An historiographical review is meant not only to convey the main lines of books but also to delve into the inner meaning of the times in which it was written and the authors' unique perception of the subject. Historiography also shows us how different historians can look at the same subject and develop different conclusions. This semester the subject will be on the Thirty Years War. It was a devastating period in European History and set the tone for centuries afterward and some would say the last of the great religious wars of the period and others would say it was the first of modern state conflicts. Each student should read CV Wedgewood's classic work The Thirty Years War You can buy this book by clicking clicking and opening in a new window:a books subject but also to delve into the inner meaning of the times in which it was written and the authors unique perception of the subject. Historiography also shows us how different Historians can look at the same subject and develop different conclusions.

opening in a new window:
The Thirty Years War (New York Review Books Classics)
and compare it to this work on the same subject:
Peter H. Wilson's — Thirty Years War: Europe's Tragedy  
and write no more than ten (10) pages comparing the two books.
Your paper should be divided approximately between a) A summary of the books, b) a critique of the books, and c) placing the works within the historical context of the historiographical arguments about their subjects.
The following are some but not all of the questions your paper should try to answer:

1. What are the main theses of the book?
2. How are these theses presented in the book?
3. Is the book organized in a clear manner? Is the argument of the book logical?
4. What are the prejudices of the author?
5. How do these prejudices effect the authors' view of the subject?
6. What are the authors conclusions? How do the authors reach their conclusions? Do their own prejudices effect their conclusions?
7. How does the book relate to the times in which it is written?
8. What effect did the book have on the historical interpretation of the subject?
In researching this paper you should look up at least 5 articles which deal with the historical debate on the Thirty Years War. The articles should be from academic sources and peer review journals.

DO NOT write the review by just answering the above questions in a 1-8 way. It should be a well written and clearly organized paper with the above two books at the beginning of your research. Footnotes and a bibliography are required. You should use the University of Chicago style which can be found by going to the virtual library on the Touro Website.