Write a 4-5 pages long (12-point font, double spaced, Times New Roman, 1” margins) book essay on William Sheridan Allen’s The Nazi Seizure of Power: The Experience of a Single German Town, 1922-1945. Provide your own analysis of Allen’s arguments, sources, and place in the historiography. You should divide your essay into two parts. The first (about 1/3 of your paper) should summarize the book’s main argument and contributions to the field. This is not, however, a summary of the content of the book. Rather, you want to establish what Allen does with his argument that sheds new light on the topic. Essentially, it is a summary of Allen’s argument. What is he trying to do? The second (2/3 of your paper) should be your own analysis and criticism of the argument, sources, or anything else. This second part of your paper should engage Allen head-on and question his analysis, sources, or place in the historiography. You want to be constructive but critical at the same time. You should consider some of the following questions: What point is Allen trying to make? Why is the point important? What types of historical approaches does he employ (social, cultural, economic etc.)? How does he use evidence? The best criticisms challenge the central thesis of the book or show that the author missed an important component of the story. Many examples of good books reviews can be found in each issue of German Studies Review or Central European History.
Book essays will be evaluated based on the following criteria.
- Excellent: A paper with an A grade will clearly identify the book’s thesis and will critically and thoroughly analyze the author’s argument, evidence, methodology, and conclusions. A paper in this category will be well written and without grammatical errors or typos. Where appropriate, an excellent paper will use citations/footnotes correctly following Chicago Style format.