1) What did members of the Triple Entente fear? What did members of the Triple
Alliance (Central Powers) fear? Briefly explain how these fears ended up
leading to World War I?
2) What was the Schlieffen Plan? How did it help to lead Europe into World War I?
If not for this plan, would World War I have happened? Would it have
happened in the same way? Explain. Also, was the Schlieffen Plan a success?
Explain.
3) Who was Archduke Franz Ferdinand? In what ways did his death set the events
leading to World War I in motion? Do you think, based on what you have
learned, that World War I would have happened if the archduke had lived?
Explain.
4) Compare and contrast the Triple Alliance and Triple Entente at the start of
World War I. Who had the advantage in terms of population, economy, military,
and geography? Who should have won this war? Explain.
5) In World War I, which country had the best army? What made that army so
great? What limitations did it have with regard to this particular war?
6) Prior to entering World War I, was the US really neutral? In what ways? Were
there ways in which it was not neutral? Explain and include specific examples
in your answer. Do you think that the war would have turned out differently had
the US acted as a true neutral? Explain.
7) What led the US to enter World War I? Did the US have sound reasons? Was
this a “necessary war” for the US? Explain fully.
8) Drawing upon the lecture and on the Library of Congress readings, what was
trench warfare like in World War I? What conditions did men in the trenches
endure? What do you think would have been the worst part of fighting in these
trenches on the Western Front? Explain. Your answer must include details from
the firsthand accounts you read.
9) In what ways did the Communists/Soviets modernize Russia in the years
between World War I and World War II? To what extent were they
successful/unsuccessful? Explain.
10) “The United States won World War I but lost the peace.” To what extent do you
agree/disagree? Explain fully.
11) What was President Woodrow Wilson’s vision for the post-World War I world?
To what extent was this vision realized in the Versailles Treaty? Why? Explain
fully.
12) “The Versailles Peace Treaty put World War I to rest but sowed the seeds for
another, yet more devastating world war.” To what extent do you agree/disagree?
In your answer, be sure to include some discussion of the specific terms,
limitations, and failures of the Versailles Treaty. Explain thoroughly.
13) What was the Dawes Plan? What was it designed to do, by whom, and why?
How did it work? Ultimately, why did the Dawes Plan fail? What were the
results of that failure?
14) Explain the rise and success of the Nazi Party in Germany. What
methods/tactics did the Nazis use to achieve power? Why didn’t anyone stop
them? What did the Nazis offer/promise to Germans? If you were a German
living at this time, do you think that you might have fallen for the lure of the
Nazis? Explain fully. Be sure to incorporate information from the primary
sources in your answer.
15) Explain why Britain, Russia, France, and the US initially did very little to stop
Adolf Hitler and Germany from violating the terms of the Versailles Peace
Treaty. What happened at Munich? Had these countries done things differently,
could World War II have been avoided? Explain fully.
16) What were cash-and-carry, destroyers-for-bases, and Lend-Lease? How did
each program work? Who was eligible to benefit from each (and at whose
expense)? Who benefited the most? Why didn’t the US just give aid outright?
Why didn’t the US just end neutrality and declare war on Germany?
17) “The US unwittingly forced Japan into an American-Japanese war.” To what
extent do you agree/disagree? Be sure to include specific details in your
explanation and to explain things like the moral embargo, preclusive purchasing,
and export control.
18) Discuss the Japanese decision to bomb Pearl Harbor and the aftermath. What
did the Japanese hope to gain? Was the attack successful? In what ways? Were
there any ways in which the attack was flawed? Did the Japanese achieve what
they hoped? Explain.
19) What advantages did the Axis have in World War II? What advantages did the
Allies possess? If you were placing bets on the outcome of the war on
December 8, 1941, where would you have placed your money and why?
20) What sorts of things can explain Japan’s success from December 1941 to May
1942? Why weren’t they more successful later? Explain.
21) What was the Doolittle Raid? Was it successful? Explain thoroughly.
22) What are some possible reasons for the dropping of the atomic bombs on
Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Do you agree, given the civilian collateral damage
that you read about in the Hiroshima survivors’ accounts, that this was the right
course of action for President Truman and the US to take? Do you think
Truman would have used the bombs on Germany if Japan had been the first to
surrender? Explain fully.
23) What happened at the Battle of Midway? Who won and how? Why did this
victory matter? Explain.
24) Describe the Battle of Saipan. What kinds of things happened there? In what
ways was this a significant battle?
25) Why did the Japanese turn to kamikazes? Who were these kamikazes? Was this
a good strategy for the Japanese? Why or why not?
26) What things led to the Japanese surrender in World War II? What do you think
was the key element, the most important thing, in securing that surrender?
Explain fully.
27) What was the Holocaust? What sorts of people were targeted? And, what
happened to them? How did Germans get around the law when carrying out the
Holocaust? Does the Holocaust still matter today? Explain fully.
28) Who were the Comfort Women? Do they and what happened to them still
matter today? Explain fully.
29) Discuss Japanese internment in the US. Who was sent to these camps? Why?
Do you think that this was constitutional? Was it the right decision given the
wartime atmosphere? Could this happen again the US? Explain.
30) What were the different visions of the US and the Soviet Union for the postwar
world? In what ways did these different perspectives shape the decades after
World War II?
31) What was the Marshall Plan? Why was it enacted and by whom? Who benefited
from it? Who failed to benefit from it? Explain.
32) What was the Truman Doctrine? What impact did it have? Explain.
33) “The Cold War was inevitable.” To what extent do you agree/disagree? Explain.
34) Discuss the decolonization of India. How and why did this take place? In your
opinion, based on historical fact, was decolonization here a success or a failure?
In what ways? Should things have been done differently? Explain.
35) Discuss the decolonization of Palestine. How and why did this take place? In
your opinion, based on historical fact, was decolonization here a success or a
failure? In what ways? Should things have been done differently? Explain.
36) What factors prompted the UN to create the Jewish state of Israel after World
War II? In your opinion, grounded in historical fact, did the UN do the right
thing? Was this partition successful? In what ways? In retrospect, should
anything have been done differently? Explain.
37) What conditions did native Algerians face under French rule? What kinds of
things were they NOT allowed to do? What avenues existed (political or social)
to improve their situation? What sorts of reforms did the French make and did
these alleviate the problems successfully? Explain.
38) Discuss 1 of the following: The French War in Algeria or the French War in
Vietnam. Why did France refuse to let this colony go free? What kind of war
did the French fight there? Were the French successful? Why or why not?
Ultimately, what was the outcome of the struggle? Should the French have done
anything differently? What mistakes did they make with regard to this colony
or decolonization? Explain.
39) Discuss American efforts at nation-building in South Vietnam. What did the US
hope to accomplish? What methods did it use? How successful was the US?
Explain.
40) President LBJ conceived of Vietnam as a “limited war.” What did he mean by
that? In your opinion, based on the facts, did Vietnam turn out to be a limited
war? In what ways? What impact do you think this idea had on both the
execution and outcome of the war for the US?
41) What ideas did President Nixon have for winning the war in Vietnam? What
was Vietnamization? Was Nixon successful? Did the US achieve “peace with
honor” in Vietnam? Explain
Sample Solution