Overview
Answer ONE of the following questions. Your answers must be double-spaced. Aim for about four double-spaced pages total. These questions are broad enough that you should be able to do that easily. You should be able to take these questions in many different directions, so feel free to "brainstorm" as much as you need to. You should not rely on quotes from the readings or other online sources, and you should not simply paraphrase the PowerPoint slides. Instead, answer the questions in your own words and with your own interpretations.
The most important thing to remember is to answer each part of the question you answer.
FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS (only answer ONE):
- Compare and contrast the Cold War policies (meaning foreign policy, in regards to combatting communism or the Soviet Union) of TWO DIFFERENT Cold War presidents. Identify the two presidents who you are discussing. What were their policies towards communism or the Soviet Union? How were they similar? How did they differ? What were the outcomes of these policies? If you do not believe their policies differed, explain why. Who, in your opinion, had better policies? Why?
- How did the United States become involved in the Vietnam War? Explain why the United States went from helping the people of South Vietnam in the 1940s to fighting a full war by the 1960s. Be sure to discuss each decade of the war from the 1940s through the 1970s. Discuss the Vietnam policies of each Vietnam War president from Truman through Ford. Lastly, explain how and why the Vietnam War came to an end (hint, this began with Nixon's Vietnamization policy).
- There is a debate among scholars over whether Ronald Reagan ended the Cold War or Mikhail Gorbachev's reforms ended the Cold War. Explain each position of this debate. Why do some believe Reagan ended it while other believe Gorbachev did? Who, in your opinion, was more responsible for ending the Cold War? Lastly, what were some of the biggest challenges for American foreign policy after the collapse of the Soviet Union?