75+ Interesting History Research Paper Topics

Some people say that history is boring, and a lot find it completely obsolete. However, what most people aren’t aware of is the very fact that history teaches us not to repeat the same mistakes and it teaches us how to be noble and appreciate more the time we live in. Students are becoming keener on history, so they decide to come up with history research paper topics with thorough research of historical events to write about. However, if you are unable to come up with the most appropriate topic, we are here to present you with a list of very intriguing topics to focus on.

How to choose a topic for a research paper?

Not being able to make the right decision on what topic to dedicate your time to is more than understandable since history is the subject that gives you a vast choice. Therefore, a lot of students find themselves lost on how to choose a research topic when there are so many interesting history research paper topics.

The best way to choose a good topic would be to focus on historical figures that you admire or that you think that marked one period in history so much that they changed the present time as well. You don’t have to rely on writing about wars as you can write about festivals, games, and free time activities in certain past ages as well as mythology, mystery, and religion. Life in middle ages can be an interesting subject, for example.

However, students who struggle with their writing skills can always buy a research paper online from reliable writing services that will teach them the art of writing on good history research paper topics. On the other hand, those who would like to try to write the papers themselves can get a research paper written for you as well by working with a person who is an expert in that field.

What’s more, when choosing the topic, make sure there are enough study materials because it’s important that you have resources you can lean on in case you ran out of ideas. Then again, you should, of course, avoid plagiarism since this might severely harm your academic reputation. Therefore, if you are not sure how to provide the right citation and references, don’t hesitate to get help from people who can do it with their eyes closed. You can buy research paper outline from professional writers if you are unsure about your writing skills. It will help you improve your academic performance too.

Controversial topic in history for research paper

Finding a subject that is going to spark other people’s interest and encourage them to read your writing assignment is not easy, but luckily, there are a variety of controversial research topics as well as debatable topics for research paper that can encourage other students to share their opinions on the subject. Here are just a few to help you start:

  1. Why has nationalism failed to become a primary source of identity in the Arab States, but it has everywhere else?
  2. How were women treated in the Soviet occupied zone during World War Two?
  3. What happened in Germany after the fall of Hitler and the Nazis?
  4. Did the Holocaust experiments achieve anything scientifically other than pointless cruelty?
  5. Why was communism perceived as a bad system historically?
  6. Was the Spanish Inquisition morally justified?
  7. What sort of presence did the papal inquisitions of the 12-14th centuries have in England?
  8. Why is Niccolo Machiavelli considered the founder of political science?
  9. What’s the story behind the assassination of John F. Kennedy?
  10. Were the forms of state institutions a contributing factor to the Great Divergence?
  11. How free was the British press during the 19th century?
  12. Was the Six Days War a preemptive strike or an act of aggression?
  13. Who was Abu Hamid al-Ghazali and were his ideas good for the Islamic world?
  14. Did the Native Americans resist assimilation?
  15. Did the United States use atomic bombs on Japan to end the war or to prevent the Soviet Union from amassing influence in Asia?
  16. What led to the great immigration wave from Syria?
  17. Why is the fall of Constantinople in 1453 considered to be one of the saddest moment in the history of humankind?

Topics about all the ages

History covers so many ages and so many times, and that’s what gives you the necessary variety in order to write a good research paper.

Ancient history research paper topics

When you think about history, a lot of people focus on the two world wars without even taking into consideration the ancient history such as Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece or Egypt that provide so many interesting ancient history topics for research paper. However, not only Rome and Greece were interesting since you have many other populations who lived in ancient times but whose history is less known.

  1. What was mannerism like in ancient times, and how did people behave towards each other?
  2. How was winter warfare conducted during ancient history (5000BC to 500AD)?
  3. Were there protests and demonstrations in ancient times?
  4. What are the greatest infantry battles of ancient history?
  5. Who had the strongest military in ancient history?
  6. Did anyone ever object to the Gladiatorial Games in Ancient Rome on moral grounds?
  7. How were slaves treated in Ancient Rome and why they didn’t unite in groups to demand more rights?
  8. Was it a pure coincidence that democracy emerged in Ancient Greece and what led to it in general?
  9. What is the story of Theagenes of Thasos who was the strongest fighter in Ancient Greece?
  10. Why was Ancient Rome more influential that Ancient Greece?
  11. How did police work in Ancient Rome?
  12. What are some similarities and differences between Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece?
  13. What was the life of civilians like in Ancient Rome?
  14. How did philosophy become so popular in Ancient Greece?
  15. Who was Alexander the Great, and why is he considered to be one of the greatest leaders in history?
  16. Which people from Ancient Rome are worth admiration and why?
  17. Which people from Ancient Greece are worth admiration and why?
  18. What was the role of gods in Ancient Greece?
  19. How was ancient Egypt different from Ancient Greece and Rome?
  20. How did voting work in Ancient Greece?

Middle Ages research topics

Medieval history, Middle Ages, renaissance represent a historical period of change, development but also of wars and new laws which leaves you with a lot of Middle Age topics. There are many stories about medieval history and renaissance, for example, which could be explored to a much greater extent.

  1. How did mixed-religion marriages work in the Middle Ages?
  2. How common was excommunication in the High Middle Ages, and how were these people treated?
  3. How did humans cope with poor eyesight in the Middle Ages?
  4. What crimes were common in medieval history?
  5. Who was King Richard III?
  6. Why were the Middle Ages considered to be the Age of Discovery?
  7. What differences in architecture existed between Early and Late Middle Ages?
  8. What led to the Byzantine revival?
  9. What was life like for the intellectuals of the Middle Ages?
  10. What was life like in Venice in the time of the Renaissance?
  11. How were North European High Middle Ages different from Italian renaissance?
  12. What events that happened in medieval times changed history?
  13. Did the Crusades set the stage for the greater stability of the High Middle Ages?
  14. What was the life of an average person like in the Middle Ages in Europe?
  15. Was there much interest in the Qu’ran in medieval Europe?
  16. What discoveries were made in medieval Europe?
  17. Who was Nicholas of Cusa?
  18. Why 1492 a significant year?
  19. How was a renaissance in Russia different from the one in the western countries?
  20. How were cities developed in Medieval Europe?

Modern world history topics

Modern day history has been marked with plenty of negative events since there were two world wars, flu pandemic, decolonization but also the birth of the digital revolution which can be an endless resource of ideas for 20th-century topics so take a look at the ones below.

  1. What made nationalism a major issue in the 20th century?
  2. Why was the Eastern front different from the Western front during World War I?
  3. How did the US military transition from the Civil War in 1865 to World War I in 1914?
  4. Why were cubism and surrealism so popular in the 20th century?
  5. What was the status/role of women in the USSR through the 20th century?
  6. Why didn’t any western countries intervene in Communist China in the mid-20th century?
  7. What was the role of Italy in WWII?
  8. Why did the Great Depression start in the United States?
  9. What were international relations like between the two World Wars?
  10. What happened between the two World Wars in countries that participated in World War One?
  11. What was Vichy France in WWII and what ideology it presented?
  12. What goods were mass-produced in the 20th century?
  13. What inventions marked the 20th century?
  14. Who were the most important leaders in WWII?
  15. Why are the 1920s called the Roaring Twenties?
  16. How did the world recover after World War II?
  17. What led to the Spanish Civil War in 1936?
  18. What happened to the British Empire after World War One?
  19. To what extent did mainstream Russian society adopt Soviet ideals?
  20. What was art and music like in the 20th century?
  21. What events marked the 20th century in Australia?
  22. Were there any states that could be called “totalitarian” that existed before the 20th century?
  23. What were the greatest presidential speeches in the 20th century?
  24. What caused so many empires to die out in the 20th century?
  25. What were the most significant inventions and technological advances in the 20th century?

World history research paper topics

If you would like to write a topic on world history but you cannot decide whether you find European, Asian, African or even history of Middle East interesting, you can rely on the following subjects that might help you narrow down your choice, or you can simply borrow one of ours.

European history research paper topics

As a continent, Europe, in general, was blessed with a very rich history that wasn’t always quite bright or positive if we take into account the wars and Inquisition, the Crusades and so many other events that made the continent as it is now. However, thanks to all those events, there are many interesting European history topics that you can explore.

  1. What led to Yugoslav wars in Eastern Europe?
  2. Why has Western Europe always been more developed than the East?
  3. What significant battles occurred in Central Europe?
  4. How was the English so ready to switch to the Church of England?
  5. Who were the cruelest rulers of France?
  6. What led to the French Revolution?
  7. Did any other country besides Russia use women soldiers during World War Two?
  8. Why was the Battle of Dunkirk of great importance in WWII?
  9. What really triggered World War One?
  10. What was Hitler’s reasoning in attacking the Soviets during WWII?
  11. When did England and France shift from being enemies to being allies?
  12. Was the Holocaust the worst crime that occurred in Europe?
  13. What nation has had the most influential culture in Europe throughout history?
  14. What led to the rise of Gothic architecture?
  15. What was it like to live under Josip Broz Tito?
  16. What were the differences between feudalism in Western Europe and Eastern Europe?
  17. What led to the fall of great Yugoslavia?
  18. How did the Balkan wars reshape the map of Europe?
  19. Historically, what were some common stereotypes of Eastern Orthodox Christians in Europe?
  20. What was life like in Asian Soviet countries?
  21. Who was Gavrilo Princip?
  22. How did the Industrial Revolution change European countries?
  23. What led to the fall of the Berlin Wall and what came afterward?
  24. What was the Iberian Peninsula’s role in the World Wars?
  25. Why is Dutch colonization less known than the British or the French one?
  26. What factors contributed to the mass degradation of women in France during the aftermath of WWII?
  27. Why did Poland surrender so quickly in World War II?
  28. Why was Operation Barbarossa planned for when it was?
  29. Historically, what relations do the state of Germany and the church have?
  30. What was the Vikings influence on Normandy?

US history research paper topics

The United States of America is a very young country compared to the whole continents like Europe and Asia, but that doesn’t mean that there are no interesting US history topics to choose from. Therefore, make sure you read those below and get some idea on what you might want to write about.

  1. What is the story behind the civil war in the US?
  2. Why the US used two atomic bombs instead of just one in 1945?
  3. What were the most intriguing events in the time of colonization?
  4. How did the US fight for independence?
  5. How was America founded?
  6. Who were the first inhabitants of the USA?
  7. What culture and history did the Native Americans cherish before the arrival of Europeans?
  8. How were slaves treated in the USA?
  9. What led to the abolishment of slavery?
  10. What was the life of African-Americans like in the 19th century in the USA?
  11. How was the first Constitution written?
  12. What were the highlights of the Jeffersonian Republican Era?
  13. What is the story behind the Cold War?
  14. How did the US deal with the 9/11?
  15. What came after 9/11 in the modern history of the USA?
  16. Why was the attack on Pearl Harbor so significant historically? Why exactly did the Japanese attack the USA?
  17. How have taxes been introduced throughout the USA history?
  18. Why did the leaders of the American Revolution fail to establish equality for everyone?
  19. Who were the people behind the scene in the American Revolution?
  20. What traditions are related to Independence Day?

Research paper topics on Africa

As a continent, Africa is very rarely mentioned in the news so many people don’t really talk a lot about African culture and history through African countries also went through a lot of difficult situations with wars and crimes within the tribes. If you don’t want to write about Europe and the USA, then you should give Africa a chance since there are many interesting topics on Africa related to tribal lives as well as the development of the continent in general. In the list below, you can find some of the most intriguing topics about Africa.

  1. Why was South Africa determined to maintain apartheid?
  2. What happened in the Rwandan genocide?
  3. What was Africa like in the 1600s, was it similar to Europe and Asia?
  4. What are, historically speaking, the poorest countries in Africa and what led to the poverty of those countries?
  5. What are, historically speaking, the wealthiest countries in Africa and what lead to the wealth of those countries?
  6. Why did North Africa go from one of the wealthiest regions in the time of the Roman Empire to a regional backwater?
  7. What are some post-colonial troubles people in Africa had to face?
  8. Why did the Dutch move into South Africa?
  9. What is the story about Africa Campaign during World War II?
  10. What religions have been practiced in Africa?
  11. What makes the Democratic Republic of Congo different from its neighboring countries?
  12. What are some facts related to Ancient Africa?
  13. What were the most powerful empires from the 6th to the 18th century?
  14. What leads to the decolonization of Africa?
  15. What was the role of Africa in World War I?
  16. Why did it take until the 19th century for European powers to start colonizing Sub-Saharan Africa?
  17. Who was Idi Amin?
  18. What African leader did the most for his or her nation in modern history?
  19. What caused the Sudanese Civil War?
  20. What were the consequences of German Warfare in Africa in 1884?
  21. How were petroleum and oil discovered in Ethiopia?
  22. Who were famous authors coming from Africa?

Middle East research paper topics

The Middle East is considered to be the cradle of civilization. Therefore, you can be sure that there are some amazing research papers already written about this area of our beautiful planet. However, throughout the history, the Middle East was the center of trading, knowledge, and art so you can check the following Middle East research topics in order to find some of your likings.

  1. Was Genghis Khan’s decimation in the Middle East what led to dark ages for Islam?
  2. What are some less known facts about the Byzantine Empire?
  3. Who were the most powerful pharaohs of Egypt?
  4. What made the first great civilization of mankind, the Sumerians?
  5. Who was Sargon the Great?
  6. What empires spread over Mesopotamia?
  7. What are some significant events that happened in Pre-Islam Middle East?
  8. How did the Ottoman Empire spread to the Middle East?
  9. What came after the discovery of oil in Persia in 1908?
  10. Which countries in the Middle East have been economically powerful throughout history?
  11. What was feudalism like in the Middle East?
  12. What led to the creation of the United Arab Emirates?
  13. What were the reasons for British imperial expansion in the Middle East?
  14. Were the Crusades supported by Christians in the Middle East?
  15. What did the western world think of the Middle East in the 1800s and early 1900s?
  16. In what ways were Roman and Byzantine cultures adapted to and incorporated in the Middle East?
  17. What significant events changed the Middle East in modern history?

In Conclusion

These were 75 history research paper topics for you. We hope they help you in your research writing assignments. But if you need help, you can always hire an expert online. Many companies are offering cheap research papers for sale. You can take advantage of these services to do well in your papers.

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