UMGC Modern Economic History Paper

You will be expected to develop and use the following critical thinking skills when completing this assignment:

1. Choosing an appropriate topic, limiting the topic
2. Gathering information, summarizing sources
3. Analyzing and evaluating sources
4. Defining key terms
5. Synthesizing information, comparing and contrasting sources
6. Testing a thesis, making an historical argument, acknowledging potential refutations.
7. Amassing support for a position
8. Documenting sources

The core assignment of this course is a short paper that should be about 5-6 pages in length. Select one of the following topics/questions:

• Historians continually debate whether Reconstruction was a success or a failure. Based upon your investigation of sources, which side do you find the most convincing?
• The Progressive Era represented a time of reform. What were the conditions within the US that helped usher in the perceived need for change?
• WW1 is viewed as the End of Progressivism. Was that the case? Why? If not, identify the what ended the Progressive Era.
• What were the causes of the Great Depression?
• Why is the New Deal considered a “triumph of liberalism”?
• What ended the Great Depression and why is that significant when investigating the effectiveness of the New Deal?
• What were the key causes of the cold war?
• What was the significance of Kennan’s “Long Telegram?” and what impact did it have on the cold war?
• What was McCarthyism’s impact upon the US?
• Why was it challenging to pass a comprehensive Civil Rights Bill prior to 1964?
• What were the causes of the Vietnam War?
• What were the Stonewall riots and what did they accomplish?
• The New Left emerged during the 1960s. What were the New Left’s objectives and what significance did they have on 60s-era politics?
• What were the core reasons why the New Conservatism triumphed in 1980
• Why did the US “win” the cold war? (hint: it was not due to military buildup)
• Select your own (email the instructor for approval prior to selecting source