True.
Providing background information for an essay would allow your readers to know why you are writing about your topic, and what you are going to argue about. For example, if you are writing about "Night of Broken Glass", you should be providing background information about the Nazi Party, as well as the rise of the party, hatred against the non-Aryans, etc, before the reader be able to understand what is happening during the event you are talking about. You should also provide the aftermath, to complete the story, and the effects the event had on everyone.
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