Historical events or significant time periods are usually described in an essay on history. Before writing it, it is worthwhile to get an idea about the peculiarities, the rules of formatting of this work. Below we will tell you about how to write a history essay in such a way to get the highest score, as well as share some small tips.
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Features Of The History Essay
What is the difference between a history essay and the rest of the writing assignments, what is its significance?
When students write a history essay, it develops their personality, teaches them to form their own point of view, evaluate the events that happened, and highlight meaningful priorities for themselves. This work tests the student's level of knowledge of history as well as their ability to summarize historical data, freely present conclusions, and understand the significance of certain phenomena/events.
You should write taking into account the boundaries of the chosen time period.
There are certain evaluation criteria for the history essay, on the basis of which some rules for its writing are distinguished. It must contain:
- Two or more episodes/events of the past;
- Two significant figures from a particular time period;
- Causality of historical phenomena of a particular period;
- Evaluative significance of a given stage of history;
- Tactful use of subject terms/concepts.
What A History Essay Consists Of
To begin with, one chooses a historical time period, defines its peculiarity. That is, it is worth characterizing the given stage of history, its specificity, and then choosing the facts corresponding to this time.
Historical Facts
Events of the past time are of two kinds: historical (really once existed, have an objective evidence base and temporal/spatial localization) and scientific-historical (events of history, confirmed by the research of scientists, their conclusions based on historical sources).
Facts are selected not to simply list the events that took place at the relevant time but to highlight the main more significant episodes that fully convey the characteristics of the period described and the impact on the country's development thereafter.
Evaluative Knowledge
Next, it is necessary to show evaluative subject knowledge. Here you need to show your knowledge regarding the opinions of representatives of the scientific community about the course of significant events in history. The history essay is evaluated mainly on the depth of the question disclosed and reasoned reasoning.
Characteristics Of A Historical Figure
The characterization of a historical person is of great importance. To get the highest grade, you will need not only to detail the personality's activities but also to show his or her role in the history of the given time period, based on reliable historical data.
This information will help you get a high grade for your essay.
Cause And Effect Relationships
Another criterion for a history essay claiming an “excellent” is to identify connections between episodes in history, how one event influenced another. Students must learn how to analyze the data they discover, identify sources and consequences, and draw the appropriate conclusion with conclusion. This is a fairly complex intellectual activity.
In addition, the completeness of your knowledge of the time period you are describing and its chronological sequence is essential. You need to determine the pattern of episodes in history that have occurred and that are sequentially related to each other. As a rule, an event occurs due to several factors. In such cases, you need to know how to isolate the more significant events.
To know how to write a history essay without classic mistakes, let's consider the most common ones:
- Incorrectly identified the primary or least important causes;
- Is not disclosed the reason for the event described, but simply replaced by some fact;
- Outlined historical episodes, without understanding their relationship.
Algorithm For Writing A History Essay
You need to make an outline of a history essay. It will help form a quality essay without losing sight of meaningful information.
- Choosing a period.
- Find confirmation that the choice is correct.
- Name the period, taking into account its specificity.
- Establish the facts that relate to the time of the chosen period. We identify the especially important episodes and the less important ones.
- We specify the historical figures who lived in the given time period. Describe the nature of their activities and their contribution to history.
- The reasons for the events of the period in question are outlined.
- Find the appropriate terms and the necessary concepts.
- Select facts that reveal the significance of the time period, using the opinion of experts.
- The collected information is systematized.
- Creating a plan for writing an essay on history, an example:
Introduction (briefly describe the essence of the time period chosen).
The main part (mainly the characteristics of events, personalities, causes, and consequences of development).
Conclusion (evaluates the importance of the time period).
- Doing a review and necessary revision.
How To Write A History Essay Correctly
How to write a history essay? Here are some tips:
- It is worth choosing the historical time about which you are most informed;
- Drafting a history essay plan beforehand will prevent you from moving away from logical and clear writing;
- Break up the text into meaningful paragraphs;
- You need specific, legible, concise writing where there are many significant episodes without empty informational material;
- Apply terms whose meaning you know.
- A quality history essay, examples of which can be found on the Internet, is necessary for clarity (at least ten different historical works). In this way, you can practice your essay writing.
To navigate how to write a history essay, first of all, pay attention to the grading criteria. Most importantly, cover all points qualitatively. Don't forget about the genre specifics of the essay.
History Essay Example And Outline
Get recommendations and get acquainted with an example of a history essay that can be in the dean's office or found on the Internet networks, so it will be easier to structure further work. Example template:
- Dates of the period and the name of the historical person, his or her contribution to the development of history.
- Important episodes of this time period with the personalities who participated in them (description of episodes and persons separately). It is necessary to summarize the events.
- Interrelation of these events and the reasons for their occurrence.
- Evaluation of historical figures by scholars of the present and the past.
- To summarize in words about the significance of the chosen historical period.
For a clear and correct structuring of the essay on history make a plan:
- A general description of the time period of history.
- Two episodes of the time (the causes, the essence, the consequence; two basic facts connecting these episodes; two historical figures of this time, their contribution).
- Evaluation of the era of Russian history (the influence of this period on the further history of the country, the development of the economy/culture; foreign policy).
- Conclusion (you can use the opinion of eminent historians).
To Summarize
As we can see, for this type of historical essay clichés can be taken from a brief template. Examples of historical essays can always be found on the Internet. It is written competently, correctly, and briefly. The main part should be dominated by historical episodes and essays of scholars. This increases the grade.
For a complete understanding, it is worth studying various examples, already ready-made essays on history. In practice, it is proven to be a very effective method.