United States History since 1877 - What were some of the global

United States History since 1877

1. What were some of the global consequences of World War I? Why is the term “Total War” an apt description of the conflict? What were some of the long-term effects on global culture and on its economy? How do the music, films, and literature we examined describe the war?

2. Describe how conflicts between modernists and anti-modernists define many American cultural attitudes about consumerism, race, alcohol use, immigrants, and religion, in the years between WWI and WWII.

3. Describe how Hitler’s vision for Germany evolved. What were his views about race, German national pride, and those who did not agree to follow his vision? Describe how some of the events we examined reflected his Nazi vision for Germany’s future. How did the music, films, and literature we examined describe the war?

4. Describe some of the conflicts between Europe, the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. How did the Berlin Blockade, the Iron Curtain, and the Cuban Missile Crisis almost turn the conflict into a military exchange?

5. How did the Vietnam War reflect concerns in the United States about the spread of communism? What lessons can the world learn by studying the war? How might the people of Vietnam view the war differently than those from the United States? How did the music, films, and literature we examined describe, alter, and later define perceptions about the war?

6. How did music impact our perceptions about war?Use specific examples from some of the songs from several of the wars we examined. Be sure to incorporate specific references from the readings, films, or lectures in writing your brief essay.

7. How has the second half of the course changed your perceptions about the role the United States has played in shaping the world? Give specific examples!