Second Essay Setup (alternative issue)

** Suggested issue:** Power and abuse of power

** Approach:** Document set could pair an Enlightenment critique of absolutism with a description of the Reign of Terror, Napoleon's autocracy, and Metternich's suppression of liberalism. The thesis would argue that political power has historically been abused both by traditional regimes and by revolutionary movements that overthrew them, making the desire to limit power one of the most enduring concerns of political life.