Chapter+38+-+The+60s

Ch. 38 Video Overview

XVII. Postwar Years 1945 -1960

1. Discuss the changing attitudes of historians towards the origins of the Cold War. (72)

2. Harry S. Truman was a realistic, pragmatic President who skillfully led the American people against the menace posed by the Soviet Union. Assess the validity of this generalization for President Truman’s foreign policy. (84)

3. The size, character, and effectiveness of the organized labor movement changed significantly during the late nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century. Apply this statement to TWO of the periods: 1870 -1915 1915 - 1935 1935 - 1950 (85)

4. In 1945 Winston Churchill said that the United States stood at the summit of the world. Discuss the developments in the thirty years following Churchill’s speech which called the global preeminence of the United States into question. (92)

5. Analyze the influence of TWO of the following on American-Soviet relations in the decade following the Second World War. Yalta Conference Communist Revolution in China Korean War McCarthysim (96)

6. To what extent did the decade of the 1950’s deserve its reputation as an age of political, social, and cultural conformity? (94)

7. How do you account for the appeal of McCarthyism in the United States in the era following the Second World War? (97)

8. Although the 1960’s are usually considered the decade of the greatest achievement for Black civil rights, the 1940’s and 1950’s were periods of equally important gains. Assess the validity of this statement. (91)

XVIII. 1960’s to the Present

1. Discuss the adjustments of ONE of the following minority groups to American life. American Indians from 1860 -1900 Puerto Ricans from 1910 – 1970 (72) Mexican -Americans from 1910 – 1970 Japanese Americans from 1910 - 1970

2. Controversy between integrationist and separatist viewpoints has long been a dominant theme within the black community. Analyze the controversy among blacks for the period 1920 - 1970. (73)

3. In the period since 1945, the Republican Party, as represented in the administrations of Dwight Eisenhower (1953-1961) and Richard M. Nixon (1969-1974), virtually abandoned the opposition to the New Deal expressed in the 1930’s. assess the validity of this generalization. (75)

4. Greater similarities than differences have characterized the experiences of all ethnic and racial groups who have migrated to American cities. Assess the validity of this generalization with reference to the Irish and Germans from the 1840’s to the 1890’s AND black Americans from 1915 - 1970. (75)

5. Presidents who have been notably successful in either foreign affairs or domestic affairs have seldom been notably successful in both. Assess this statement with reference to TWO presidents, on in the nineteenth century, and the other in the twentieth century, giving reasons for success or failure in each case. (77)

6. The leadership, organization, and programs of ethnic and racial minority movements after 1945 represented a fundamental departure from those which had existed from 1900 to 1945. Discuss with reference to black Americans or Mexican Americans, giving about equal attention to the periods before and after 1945. (77)

7. From 1914 to the present, the main trend in the relationship between the central government and the states has been toward concentration of power in the federal government. Discuss with reference to such areas of governmental power as regulation of business, social welfare, and civil rights. (78)

8. During the twentieth century, American “progressives” or “liberals” at some times advocated a strong presidency and expanded executive power, while “conservatives” opposed the expansion of these powers. At other times, the “liberals” and “conservative” positions were reversed. Assess the validity of this statement with reference to the periods 1900 – 1940 AND 1965 – 1974. (79)

9. A presidential election that results in defeat of the party in power usually indicates the failure of the party in power to have dealt effectively with the nation’s problems, rather than indicating the positive appeal of the winning candidate and his party platform. Assess the validity of this generalization with reference to TWO of the elections in which the party in power was defeated: 1912, 1920,1932,1952, 1960, 1968. (80)

10. Compare the goals and strategies of Black reform movements in the period 1890 – 1910 to the goals and strategies of Black reform movements in the period 1950- 1970. (82)

11. What accounted for the growth between 1940 and 1965 of popular and governmental concern for the position of Blacks in American society? (85)

12. “Hawks” and “doves” have disagreed on United States involvement in wars since the inception of the nation. Compare the “hawk” to the “dove” position for both a war of the nineteenth century and a war of the twentieth century. (73)

13. Candidates elected to the presidency in the twentieth century have usually campaigned as middle – of – the - road men without strong commitments. Assess the validity of this generalization. (73)

14. The principal cause of the expansion of the American presidential power in the twentieth century has been war and diplomacy rather than domestic growth and crisis. Assess the validity of this statement. (76)

15. Shifts in party control of the presidency during the twentieth century have typically NOT brought major shifts in domestic policy. Assess the validity of this statement. Illustrate your argument by discussing the extent to which TWO of the following presidents adopted the DOMESTIC programs of the previous presidential administrations given in parentheses beneath their names. Woodrow Wilson (administration of William H. Taft and Theodore Roosevelt) Franklin D. Roosevelt (administration of Herbert Hoover) Dwight D. Eisenhower (administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman) Richard M. Nixon ( administration of Lyndon B. Johnson and John F. Kennedy) (83)

16. Vice -Presidents who have succeeded to the presidency on the death of the President have been less effective in their conduct of domestic AND foreign policy than the men they have replaced. Assess the validity of this statement for any TWO of the following pairs. William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson (89)

17. Most of the reform legislation since 1900 has been the work of special interests seeking to advance their own well – being, but the adoption of such legislation has required the general support of others who were not directly affected but who perceived it to be in the public interest. Assess the validity of this statement with reference to THREE examples of reform legislation since 1900. You may draw your examples from reform at any level of government: national, state, or municipal. (77)

18. Social dislocations resulting from wartime conditions frequently bring lasting change within a society. Evaluate the relevance of this generalization to American society in the twentieth century in view of the experience of Blacks AND women. (87)

19. 1968 was a turning point for the United States. To what extent is this an accurate assessment? In your answer, discuss TWO of the following: National Politics Vietnam War Civil Rights (98)

20. In what ways did the Great Society resemble the New Deal in its origins, goals, and social and political legacy? Cite specific programs and policies in support of your arguments. (92)

21. Describe THREE of the following and analyze the ways in which each of the three has affected the status of women in American society since 1940. The persistence of traditional definitions of women’s roles Advances in reproductive technology The rebirth of an organized women’s movement Changing economic conditions (93)

Foreign affairs rather than domestic issues shaped presidential politics in the Election year 1968. Assess the validity of this statement with specific reference to foreign and domestic issues. (90)

23. Assess the success of the United States policy of containment in Asia between 1945 and 1975. (99)

Discuss with respect to Two of the following, the view that the 1960’s represented a period of profound cultural change. Education Gender roles Music Race Relations (00)

sue reeder wshs 1999