History 4698
Paper Assignments

Paper topic one. Due 2-21 in class, or 2-22 by 11.59pm via email. Late papers will be penalized one point per half-second. Or maybe not. Basically, grades are due sometime in mid-May; as long as papers arrive to me by then, you're fine. The papers are designed to get you thinking about, and critically analyzing, the documents. You should feel perfectly free to bring in other reading that you've done for class; it is not my expectation that you do any outside research.

  1. Did the Great War change American anti-imperialism? Compare and contrast the prewar examples of anti-imperialism we read (such as the George Hoar speech and the Isidor Rayner speech in the course packet) with Asle Gronna's remarks on the League of Nations (which also is in the course packet).

  2. How wide an ideological gulf separated the three sides in the League of Nations/Versailles debate? Compare and contrast the perspectives of Wilson, Lodge, and Gronna.

Paper topic two. Due 3-7 in class, or 3-8 by 11.59pm via email. Late papers will be penalized at an arbitrary rate to be decided by the instructor, depending on how arbitrary his mood happens to be on that particular day. As with the first paper, the goal here is to get you thinking about, and critically analyzing, the documents. You should feel perfectly free to bring in other reading that you've done for class; it is not my expectation that you do any outside research. The paper should run roughly 7-8 pages; you can go longer if you need to.

  1. To what extent did the British/American war aims during World War II, as embodied in the Atlantic Charter, reflect the thinking of either (or both) nations during World War I. Compare and contrast the charter with Wilson's ultimate statement of war aims--the 14 Points--and a similar document offered by British Prime Minister David Lloyd George.

  2. The US decision to drop the bomb remains one of the most controversial foreign policy actions ever taken by the United States. What motivated US policymakers to act as they did? Begin with this review article, and then examine the historiographical controversy around the Alperovitz thesis, complete with ample documentation. (Warning: This topic is an interesting one, but there's a decent amount of supplementary reading, especially in the second site.)

Paper topic three. Due 4-21 in class, or 4-22 by email. Late papers will, as always, be ruthlessly penalized, given my generally ruthless attitude. As with the first two papers, the goal here is to get you thinking about, and critically analyzing, the documents. You should feel perfectly free to bring in other reading that you've done for class; it is not my expectation that you do any outside research. The paper should run roughly 7-8 pages; you can go longer if you need to.

1. To what extent did either Kennedy's inaugural address or his American University speech--or both--provide blueprints for US foreign policy during the 1960s?

2. Obviously the two men had different personalities. But how important was the transition between JFK and LBJ in terms of policy? Discuss with reference to Latin America and Vietnam, being sure to use primary sources as well.

Paper topic four. Due 5-2 in class, or 5-4 by email, or any time thereafter as long as it's before the due date for grades (May 18). As with the first two papers, the goal here is to get you thinking about, and critically analyzing, the documents. You should feel perfectly free to bring in other reading that you've done for class; it is not my expectation that you do any outside research. The paper should run roughly 7-8 pages; you can go longer if you need to.

1. Compare and contrast the most ambitious aspects of the foreign policy visions of John Kennedy and Richard Nixon, by focusing on their boldest attempts to move beyond the Cold War (Kennedy's American University speech, Nixon's trip to China--use memcons 1 and 2). Don't do this question if you did question 3(1).

2. Analyze the role played by covert action in the Reagan foreign policy, by using these documents (1, 2, 3) from the Nicaraguan affair of the 1980s. Did RR hope to employ covert action in a way different from his Republican predecessors Dwight Eisenhower (Guatemala, Iran) and Richard Nixon (Chile)?