History 371 HON

Devine

Fall 2010

Writing Assignment #2 – World War I

Answer TWO of the following three questions. Each one of your answers should be 250 words. (This allows you about 2-3 paragraphs to answer.) In answering, introduce specific evidence to support any claims you make. Try to be as concise as possible – avoid wordiness and don’t include anything that doesn’t pertain to or directly answer the question.

Your answers should be typed and double-spaced. Either hand in a hard copy of your answers in class or email me an e-copy BEFORE class. No late submissions will be accepted for this assignment.

1. Why does Lloyd Ambrosius (“Woodrow Wilson and the Culture of Wilsonianism”) argue that if we understand how Wilson defined terms such as “nation,” “democracy,” “sovereignty,” and “self-determination,” his policies appear less hypocritical and contradictory?

2. In “The War Diary” Randolph Bourne argues that progressives are being “utopian” if they believe American involvement in the Great War will advance the liberal reform agenda. Why does he say this? Why does Bourne believe the pro-war progressives are deluding themselves?

3. According to John Steele Gordon, why did the “seminal catastrophe” of World War I cause Western civilization to lose confidence in itself and, more specifically, in its most notable achievements – capitalism and democracy? Why did this loss of confidence have profoundly negative ramifications in the years after the war?