The answers for section one should not exceed about 800 words (roughly three typed, double-spaced pages) each. Your answer for section two should not exceed 1100 words. Remember to state a thesis (take a position on the question), get to the point quickly, concentrate on the essential points, and support your position with historical evidence. Obviously, you have access to a variety of sources in preparing your answers, but your answers must be yours alone. Keep in mind university policy on academic integrity and plagiarism. Keep quotations to an absolute minimum, mark them, and cite all the sources you used in preparing your exam. See the course plagiarism policy for more information about this.
Section 1: Post-1920 Questions
1) Compare and contrast the New Deal and the Great Society. Under what conditions did the two reform efforts take place and how did these conditions influence them? What were the key pieces of legislation of each? What were the intentions of the supporters of each of these programs and the presidents who articulated them? Overall, did they have a positive or negative effect on U. S. society?
2) Many Americans look back on the 1950s with nostalgia and see it as America at its best, the norm to which we should strive to return. What characterized American society in those years? In what way were the years between 1945 and 1960 unusual? What realities were hidden behind those years of optimism and prosperity? Do you consider the 1950s a positive or negative period in U.S. history?
3) Describe and explain the origins and conduct of the Cold War between the aftermath of World War II and the end of the Vietnam War (1975) concentrating on the key events and disputes between the super powers. What were the long term and short term ramifications of the Cold War both at home (in the United States) and abroad? Was the Cold War inevitable or could the Soviet Union and the United States have continued their friendly wartime (WWII) relations?
4) Malaise was the word Jimmy Carter supposedly chose to describe American society in the late 1970s. What characterized this malaise? What events led to it? Do you think ‘malaise’ accurately describes American society on the eve of the Reagan Revolution? How did the Reagan administration respond to the problems of the 1970s? Was it effective? What were the successes and failures of the Reagan and Bush administrations?
Section 2: Cumulative Questions
1) When Woodrow Wilson intervened in Mexico, he intended to ?teach the Mexicans to elect good men.? When he brought the United States into World War I he promised to make the world ?safe for democracy.? Assess United States foreign policy in light of Wilson’s pronouncements. Has the United States lived up to this ideal when it committed its armed forces to battle in the 20th century? Be sure to cover World War I, World War II, and at least two other conflicts or interventions (examples include Korea, Vietnam, Bosnia, the Gulf War, repeated interventions in the Caribbean, etc.). Please do not discuss ongoing conflicts (because they are not history yet).
2) Compare and contrast the experience of African Americans, women, and one other group (your choice) in their pursuit of civil rights, suffrage, equality, etc. since about 1890. In what ways were their various movements, organizations, tactics, and leaders different? In what ways were they similar? Be sure to mention key events, leaders, and organizations! Judging from your perspective today, were these movements successful, or do they still have unfinished business?