Final Exam Review

10 December 2004

Created from notes given by Major Callahan in class on 09DEC04

(notes taken by 3/C Underhill; thanks for help to 3/C Lazenby)

 

Terms (8 of 10; 2pts each; 16%) (1-2 sentence definition)

·         Idealism – when someone is guided by how they think something should be according to their values and morals more than practical constraints

·         Pragmatism – opposition of idealism; choose your course of action based on what is most effective in achieving your end goal (regardless of morals, values, etc.)

·         Democracy – power from the people; tends to focus on equality

·         Republicanism – form of democracy in which decisions are made by elected representatives

·         Federalism – take a group of states and unite them in a confederation in which they surrender federal powers to a single entity while maintaining control over local affairs

·         Nationalism – group of people who share a common background and use that as motivation to create a nation-state

·         Industrialism – social-economic revolution where technology allows for large-scale production marked by large numbers of inexpensive goods and a concentration of people in urban areas

·         Imperialism – dictating policies of another country from a position of power

·         Free-market economy – laws of supply and demand drive price, consumption, distribution, etc. with little government regulation (laissez-faire; not completely hands-off)

·         Capitalism – means of production and distribution owned privately and the wealth becomes concentrated within the owners

·         Communism – government owns all means of production (there is no private property); aims to form a classless society; leads to a totalitarian government to enforce these rules

·         Liberalism – political policy which favors reform and improvements towards liberty and democracy (can be quick or slow)

·         Progressivism – liberal movement for incremental reforms from within the existing system

·         Conservatism – practice of preserving what is established; opposition to change

·         Decolonization – process by which colonies have gained independence; began in WWI and greatly accelerated during WWII

·         Vietnam Syndrome – revulsion of US military power because of defeatist national psyche after the Vietnam war

·         Weinberger/Powell Doctrine – prerequisites for intervention and use of military force; requires 1) clear exit strategy; 2) vital interests at stake; 3) support; 4) no other option is available; 5) use decisive force to win with minimal casualties

·         Globalism – shrinking borders and growing interaction; economic connectivity and technology are making everything more connected and homogenous

·         Tribalism – rejection of outside influences to preserve a national identity (anti-thesis to globalism)

·         Collective Security – international system in which nations join together to defend each other

·         Totalitarianism – form of government which has absolute control over all aspects of individual life; opposition is suppressed and individuals are subordinate to the state

·         Fascism – totalitarian system of government which emphasizes collective effort over individuals; in practice, they are totalitarian and nationalistic

 

Event Significance (4 of 7; 5pts each; 20%; 4-6 sent.) (note: dark blue indicates the info is from Underhill; i.e. Callahan not the source)

The Enlightenment

·         Government derives power from the people

·         Social contract contributed to democracy in the West

 

The French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars

·         Seeking freedom from oppression

·         Napoleonic Code destroys Conservative governments and spreads liberalism throughout Europe

·         In both cases we see the influence of liberalism resulting in revolution and radical solutions by the oppressed

 

World War I

·         Allies versus Axis Powers—competitive alliances in Europe fails after they try collective security with the League of Nations which failed because of Germany’s failure to comply

·         First time we see huge alliances between countries

·         The problems with Germany failing to comply with League of Nations would be reiterated with later problems with Germany in WWII, also the United States’ failure to sign into the League of Nations would say a lot about American policy

 

The Munich Accord

·         Because France and England gave into Hitler, desperate for political alliance, many countries would reap the consequences of handing power directly over to Hitler and appeasing him

 

The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

·         Huge impact on world opinion

·         Nuclear weapons made future wars seem catastrophically destructive

·         Ended WWII and began a new era of politics and the Cold War

 

Dien Bien Phu

·         The fall and failure of France in the 1st Indochina war would force U.S. involvement because of alliance

 

The Cuban Missile Crisis

·         First time we really see limiting of arms because countries didn’t want another world war, especially after the technological advances in warfare

·         Communication between countries would prove to save the world from total war

 

The Tonkin Gulf Incident and Resolution

·         US Destroyers appeared to have been attacked but in reality probably were not

·         Johnson uses presents this in a way which outrages the US public which he uses to get a mandate from Congress

·         Note: Parallels modern conflict in Iraq and WMD

 

The Tet Offensive

·         Devastates the VC – never again an effective fighting force; mostly just NVA now

·         No major impact on public’s moral back home

·         Showed the US leaders that the Vietnamese were more organized and capable than they thought, which led many politicians to turn against the war and begin to advocate de-escalation

 

The Watergate Scandal

·         Puts a stop to the “imperial presidency” which had been growing in power since the Great Depression

·         Casts a negative light on politicians and political campaigns

 

The Post-Industrial Era

  • US failed to keep up – exports are less than imports after 1973
  • Transition to information and services

·         If the gap continues, prosperity will decrease

 

The End of the Cold War

  • Liberalization of the USSR was pursued for economic reform

o        1) Glasnost – “openness” – attempt to foster economic success through liberalization

o        2) Perestroika – “restructuring” – lifting socialist controls (price controls, etc.)

o        3) Gorbachev made it clear he would not use force to maintain communism

·         Collapse of the Soviet empire destabilized their former empire (much like late decolonization)

 

Event Military Significance (4 of 7; 3pts each; 12%; ~4-6 sentences)

The Seven Year’s War

·         Fought between England and France; 1st time a war was fought in a nation’s periphery

 

Napoleonic Wars

·         Largest wars to date

·         Emphasized maneuver of leivan masses of men (mostly conscripts)

 

American Civil War / Crimean War

·         1st total war by industrialized nations

    • Rifled muskets increased the cost of war greatly

 

World War I

·         New technology advanced the destructiveness of war but mobility did not improve in parallel

·         No maneuver warfare tactics existed for these new weapons

 

World War II

·         New technology like planes and tanks allowed maneuver warfare to catch up

 

Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

·         Nuclear warfare is used, advancing destructiveness of war

·         Total war proved so costly that from now on, only limited war would be exercised

 

Vietnam War / Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan

·         Both exhibited the use of asymmetric guerilla warfare by both the VC and Afghans and the superior nation in both cases were unable to dominate and had to back out

 

Gulf War

·         Technology is extremely decisive, applied in large scale for the first time

 

 

Short Essay (2 of 3; 13pts each; 26%) (10 sentences)

·         What happened at Munich in 1938 and does this continue to affect us today?

    • Pacification and appeasement backfires
    • Stand up the first time or it will become much worse
      • Gulf War, Korea, Vietnam …

 

·         When President Bush got power to invade Iraq, some people compared it to the Tonkin Gulf – why?

    • Tried to imply Iraq may have similar results
    • Possible deceit in both – DDs in Tonkin, WMD in Iraq

 

·         Vietnam and Operation Iraqi Freedom

    • Similar because no time frame is set, asymmetric warfare
    • Dissimilar because we were much more prepared to not fight conventional warfare, much more successful
    • Other points made: we should not be looking to Vietnam for comparison, it was a disaster; also, compare the amount of outside help—In Vietnam, Nixon pressed China/Soviet Union to move into Vietnam so that we could get out, what help do we have in Iraq?; we also have more interest in Iraq because of gas prices

 

Long Essay (1 of 2; 26pts; 26%) (500+ words)

·         Describe the relationship between economic stability and political behavior.  Provide one example before 1900 and one example after 1900.

    • Prior: French Rev.; Post: Nazi Germany … Why: extreme economic duress leads to the pursuit of radical solutions

 

·         Describe western society and its basic values.

o        Liberalism: Nationalist; Civil Liberties; Limited Gov. with Constitution; Secular; Progressive; Representative Gov.

o        Industrialism: Prosperous; Urban

o        Judeo-Christian Values