HST195 Final Examination
Essay Questions
You may use a single 4" x 8" index card, to jot down important events,
names, dates, places, etc. to use while writing your essay. You must turn this card
in, along with your essay on exam day to receive credit. Bring at least 8 sheets
of paper and a pen to CEN423C on the day of the midterm.
The following questions are actual exam questions. You will write a total of 2 essays,
one from Section A and one from Section B. Only two of the three questions in each
section will appear on the day of the exam. You may choose one of the two from each
section. (If you prepare for at least two of the questions from each section, you
will be assured that two of the four youíve prepared for will be on the exam.)
Your discussion should be detailed and well organized. You should take a moment to
draft a brief outline of your answer. Do NOT write your essays in the first person.
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Section A
- Explain the historical meaning of the Tet offensive of 1968. To do so, examine
Tet as both an effect and a cause. To what events or developments was the offensive
a response? And what impact did it have? Was it a decisive engagement, a major turning
point in the war?
- For all their differences--real and apparent--in handling the war in Vietnam,
Richard Nixon and Lyndon Johnson were in many ways very similar in their response
to the conflict. In an essay, examine some of the continuities between these presidential
administrations. Consider, for example, how Nixon and Johnson defined and analyzed
the conflict. In addition evaluate the Nixon administration policy of Vietnamization.
- Was Vietnamization a reasonable policy, with some reasonable chance of success?
Or was it doomed to failure? Was it designed to produce victory, or was it evidence
that the American military effort had been turned back?
Section B
- Evaluate the role of the media--especially television--in the conflict in Vietnam.
Was television coverage of the war balanced and objective? Did the media help bring
the war to an end or make it last longer? What were the effects; did the media lead
public opinion, reflect it, or follow it?
- Although Richard Nixon was a peace movements villain, it was under his presidency
that the United States withdrew its last troops from Vietnam and signed an agreement
"ending" the war. In an essay, present a balanced assessment of the Nixon
administration's role in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Should the Nixon administration
be congratulated for Vietnamization? For bringing the North to the bargaining table?
For the agreement that was signed? For the incursion into Cambodia? Or were these
policies and actions less than fully successful? How, in general, did Nixon understand
the war?
- Some scholars have argued that Vietnam was "Kennedy's War," others
that it was "Johnson's War," and still others have been critical of Nixon's
conduct of the war. Yet one may question whether this presidential approach does
justice to other factors that play a role in history. One such factor is the "people,"
or "democracy." To what extent can the American people be held to account
for Vietnam? In answering this question, take into consideration the extent of the
public's knowledge of the war, its ideology, the electoral process, the strengths
and weaknesses of the protest movement, and other factors.