Introduction
Welcome to History 356,
the Cold War. Between the years 1945 and 1991 (roughly), the world was
gripped by a high-stakes struggle between nations that embraced the adversarial
ideologies of communism and capitalism. The leading nations in this struggle
were the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR,
a.k.a., Soviet Union, Russia, and The Evil Empire). So incredibly powerful
and influential were these two nations that the world looked at them as
the two "superpowers" on the planet. The US and USSR, along with their
allied and client states, sought regional and global influence with their
respective world view, and saw the other side as their mortal enemy. Millions
of people died and incalculable amounts of money were spent fighting this
struggle, although the US and USSR never fought each other directly with
their militaries. Because of the awesome threat that a direct military
clash between the these two titans posed, notably by the possession of
nuclear weapons by both parties (after 1949), the two had to conduct this
struggle in non-direct military ways, and that is the stuff of the Cold
War. The Cold War affected every resident on the planet, it dominated world
history, and it brought the human race to the brink of self-destruction.
While the Cold War may not be a cheery or humorous subject, it is undeniably
compelling and intrinsically relevant.
The focused time period under study here will allow us to develop a few areas in depth. Some Cold War topics are still left out of our discussion, but these lacunae can by possibly filled by the research papers each of you will be writing (gulp. . .). History 356 is not a general survey of US History and is not meant to take the place of such a course. If you have not taken such a course, I strongly recommend that you do, and drop 356! If you need a refresher on some aspect of US history, I have placed a thorough text on reserve at the University Library for you.
I suppose I should add one more thing about how I approach this material. Be mindful that History 356 is a variable topic course in American History. Furthermore, please recognize that I am an American historian, an American, and a thoroughly predictable American at that, so there is nothing in this course or in its presentation that should be unconventional or shocking well, other than the fact that I will lecture without underwear. I thought you should know . . .
Readings
The following books are
required reading and are available at the University Bookstore. You will
be tested on material from these books and we will discuss this stuff in
class.
1) Jeremy Isaac's &
Taylor Downing, The Cold War: An Illustrated History (Boston: Little,
Brown and
Company, 1998)
2) Edward H. Judge &
John W. Lang don, eds., The Cold War: A History Through Documents (Upper
Saddle River: Prentice
Hall, 1999)
3) Richard Rovere, Senator
Joe McCarthy (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1959; reprint,
1996)
Grading
Your grade in the course
will be determined by your performance on the following. There is no extra
credit offered in this course.
Midterm 25%
Paper 25%
Classroom Participation
25%
Final Exam
25%
I
do not take roll in this class, at least not formally. But let me make
it clear that if you are not here in class to participate because you're
pounding Busch Light at the Zoo, it will negatively impact your participation
grade, and then your course grade. I need to hear from you. Therefore,
it is in your best interest to be in class and contribute when you can.
If you have obligations that will take you from class, please let me know;
I worry. My policy for taking late assignments is simple: I'll take'em,
but not without exacting a penalty, usually one letter grade per day. This
will be spelled out on assignment sheets. Hey, I'm no ogre though. If you
have a legitimate situation that will prevent you from taking an exam on
time (and I reserve judgment on just what is legitimate), talk to me beforehand.
Lastly, let me say a couple of things about the work you will be doing for me. My exams are essay in format. I test in this manner quite simply because this is the superior way of assessing your learning. The research paper you will write in here will be at least 20 pages in length on a topic that you develop with me. I will provide more detail on these items later. And I still haven't changed my mind about extra credit either . . .
Schedule
January 7 - Introductions
Week 1 - January 12, 14
The Bomb
Readings: Isaacs and Downing,
Ch. 1
Week 2 - January 19,21
Allies and Enemies
Readings: Isaacs and Downing,
Ch. 1
Week 3 - January 26, 28
Eastern Europe
Readings: Isaacs and Downing,
Chs. 2, 3, 4
Week 4 - February 2, 4
Eastern Europe
Readings: Isaacs and Downing,
Chs. 2, 3, 4
Week 5 - February 9, 11
The Korean Conflict
Readings: Isaacs and Downing,
Ch. 5
Week 6 - February 16, 18
The Red Scare
Readings: Isaacs and Downing,
Ch. 6
Rovere, all
Week 7 - February 23, 25
The Red Scare
Readings: Isaacs and Downing,
Ch. 6
Rovere, all
Week 8 - March 2, 4
The Red Scare
Readings: Isaacs and Downing,
Ch. 6
Rovere, all
FOUR-PAGE ROUGH DRAFT FOR PAPER DUE FRIDAY MARCH 5!
NO CLASS MARCH 8 - 12 . . . SPRING BREAK!
Week 9 - March 16, 18
JFK
Readings: Isaacs and Downing,
Chs. 9, 10
MIDTERM EXAM THURSDAY MARCH 18!
Week 10 - March 23, 25
JFK
Readings: Isaacs and Downing,
Chs. 9, 10
Week 11 - March 30, April 1
Nixon and Detente
Readings: Isaacs and Downing,
Ch. 14
Week 12 - April 6, 8
Reagan, Gorbachev and the
End of the Cold War
Readings: Isaacs and Downing,
Chs. 17, 18, 19, 20
Week 13 - April 13, 15
Reagan, Gorbachev and the
End of the Cold War
Readings: Isaacs and Downing,
Chs. 17, 18, 19, 20
Week 14 - April 20
Student Presentations
NO CLASS THURSDAY APRIL 22 - STUDENT HISTORY CONFERENCE
Week 15 - April 27, 29
Student Presentations
FINAL DRAFT OF RESEARCH PAPERS DUE FRIDAY APRIL 30!
FINAL EXAMINATION: WEDNESDAY MAY 5, 4:30 JFAC THEATER
. . .and that's all folks!
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