Cause and effect essays explore how and why things happen. You could compare two events that seem distinct and separate to show a connection, or you could show the flow of events that occurred within one major event.

In other words, you could explore rising tension in the U.S. that concluded with the Boston Tea Party, or you could start with the Boston Tea Party as a political eruption and compare this event to a major event that followed much later, like the American Civil War.

Solid Essay Content

As with all essay writing, the text must start with an introduction to the subject, followed by the main thrust of the narrative, and finally finishing with a conclusion.

For example, The Second World War was the result of building tensions throughout Europe. These tensions had effectively been building since the end of World War I but were increased dramatically when the Nazi party came to power in 1933, led by Adolf Hitler.

The thrust of the essay could include the changing fortunes of the main armies, Germany and Japan on one side, and Russia, England and later America on the other.

Crafting a Conclusion 

Finally, the essay could be summarized— or concluded—with a look at the world after the signing of the unconditional surrender by the German army on May 8th, 1945. In addition, the essay could consider the lasting peace throughout Europe since the end of WWII, the division of Germany (East and West), and the establishment of the United Nations in October 1945.

The choice of subject for an essay under the category “cause and effect” is important as some subjects (such as the example here of WWII) can be extensive and would be more suitable to an essay that requires a large word count. Alternatively, a topic such as “Effects of Telling Lies” (from the following list) could be relatively short.