History EE Help

[AznRyuu]

Hi guys (this is my first post)

My EE first draft is due next week. I'm about halfway done writing it.

My question is, "How did the prewar relationship between government and Big Business differ between Nazi Germany and Imperialist Japan?" (Though I'm open to tweaking it)

I have 3 major book sources on Japanese big business and only one major book source for German big business.

1. Is my topic too vague/too complicated? I've read that comparison pieces are discouraged.

2. Is it okay to only have 4 major sources total? I have a few more Germany books I could use, if need be. Note that this is my first draft; I fully expect 10+ sources for my final draft.

Any input is appreciated

[Emmi]

Comparing two countries can be good; it will give you room for analysis and argument. Though right now, I'm worried your EE might end up being two narrative with "how." Big business as a whole seems a little broad to me. It might not be. I don't really know much about businesses and government in the pre-WW2 era, but maybe you could pick an area of business common to the two countries and make it a "to what extent" question. You don't have to go with my idea, it's just a thought. As for your sources, you'll probably quote heavily from 3-5 sources but have several other sources where you have just a few quotes or ideas and only quote a little bit or even once. But you're going to need more than 4 sources. Aim for 10-15+. Make sure you include primary and secondary sources. Have different historians' opinions, maybe like 3 or 4. Use as many as you need, and have a variety: magazine articles, journals, books, diaries, business records?, whatever you need. Good luck

[AznRyuu]

Comparing two countries can be good; it will give you room for analysis and argument. Though right now, I'm worried your EE might end up being two narrative with "how." Big business as a whole seems a little broad to me. It might not be. I don't really know much about businesses and government in the pre-WW2 era, but maybe you could pick an area of business common to the two countries and make it a "to what extent" question. You don't have to go with my idea, it's just a thought. As for your sources, you'll probably quote heavily from 3-5 sources but have several other sources where you have just a few quotes or ideas and only quote a little bit or even once. But you're going to need more than 4 sources. Aim for 10-15+. Make sure you include primary and secondary sources. Have different historians' opinions, maybe like 3 or 4. Use as many as you need, and have a variety: magazine articles, journals, books, diaries, business records?, whatever you need. Good luck

Thanks

I was worried with "how" too, I will probably make it "to what extent"... I know IBO hates narrative.

But yeah, I meant I have 4 major book sources that I quote heavily from and formed most of my argument off of, outside of that I have 4 minor sources that I have data/quotations etc. from. Do most people have 3-5 major sources and then bulk up their bibliography with minor sources?

[Emmi]

With a bunch of the history EE examples that I read through it seemed that way: a couple main sources and several smaller but still important sources. In mine I had two sources I did a lot of quoting from, and then the remaining sources (I think I had 11 when I finished) were used less often. But I still needed those sources, as many of them were counterarguments and primary documents. Don't "bulk up" your bibliography just to say you have used 20 sources and look like you did more research than you actually did. Just include all of your sources and you'll be fine.

[AznRyuu]

Hey, does anyone have any links to comparative History extended essays?

The History extended essays offered by the site are great, but it would be nice to have an example on how to structure a comparison piece so that it's not too one-sided.