Comparison of Two Primary Sources

You will use analytical and critical thinking to compare two primary source documents.

Compare the United States Constitution (including the first 10 amendments) with the 1918
Constitution of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.
Then think about the documents in relation to one
another. Use concrete examples to show what they have in common and what makes them
different from one another
What do these pair of documents help us to understand about the nature of facism and totalitarianism?
Your introduction should include a thesis statement the overall point you want to make
about what we learn from the comparison of these two documents.
Do not use quotations to speak for you use your own words.
Be specific use direct examples (and sometimes quotations, if helpful) from the article
to illustrate and back up your points.
Cite the source for these examples, using the Chicago style. Please note that correct
Chicago-style citations are compulsory.

Notes:
A successful essay will devote most of its space to comparing and contrasting specific aspects of
the documents, supported with examples. In other words, do not simply summarize the two
documents (although a very brief introduction to the nature of each source and the context in
which it was written should be part of the setting up of your analysis). Rather, focus on
analyzing the contents of the documents and thinking about what that comparison helps us to
understand about the historical questions weve been studying and/or about the advantages and
challenges for historians of using the particular type of source youre examining.

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