I’m working on a global studies writing question and need a sample draft to help me understand better.
The essay for this lesson is required to be 750-1,000-words and clearly demonstrate your understanding of the prompt. Essays should be 5 or more paragraphs with a clear introduction, thesis statement, and conclusion, written in APA format. You may select from one of the following prompts:
- Discuss the origins of the Cold War. Do you believe it could have been prevented? Be specific in your response.
- Do you think high levels of military spending on the American side was the reason that the Cold War ended? Explain your reasoning.
- How did Dwight D. Eisenhower embody the 1950s era in which he was president? What lesson can today’s leaders take from him?
- What new direction did the foreign policy of the United States take during the early days of the Cold War? Discuss two effects of this new policy, then and now.
- Write an essay in which you argue that, in hindsight, the Cold War could have been prevented or at least minimized and why.
- Some people consider Joseph McCarthy to have been a ruthless demagogue while others see him as a tragic figure from the 1950s. In an essay, discuss which way you see him.
- Alternative prompts may be proposed, but require lesson faculty approval
Lesson Resources
Reading 1.1 Origins of the Cold War
- Mason, John W. (1996). Cold War, 1945-1991. London: Routledge, pp. xii-32 (attached)
- A Short History of NATO from NATO International
Reading 2.1: The Red* Scare of the 1950s
- See It Now Confronts McCarthyism. pp. 11-25. (attached)
- Spartacus Educational. “McCarthyism.” (attached)
Reading 3.1: The Soviet Union Unravels
- Chapter 7, “The Rise and Fall of Superpower Détente 1968-1979” and 8 from McMahon, R. J. (2003). The Cold War: A Very Short Introduction. OUP Oxford. (attached)
- Chapter 8, ““The Final Phase 1980-1990” from McMahon, R. J. (2003). The Cold War: A Very Short Introduction. OUP Oxford.(attached)
Reading 4.1: The Soviet Union Unravels (all attached)
- Introduction from Carruthers, S.L. (2009). Cold War Captives: Imprisonment, escape, and brainwashing (pp. 1-23).Berkley, CA: University of California.
- Bloc Busters: The Politics and Pageantry of Escape from the East from Carruthers, S.L. (2009). Cold War captives: Imprisonment, escape, and brainwashing (pp. 59-97). Berkeley, CA: University of California.
- “Epilogue: Life is a Cosmic Joke” from K Blows Top: A Cold War Comic Interlude, Starring Nikita Khrushchev, America’s Most Unlikely Tourist (pp. 295-307). New York: Public Affairs.
- Lebow, R.N., & Stein, J. (Feb 1994). Reagan and the Russians.Atlantic Monthly, 273(2), 35-37.
Reading 4.2: Television and the Cold War
- Chapter 1: “Video Rising” from Doherty,T.P. (2003). Cold war, cool medium: Television, McCarthyism, and American culture.
- Chapter 2: “The Gestalt of the Blacklist” from Doherty,T.P. (2003). Cold war, cool medium: Television, McCarthyism, and American culture.
