John and Rob's History syllabus 31/08/2006

OIB AMERICAN OPTION HISTORY , 2006-2007 (new program, aligned on the « S » program, with US domestic History from 1941-1988)

I. International Relations Since 1945 (40 per cent of course material)
A.) The World in 1945:
§ Results of the War; The Holocaust; Nuremberg Trials; Use of A-Bomb; War-Time Conferences: Bretton Woods, Yalta, Potsdam, San Francisco Conference and the UNO.
B.) The Cold War: (1)The roots of the Cold War, the creation of two blocs in Europe, 1945-1949:
§ Iranian Crisis 1946; The Iron Curtain Speech(Communization and Russification of Eastern Europe with Poland, the Blatic States and Yugoslavia ‘48 as examples); The Long Telegram and Containment, Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan; The Berlin Blockade and Airlift; Brussels Pact and NATO; The creation of West and East Germany; NSC 68.
§ Soviet Policy at the beginning of the Cold War: Novikov Telegram; Cominform; Molotov Plan; Comecon; Tito; Soviet A-Bomb.
(2) The Cold War Spreads outside Europe, 1945-1962
§ Mao And Communist China; The Korean War-- Causes and Consequences; The French and US aid in Indo-China; Cuba: The Bay of Pigs and the Missile Crisis
(3) The Post-Stalin Cold War, 1950’s and 1960’s (this unit involves a comparison/contrast of the Stalinst and post-Stalinist « Soviet Model »)
§ Khrushchev and the Thaw: Rapprochement with Tito, Geneva Conference on Indochina, Austrian State Treaty, Geneva Summit, The Secret Speech, Kitchen Debate, Khrushchev’s visit to the States, Sino-Soviet Split.
§The limits of the Thaw: Regional Security Pacts: (The Warsaw Pact, CENTO, SEATO); Poland and Hungary ‘56; The Arms Race and Sputnik; Prague Spring and the Breshnev Doctrine; Dulles and Roll-Back: The CIA in Tehran and Guatemala; U-2 Incident; U.S. involvement in Vietnam 1961-1973.
(4) Détente and the End of the Cold War
§Arms limitation/reduction 1963-1991: Partial Test-Ban Treaty ‘63 to the Change in the charter of NATO.
§ Nixon and Détente: Relations with the USSR and China
§ Détente in Europe: Adenauer, Brandt, the EEC, Helsinki
§ Reagan, Gorbachev and the End of the Cold War:
Gorby’s domestic reforms; Gorby and Eastern Europe; Gorby and the Nationality issue within the USSR; Gorby , Reagan and Arms agreements
(5) The New World Order since 1991 (1-2 hour postscript of the end of the Cold War)
§ The main forces of stability and instability in the World: The US as a hyper-power; The Mid-East; International Terrorism and Islamic Fundamentalism; Ethnic wars; The European Union
II. Colonization and Decolonization (10 per cent of course material)
(A) Colonization and the Colonial System
(1) The Colonial Race for European Powers, 1850-1914
§ The French and British Empires; The Monroe Doctrine
§ The Colonial System: Protectorats, concessions, Commonwealth, Dominion Status, Imperial preference, indirect rule; assimilation;
§ The Colonial debate in France: White Man’s Burden V. Opposition to Colonization
and Jean Jaurés
(B) Decolonization
(1) The roots of decolonization 1918-1946
§ Wilson and self-determination; the Mandate system; nationalist movements between the wars (Muslim Brothers, Gandhi and civil disobedience); Balfour Declaration; The Atlantic Charter; the effect of WWII on the colonies.
(2) Decolonization 1946-1975
§ The British and India; The Viet Minh and Ho Chi Minh; U.N. Universal Declaration on the Rights of Man; The Bandung Conference and non-alignment; The French and Algeria; Examples of African Independence
III. U.S. History 1941-1988 (This unit includes a review of the « American Model« as well as a comparison/contrast of the Democrats and the Republicans)(40 per cent of the course material)
(1) The effect of WWII on the U.S. economically, socially and politically
§ The miracle of mobilization
§ The role of women and minorities on the Home Front
§ The role of the Government during the War
(2)The Truman Presidency: what it means to be a « democrat ».
§Social issues: Truman and civil rights; Truman and the Fair Deal
§Political issues: Containment at Home: National Defense Act ‘47, Federal Employee Loyalty and Security Program; Truman’s election in 1948 and the split in the Democratic Party
(3) The Eisenhower Presidency: Ike as a middle-of-the roader
§1952 Election
§Social issues: Ike and Civil rights: The Sweatt Case; Brown V. Board; Rosa Parks and King; Massive Resistance and the Little Rock Incident; Voting Rights Act ’57.
The Suburban boom and the American family
§Political issues: The Square Deal; McCarthyism: roots of, methods, consequences of; re-election in ‘56
(4) The Kennedy Presidency
§Social Issues JFK and Civil Rights; the Warren Court (ban on school prayer ‘62, free legal counsel ‘63, Miranda Rights ‘66);
§Political issues: 1960 election; The New Frontier, Space Program
§ Foreign Policy other than Cuba and Vietnam: The Alliance for Progress; The Peace Corps
(5) The Johnson Presidency
§Social Issues: LBJ and Civil Rights: Great Society Legislation, race riots; anti-war protest
§Political Issues: 1964 election; decision not to run for re-election
(6) The Nixon Presidency
§ Social Issues: Nixon and the Civil Rights backlash; anti-war protest;
§Political Issues: 1968 election; 1972 election and the Watergate scandal: consequences on American politics and society
(7) The Ford Presidency
§Political/Social Issues: The Pardon of Nixon; The Loss to Carter
(8) The Carter Presidency
§Social/economic Issues: Carter and minority rights; the energy crisis; stagflation; environmental protection
§Political Issues: 1976 Election
§ Foreign Policy: Camp David Accords; China Recognition; SALT II; Panama Canal Treaty; Iranian Revolution and the Hostage Crisis; The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan and Carter’s response

(9) The Reagan Presidency
§Political Issues:1980 and 1984 elections; §Economic Issues: Reaganomics or the Trickle Down Theory
§ Foreign Policy other than with USSR: Freeing of the Hostages in Iran and Iran-gate; Reagan and Nicaragua;
IV The French Fifth Republic (10 per cent of the course material)
§ Politics, economics and social issues during De Gaulle’s Presidency
§ The evolution of the Fifth Republic after De Gaulle