Analyzing the Causes

of Historical Events

Making a Simple Task Complex

Levels of Causation
Scope of the Cause
Global Level
What role do related global conditions/events play?
National/State Level
What role do conditions/events within an individual country
play?
Individual Level
What role do specific individuals or societal groups play?

Timeline
Short-term causes: The assassination of AFF causes WWI
Long-term causes: The Industrial Revolution causes WWI

The Idea of Multiple

Causation
Historical events are often complex and cannot be
traced back to one specific cause.
Two types of multiple causation:
Plural causation refers to situations in which multiple
causes may induce a general effect.
Example: Sewage runoff, industrial waste, and dumping
cause water pollution.

Complex causation refers to situations in which the cause

has multiple components. This is a single but complex
cause.
Example: Water pollution kills fish in a stream.

Examples
Consider the following explanations for the rise of
Nazism in Germany leading to WWII:
The Nazis manipulated and fooled the German people.
The German people selected a racist regime in response to
poor economic conditions.
The German people chose this regime because they are
innately militaristic and violent.
Hitler led the Nazi Party because he was frustrated after
being rejected from art school.

What is the weakness in each of these explanations?

What conclusion can you draw after considering the
examples?

Perspective Activity
In partners, look at the table explaining the causes
from your each perspective on international
relations.
Do you notice any trends in the global, national, and
individual causes that are provided?
Using evidence from the table, try to define what is
meant by Realist, Liberal, or Identity perspective.
How is each perspective viewing the historical
evidence?

Examining Causes from

Different Perspectives
The following perspectives are views that historians use to
examine international relations
Realist Perspective: relations shaped by struggle for power
between self-interested states
Liberal Perspective: relations shaped by states cooperating to
meet a greater goal (especially after WWI and WWII)
Identity Perspective: relations shaped by cultural identity
including ideologies, religion, values, language, etc.

At different times and with different events, one

perspective may be more accepted than others.
It is important to be aware of perspective when you are
reading primary/secondary sources.

Thought Questions
What have you learned about the causes of historical
events?
Whats the difference between plural and complex
causation? Can you think of an example for each?
Considering what you know about history, which
perspective would you say you use most often to
understand historical events? Why?