(^36) › STEP 3. Develop Strategies for Success
Specific Examples: Cavour, conservative aristocrat from Piedmont; Bismarck, conservative
aristocrat from Prussia. Both took leadership roles and devised unification strategies.
Topic Sentence B: The middle classes played virtually no role in Italian unification, and in the
south of Germany, the middle classes initially opposed the unification of Germany.
Specific Examples: Italy: mid-century Risorgimento, a middle-class movement, failed
and played virtually no role in subsequent events. Germany: middle-class liberals in the
Frankfort Parliament were ineffective. Middle-class liberals in southern Germany were
initially wary of Prussian domination; they rallied to the cause only when Bismarck engi-
neered the Franco-Prussian War.
Topic Sentence C: The working classes and the peasantry followed the lead of the aristocracy
in the unification of both Italy and Germany.
Specific Examples: In Italy, the working classes played no role in the north. The peasantry of
the south followed Garibaldi but shifted without resistance to support Cavour and the king at
the crucial moment. The working classes in Germany supported Bismarck and Kaiser William I
of Prussia. The socialists, supposedly a working-class party, rallied to the cause of war.
Step 5. If You Have Time, Compose a One-Paragraph Conclusion that Restates Your Thesis
A conclusion is not necessary, and you will get little or no credit for one. If you have time
remaining, and you are happy with all the other aspects of your essay, then you can write a
one-paragraph conclusion that supports or places your thesis in a broader context.
Pitfalls to Avoid
There are some things that sabotage an otherwise promising essay and should be avoided.
They include the following:
• Avoid long sentences with multiple clauses. Your goal is to write the clearest sentence
possible; most often the clearest sentence is a relatively short sentence.
• Do not get caught up in digressions. No matter how fascinating or insightful you find
some idea or fact, if it doesn’t directly support or illustrate your thesis, don’t put it in.
• Skip the mystery. Do not ask a lot of rhetorical questions, and do not go for a surprise
ending. The readers are looking for your thesis, your argument, and your evidence; give
it to them in a clear, straightforward manner.
Characteristics of the DBQ
The document-based question is simply an essay question about primary sources. It asks you
to respond to a question by interpreting a set of excerpts from primary-source documents
(typically five to seven) that were written in a particular historical period. The DBQ is the
third section of the AP European History Exam. It is administered after the short break
that follows the multiple-choice and short-answer sections of the exam. Because the DBQ
involves reading and organizing short excerpts from documents, it begins with a 15-minute
reading period. Following the reading period, you will have 45 minutes to write your essay.
In their present form, the directions you will encounter are lengthy and complex; don’t
let that worry you.TIPKEY IDEA06_Bartolini_Ch06_033-042.indd 36 12/04/18 12:10 PM