History Final Essay Questions

Front 1

Describe the different visions of America as expressed by Liberals and Conservatives since the Second World War. How have the visions evolved and where have they been most in conflict?

Back 1

The Liberal vision for America is an America with a large government that is tailored for every issue of the individual and society. Liberals believe in social programs, regulations, and higher taxes for those with higher income. On the other hand, conservatives believes in a smaller government, competitive market, less regulations, and lower taxes.

Throughout the American history the period most notable for the progression of liberalism were during President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s office from 1933 to 1945, where he enacted many social and economic improvement legislations collectively known as the new deal. These programs were collectively an effort to reduce the impact of the Great Depression and to elevate the U.S. economy as a whole. These programs included the Works Progress Administration, the Civilian Conservation Corps, and Public Works Administration, and the Social Security Act. In a way these programs expanded government control and influence in the U.S. and created laws that dealt directly with the economic sector, influencing the free market. In addition to the New Deal, Lyndon B. Johnson in his years in office from 1963 to 1969 enacted a new program known as the Great Society, which pushed to uphold civil rights, public broadcasting, environmental protection, aid to education, arts, Medicaid and Medicare. President Lyndon B. Johnson’s era marked the peak of modern liberalism in the United States, which was then followed by a period of American Conservatism.

The excess of the 1960’s and 1970s marked by the expansion of American liberalism was followed by a shift of public opinion through the election of president Ronald Reagan in 1981. During this time, confidence in the American economy had hit rock bottom. Americans looked for a change and the promise of a better future. Ronald Reagan was elected with the message that the government had become too big and needs to be trimmed down. He believed that taxes also needed to be cut in order to stimulate growth and investment. He believed in the emphasis of american traditional morals and values. Reagan enacted tax cuts which benefited the wealthy most, with the belief in supply-side economics and trickle down economics, as ways to improve the economy. President Reagan also focused on increased spending on the military. During his time the the USSR and US were engaged in a cold war hallmarked by a continuation of military and weapons build-up. This Reagan era of conservatism finally ended with the election of Democratic President Barack Obama in 2008.

The conflict between the liberals and conservatives had been a struggle of the influence of government had on private lives. At the end of WWII and in the aftermath of the Great Depression, America had looked on to the government for support and welfare for those who suffered from the war and economic turmoil. As time went on, more and more programs were created as a way of relief for the general public. Gradually, however, these program grew too large to remain efficient. They were also draining considerable resources from the economy, which had to be trimmed down. This caused the liberal era to turn away to conservative values that emphasized on smaller government and the support of free enterprise. These seemingly two opposite contrast of ideas actually compliment each other economic and political events call for one over the other. Today, especially in California, we see more programs which better represent liberal ideas with the prime example being Obamacare. Perhaps the next president will continue the liberal spirit, or perhaps the tide will change yet again for a more conservative agenda. We shall see.

Front 2

Why did the United States feel compelled to enter into the conflict in Vietnam and why did it fail to “win” the war?

Back 2

The United States originally began its involvement after WWI, when the French were defeated by German forces. This had caused the French force currently in control of Vietnam to lose control. The U.S., being an ally to the French decided to step in as a part of the American containment policy for communism. The containment strategy is directly related to the domino theory, where it states that if the seemingly insignificant conversion of a state to communism will eventually cause the states around it to become communist eventually, gradually causing a domino effect to spread communism. During the Presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson, the conflict in Vietnam was escalated. Originally President Johnson did not agree with the American involvement in Vietnam, and was quoted saying that this was a war that ought to be fought by the Vietnamese boys. As the conflict escalated however, and through the suggestion of his military advisors, President Johnson reluctantly began to change his policies towards sending troops to Vietnam. As it became clearer to President Johnson that American involvement in Vietnam might be necessary, he began to send in additional troops without the active consent of congress to do so. In 1965 at the peak of the war, the number of U.S. military deployed into Vietnam has reached nearly 200,000.

The peculiarity with the war in Vietnam was that unlike a conventional war where one side’s military fought head on with the opposing side’s military forces, North Vietnamese resistance used a guerilla warfare tactic. Through digging tunnel networks and camouflaging in the civilian population in order to gain an unfair advantage. Another advantage the North Vietnamese had was that they were fighting in their home lands, where they were familiar with the terrain. In response, the U.S. escalated through massive carpet bombing campaigns and using inhumane weapons such as flame throwers and napalm in order to combat this jungle environment. Another weapon the U.S. used was Agent Orange in order to clear the Vietnamese jungles of vegetation, which proved to have adverse health consequences.

Due to the lack of popular support, the war in Vietnam had become the most unpopular war in U.S. history. At this point, however, the U.S. involvement had become significant enough for major media coverage. These media coverage revealed the inhumane nature and tactics used by the U.S. forces. Villages were burned down, the innocent civilians were killed. The footages of carpet bombing and executed women and children imprinted a negative image of the war in a majority of the population. At home front, major riots broke out in the streets. With marches on the white house and protests to end the conflict. This was the time when television and media had just began to gain popularity, and President Johnson had underestimated its power.

In the end President Johnson announced that we will not seek reelection due to the mass unpopularity of his decisions. His successor, President Richard Nixon led continued offensive and ultimately peace talk through at era of Vietnamization. Ultimately backing out of the Vietnam War.

The U.S. failed to win the war for various reasons. First of all, the war lacked the popular support needed. Secondly, the U.S. conventional military was not adapted to fight in a guerilla environment without clear rules of engagement and sound tactics. Finally, the North Vietnamese were not interested in negotiation, as President Johnson had hoped, which led to an unrelenting opponent.

Front 3

What have been some of the changes in U.S. national security since the attacks on September 11, 2001? In your estimation, how well has the nation been able to balance the need for collective security with the rights of individual liberty and freedom?

Back 3

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