History485

Fall 2015

Paper#1

Thispaperisduebefore11:59 pm onSaturday, October 3rd.

[Notethatthisdatehasbeenrevised fromtheoriginalOctober2nddeadline.]

HowLong?

•PapersMUST be 1500words andnomorethan1900words.

Format?

•Typed,double-spaced,12-pointfont with one-inch margins all around.

•Pleaserememberto numberyourpages.

•Giveyour essayatitlethatindicateswhatthepaperisabout.(Something morerevealingthan “Essay#1” or “Roosevelt”)Clever titles will be dulynoted.

•Base youressayonlyon the assignedcoursereading.

Don’tforgetto putyour nameat the top ofpage 1of theessay.(Peopleactuallyforget todo this.)

How tocite?

If you are quotingdirectlyfromtheassigned readings, citetheauthor andpagenumberin parentheseswithinthebodyofthetext, i.e.(Reynolds, 47).

All directquotesMUST be inquotationmarks.Ifyou areparaphrasingfromarangeofpages,indicate that aswell: (Reynolds,47-49).

It is notnecessarytoincludeaworks citedpage.

HowwillIbegraded?

Youwill be gradedon:

1)focus(do youhave athesisstatementanddoes itanswer thequestionasked?)

2)evidence(do youback upyourargumentadequatelywith specific informationfromthereading?)

3)coherence(isyourargumentconsistentandunderstandablethroughoutthepiece?)

4)scope(doesyourpaperdealwith the questioninappropriatedepth andbreadth?)

If youhaveanyquestions orare inanywayunsureaboutwhatyouare being asked todo,be suretospeakwith me viaemail or inperson.

TheAssignment

Choosefrom ONEofthefollowing four prompts:

1.Arguably,WoodrowWilsonhad aclear visionofwhathewished toachievewhenhe leftforParis toparticipateinthe writingoftheTreatyof Versailles.WhydidWilsonhave suchdifficultyturninghis vision intoreality?Whatimpedimentsdidheface? To whatextent didcontradictions inhis own thinkingcontribute tohisdifficulties?

[In answering, be suretoaddresseachaspectofthequestion.Youshouldexplain thenatureofCongressionalopposition toWilson’sprogram;theEuropeanleaders’unwillingness to abidebyWilson’s 14Points;Wilson’s owncompromisesatVersailles;and,finally, the inconsistencybetweenhisdemocraticrhetoricand un-democraticprejudices,particularlyregarding race.Drawon avarietyofcoursereadings to introducespecific evidencethatsupportsyour case.]

2.Howdid FranklinRooseveltredefine “nationalsecurity”between1938and1941?Howdid his definitionof“nationalsecurity” differfromthatoftheisolationists?WhatdidFDRseeas themajor threatsto U.S.nationalsecurityand howdid hepropose todefendagainstthem?

[In answering, drawparticularlyon thematerial in Reynolds’s book,thoughyoumight alsotakealookat the articlesbyUtley and Doenecke.Be sureyouaddressBOTHaspectsofthisquestion:howFDRdefined nationalsecurityandhowhe proposedtopreserve thenation’s nationalsecurity.]

3.In hisessay“TheRooseveltForeignPolicy: An AmbiguousLegacy,” JustusDoeneckeacknowledgesthatFranklinRoosevelt, more sothanStalin orChurchill,was the “architect”ofAlliedvictoryinWorldWarII. Assuch,Doeneckeconcludes,FDR’s placein historyis “secure.” Yethealsofindsnumerousweaknessesin Roosevelt’sapproach toforeignaffairs.David

Reynolds’s bookalsoprovides amixedevaluationofFDR’sconductofdiplomacy.

Drawingon theinformationinthesesourcestosupportyourargument,indicatewhatyoubelievewereRoosevelt’sgreateststrengthsandweaknessesasapolicymaker between1938and1945?Do youbelievetheRooseveltadministration’sshortcomingswere attributable more toFDR’sownmanagementstyleand characterflaws or to circumstanceslargelyoutside thePresident’scontrol?

[In organizing youressay, be sure youengageBOTHaspectsof thequestion–makethecasefor yourchoicesofFDR’smostsignificant prosandcons asapolicymaker, butalsomakethecasefor what or who is toblamefor theshortcomings in USforeign policyduringthis period.]

4.DuringWorldWarIIandtheearlyyears ofthe ColdWar, theSovietUnionandtheWestern powers(primarilythe UnitedStatesandGreatBritain)grewincreasinglysuspicious ofeachother.Thesesuspicionsoftenledeach sidetomisperceivetherhetoric andbehavioroftheother,leading bothto pursuepoliciesthatfurther worsenedrelations.

Choosethreeinstances in whichyou see this processoccurring andexplain howit worked.WhatmadetheSoviet UnionsuspiciousoftheWesternpowers?WhatmadetheWestern powers suspicious oftheSoviet Union?Howdid eachside’s(often incorrect)perceptionoftheother’srhetoric and behavior fueltensionsbetweenthetwo powers?

[In answering,you should drawonLevering, et al., DebatingtheOrigins of theColdWar,butalsotake alookatthe Messeressay. Sincethereare manyinstancesofmisperceptionscausing tensions,in choosing your threeexamples,tryto pick theonesthatdemonstrate most clearlythat this processwasindeedoccurring.]

1.