15 Aug questions to be answered
1. Why was it called the “Cold War?”
2. What were the major points of conflict between the Soviet Union (Russia) and the United States?
3. Who was Joseph McCarthy and what did he want and do? Was he completely right or completely wrong?
4. Were Americans right to be afraid of Communism? With the Soviet regime killing perhaps as many as 20 million people and Mao Zedong’s government killing nearly 30 million in China, would Communism have meant mass murder in the United States? Why or why not? How did fear of nuclear war shape the Cold War period?
5. Some historians refer to the 1950s as a “Conservative Decade.” Why would they use that title and do you think it is correct? Why or why not?
1. One commentator talking about the 1970s said, “it was the worst of times, it was the worst of times.” Why were the 1970s considered such a dcade in United States history?
2. Some historians argue that economics has defined the history of the United States since 1945. Do you agree with that argument? Why or why not and how?
3. The post-Cold War world has developed ironically, as history often does, with things not turning out like expected. Many thought that the fall of the Soviet Union and collapse of Communism in Europe would lead to a “New World Order” with peaceful liberal capitalism becoming the normal state of a global world. But others had predicted a clash of cultures and some predicted that globalization would lead to new problems. What has dominated United States history since 1991 and the end of the Cold War? Are terrorism, ethnic/racial conflict, environmentalism, the surveillance state, and less freedom the dominant themes? Or have prosperity, technology, great interconnections, and strength through diversity creating a world where individuals have more freedom? Why or why not? How?
