in the [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1316

History’s Definition and Concept

This paper is about History and it gives us the opportunity to talk about our past and mostly about a number of main events, people in general as well as perceptions in the eras before. [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 590

East Versus West

The East usually refers to Asia and the Middle East while the West usually refers to Europe and the American continents. The East views the West with contempt in terms of how the Orient values [...]
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1417

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

Ancient Egypt: Geography and Environment

Thus, the country's main river occupies a central place in the peculiarities of the culture and development of Egypt. Being a transit region, Egypt also managed to absorb the influence of other areas and enrich [...]
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 558

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

Eastern and Western Philosophy Comparison

Hence, the analysis of Islamic and Western philosophy proceeds from the analysis of dominant cultural patterns of Western and Eastern civilization and can not be reduced to mere hermeneutics of philosophical texts.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 808

The Discussion of the Leap Year

To account for this discrepancy, an additional day is added to the calendar every 4 years, bringing the total number of days in the calendar year closer to 365.
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 320

New England and Chesapeake Colonies: Settlement Patterns

The company hired the English poor for the labor-intensive task of growing the colony and producing tobacco, and most of the newcomers were young single males. Thus, both Protestant and Anglican denominations played their role [...]
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 310

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

Vietnam War: History and Facts of War That Began in 1959

The Second Indochina War began in 1959, five years after the division of the country, according to the Geneva Agreement. South Vietnam's troops failed to substitute American soldiers, and in 1974 the peace agreement was [...]
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 405

Why Do You Think Napoleon Was a Hero?

The three factors identified in the book include global influences, the interactions of the different sociopolitical and cultural factors and the roots of today's civilization in the historical backdrop.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1509

Analysis of the Travels of Marco Polo and Cabeza de Vac

The field of traveling contributed a lot to the development of the major sciences of humanity. The analysis of the achievements and trips peculiarities of two well-known travelers Macro Polo and Cabeza de Vaca underlines [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 1040

Self-Directed Learning Approach

The goal of this paper, therefore, is to discuss the manner in which self-directed learning has helped me to understand the topic concerning ancient history in Greece and Rome.
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 612

Orientalism: Asia in Australian Cultural Practices

By looking at Orientalism from the most general dimension, as the study of people's culture with respect to some other significant culture, the essay presents the ways in which the representation of Asia in the [...]
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1982

“How Aborigines Made Australia” by Bill Gammage

The book The Biggest Estate on Earth: How Aborigines Made Australia by Bill Gammage represents the work on the history of the Australian Aborigines and answers the question of how they managed to survive under [...]
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1002

Constructing Boundaries: Five Famous Walls

In this essay, I will discuss five walls, namely: The Hadrian wall The Great wall of China The Berlin wall which separated East Germany from west Germany Moroccan wall The Maginot line between the border [...]
  • Pages: 11
  • Words: 3187

Influence of Japanese Culture in Hawaii

From the census, it is clear that the culture and the cuisine Hawaii, which are known today, were created by the history of the migration of Japanese to Hawaii when they settled there to work [...]
  • 5
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1114

East Meets West: Culture Differences

He described the Japanese as the best people known among the heathens.[2] "Portuguese Views of Chinese"[3] is an account of the first impression the Portuguese had upon encountering the Chinese.
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1010

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

Meaning of History

The main idea of the paper is to consider different points of view and various attitudes to the history meaning. Greek approach is one of the perspectives of the history.
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 897

How the Mongols Changed World History

Notably, even the discovery of America was indirectly provoked by the fact that the Silk Road stopped delivering spices to Europe and needed a new route to eastern countries due to the campaigns and wars [...]
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 877

The Slave Trade Across the Sahara Desert

The trans-Saharan slave trade was driven by the increased demand for slave labor, the use of slaves as legal tender, and the decline in gold and other products in sub-Saharan Africa.
  • Pages: 10
  • Words: 2794
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