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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. The Germanic Vandals in North Africa depended on what activity for their wealth?

2. Effective grand strategies must include what factor?

3. What events caused France to become a united nation?

4. What caused the Romans to restructure their entire military starting in 378 AD?

5. Constable du Guesclin's style was most influenced by which previous general?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the war between the Byzantines and the Vandals.

2. How did the large size of the Persian army in the second Greek and Persian war cause problems for the Persians?

3. Explain the author's opinion on Sun Tzu's quotation about deception in warfare.

4. Describe the changes that took place in France that led to Napoleon becoming ruler of that nation.

5. What were European nations like during the era of the Wars of Spanish Succession?

6. How did Cromwell overcome his enemy's numeric superiority?

7. What was Caesar's overall strategy in his Mediterranean campaigns?

8. What instigated the Byzantine war against the Vandals?

9. What was Cromwell's strategy as he moved to engage the Scottish?

10. Why is the indirect method favorable over direct methods?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The western front during the first World War was bloody and generally indecisive. The eventual German retreat was not precipitated by military setbacks, but by mere strategic considerations of position. There is every indication that the war could have continued in its indecisive state for many more years.

Part 1) What nations participated in the war on this front? What were the strategies on both sides? How was the war expected to be fought and won?

Part 2) What difficulties became apparent once the war had begun? How did terrain and technology affect the maneuvers and strategies that could be employed by both sides? In actual practice, what types of strategies were employed during the war?

Part 3) Were the results of the war in this theater decisive or indecisive? What factors contributed to this outcome? How did grand strategy affect the results of the war? Why was Germany eventually forced to retreat and eventually to surrender?

Essay Topic 2

Napoleon Bonaparte was one of the most influential and successful military leaders in history. He turned France into a continent-spanning Empire and defeated nearly every opponent who stood before him.

Part 1) Explain the historical and political circumstances that allowed Napoleon to rise to power in France.

Part 2) Describe Napoleon's strategies. What types of methods did he employ? What were his typical tactical and strategic maneuvers? Overall, did he employ direct or indirect approaches?

Part 3) Explain Napoleon's eventual defeat. What factors of grand strategy contributed to this outcome? How could the course of Napoleon's wars have gone differently in order to forestall or prevent this turn of events?

Essay Topic 3

Hitler was undeniably a successful and charismatic leader. Despite his monstrous intentions, he managed to place himself in a position of preeminence over a major nation enjoyed by only a few leaders throughout history.

Part 1) Explain the conditions in Germany, including politics and the economy, during the time that Hitler was rising to power.

Part 2) How did Hitler manage to rise to such a high position within Germany? How was his political strategy similar to his later use of military strategy?

Part 3) How did Hitler gain the loyalty of his subordinates? What was unusual about his methods and writings before the beginning of the war?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 994 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample