Causes of the Cold War

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Essay 4: Causes of the Cold War

Due March 26

20% of final grade

Historians have written extensively on the deterioration of relations between the United States and the Soviet Union. Many have focused on the immediate post-WWII years (1945-1955) in search of the causes of the Cold War. Some historians blame the Soviets, other historians blame the Americans, while a more nuanced approach stresses the inevitability of the conflict, but also blames both. This essay expects students to draw on the resources posted on the canvas Cold War module to answer the following question:

Who should historians blame for the Cold War and why?

Students should write an argumentative essay that discusses in full at least 3 pieces of evidence that helps support their conclusion/answer. That evidence should be analyzed in the context of the question—who should historians blame for the Cold War and why? The pieces of evidence are actual events, people, incidents--real, specific historical information that validates your perspective.

Essay Structure:

By now everyone should understand the importance of keeping your essay tightly organized. Writing history essays is an “art,” but they also require “discipline.”

Everyone’s essay should be structured the same way.

--The introduction paragraph (about 5-7 sentences) must contain a thesis statement. The thesis statement, your argument, is the answer to the question—who should historians blame for the Cold War and why? It’s always a good idea for students, after the thesis statement in the introduction, to include tidbits of information that will help the reader understand the scope of the argument. In this case, a couple of sentences explaining the “why” part of the question. Put differently, the thesis statement needs to be more than simply “The US is to blame for the Cold War.” The thesis statement, and the sentences that follow, need to be as explanatory as possible given the limited space.

--The body paragraphs should all start with a topic sentence—the first sentence of every paragraph should explain what the point of the paragraph is and how that point relates to the thesis. Your reader should be able to understand the different parts of the argument simply by reading each topic sentence. Each body paragraph needs to focus on developing, discussing, and analyzing at least one piece of evidence—an incident, a policy, a conflict, a decision, a person—something that can be pointed to as proof of your argument. The pieces of evidence selected should be as specific as possible. You must have evidence. Without evidence there is no argument. And if there is not an argument, the objectives of the assignment are left incomplete. There should be 3 body paragraphs. Each body paragraph will discuss one piece of historical information that helps prove your argument.

--Each reason or cause for blame of the Cold War (the evidence) should be given a full analysis. Analysis is different from narrative description in the sense that analysis ties the discussion about the evidence, in this case the event/policy/decision/person that led to the Cold War, back to the argument. Analysis gives the evidence purpose by directing the discussion of the evidence back to the argument. Avoid a general narration of events.

--Be sure to avoid writing a general summary of the Cold War, instead focus on the question and argument. Try to make sentence count toward proving the argument. I always recommend that students look at each sentence and think to themselves, how does this sentence help illustrate the argument.

--Each essay should contain a short, formal conclusion (final paragraph) that restates the central themes discussed in the body paragraphs, offers broader conclusions about American history, or even tries to connect the paper to contemporary events.

Students should not to extend their analysis past the mid-1950s. Remember you only have 3-4 pages, taking the discussion past the early 1950s would be beyond the scope and scale of the essay.

Writing Standards

The essay will be 3-4 pages long (approximately 1200 words).

Standard margins.

12 point times new roman font.

In-text parenthetical citations. For example: (Foner, 3), or (Johnson, 25).

The essay needs to reference/cite at least 3 sources from the list of required resources (readings/videos). If the essay does not reference at least 3 sources, the grade will be penalized.

All essays need to be submitted to turn-it-in, through canvas. I will not grade the essay if it’s not submitted to turn-it-in.

Proofread the essay. If I can’t understand the writing, the grade will be penalized.

The rubric is posted on the course portal.

Every essay needs a formal works cited page. Remember to cite each individual source. MLA format for works cited page.

There is no need to consult outside sources. All of the information needed to complete this essay is found in the module. Students must reference the Johnson text.

If the essay fails to meet the above requirements the grade will be penalized.

After completing these tasks and objectives, students will be able to:

· Course Objective 1 (CO1). Assess key events, central themes, and questions pertaining to recent United States history.

· Gain experience reading and analyzing written arguments by engaging with a variety of types of sources.

· Learn and apply the techniques of writing an argumentative, thesis-driven and evidence-based paper

· Students will construct an evidence-based argument demonstrating how local, regional, national, and global events shaped the interactions of two or more groups in the United States. (Global Awareness)

· Students will construct an evidence-based argument that integrates multiple perspectives on an issue in Modern US History. (Global Perspective)

· Students will consider different perspectives on a problem or controversy related to Modern US History and attempt to reach a resolution about it. (Global Engagement)

Rubric

Calvo essay rubric (1) (1) (1)

Calvo essay rubric (1) (1) (1)

Criteria

Ratings

Pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeOverall Impression

20 to >16.8 pts

Excellent

Author directly addresses the main question or issue, and adds new insight to the subject not provided in lectures, readings, or class discussions. The author has retained nearly all of the knowledge presented in class. He/She is able to synthesize this knowledge in new ways and relate to material not covered in the course.

16.8 to >13.6 pts

Proficient

Author competently addresses main question or issue, but does not add much new insight into the subject. That said, it is clear that the author has learned a great deal in class and is able to communicate this knowledge to others.

13.6 to >10.4 pts

Limited

Author attempts to address the main question or issue, but fails. The author has retained some information from the course, but does not fully understand its meaning or context and cannot clearly convey it to others.

10.4 to >0 pts

Poor

Essay does NOT address the main question or issue, and it is obvious that the author has not retained any information from the course.

20 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeArgument

15 to >12.6 pts

Excellent

Essay contains a clear argument—i.e., lets the reader know exactly what the author is trying to communicate.

12.6 to >10.2 pts

Proficient

An argument is present, but reader must reconstruct it from the text.

10.2 to >7.8 pts

Limited

Author attempts, but fails, to make an argument (e.g., starts with a rhetorical question/statement or anecdote that is never put into context).

7.8 to >0 pts

Poor

No attempt is made to articulate an argument.

15 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeEvidence

20 to >16.8 pts

Excellent

Provides compelling and accurate evidence that convinces reader to accept main argument. The importance/relevance of all pieces of evidence is clearly stated. There are no gaps in reasoning—i.e., the reader does not need to assume anything or do additional research to accept main argument.

16.8 to >13.6 pts

Proficient

Provides necessary evidence to convince reader of most aspects of the main argument but not all. The importance/ relevance of some evidence presented may not be totally clear. Reader must make a few mental leaps or do some additional research to fully accept all aspects of main argument.

13.6 to >10.4 pts

Limited

Not enough evidence is provided to support the author's argument, or evidence is incomplete, incorrect, or oversimplified. Information from lectures and readings is not effectively used.

10.4 to >0 pts

Poor

Either no evidence is provided, or there are numerous factual mistakes, omissions or oversimplifications. There is little or no mention of information from lectures and readings.

20 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeSources

15 to >12.6 pts

Excellent

Evidence is used from a wide range of sources. When required, the author also consults scholarly books, websites, journal articles, etc. not explicitly discussed in class.

12.6 to >10.2 pts

Proficient

Evidence is used from many sources, but the author relies heavily on a more limited set of sources. Some effort is made to go beyond material presented in class when required, but not much. If outside sources are used, they are primarily non-scholarly (i.e., intended for a general audience) and/or web-based.

10.2 to >7.8 pts

Limited

Uses only a few of the sources provided in class, or does not go beyond what has been provided by professor when required to do additional research.

7.8 to >0 pts

Poor

Does not use sources, only minimally uses sources provided by instructor, or relies exclusively on non-scholarly outside sources.

15 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeCitations

10 to >8.4 pts

Excellent

All evidence is properly cited. The essay contains a bibliography.

8.4 to >6.8 pts

Proficient

All evidence is cited, but there are some minor problems with completeness or format of some citations.

6.8 to >5.2 pts

Limited

Some pieces are unreferenced or inaccurately referenced.

5.2 to >0 pts

Poor

No attempt is made to cite evidence.

10 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeOrganization

10 to >8.4 pts

Excellent

Essay contains an intro, main body, and conclusion. Introduction lays out main argument and gives an outline of what the reader can expect in the essay. The conclusion brings everything together, acknowledges potential shortcomings of the paper, and gives the reader a sense of what further work might be done to advance the subject matter described in the paper.

8.4 to >6.8 pts

Proficient

Essay contains an intro, main body, and conclusion. The introduction lays out the main argument but gives the reader little idea of what to expect in the essay. The conclusion nicely summarizes the main argument and evidence, but does not move beyond what has already been presented in the paper.

6.8 to >5.2 pts

Limited

Essay contains an intro, main body, and conclusion. The introduction gives the reader an idea of what to expect in the paper, but does not effectively lay out the main argument. It may begin with a set of rhetorical questions, or an anecdote that is never fully explained. The conclusion does little more than restate the problematic introduction. Intro and/or conclusion may be too wordy or short.

5.2 to >0 pts

Poor

Essay has no clear organizational pattern.

10 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeClarity and Style

10 to >8.4 pts

Excellent

All sentences are grammatically correct and clearly written. No words are misused or unnecessarily fancy. Technical terms, words from other languages, and words from other historical periods are always explained. All information is accurate and up-to-date. Paper has been spell-checked AND proofread (ideally by you and somebody else), and contains no errors.

8.4 to >6.8 pts

Proficient

All sentences are grammatically correct and clearly written. An occasional word is misused or unnecessarily fancy. Technical terms, words from other languages, and words from other historical periods are usually, but not always, explained. All information is accurate and up-to-date. Paper has been spell-checked AND proofread, and contains no more than a few minor errors, which do not adversely affect the reader’s ability to understand the essay.

6.8 to >5.2 pts

Limited

A few sentences are grammatically incorrect or not clearly written. Several words are misused. Technical terms, words from other languages, and words from other historical periods are rarely explained. Not all information is accurate and up-to-date. Paper has been spell-checked AND proofread, but still contains several errors. Reader’s ability to understand essay may be compromised by these errors.

5.2 to >0 pts

Poor

Paper is full of grammatical errors and bad writing. Several words are misused. Technical terms, words from other languages, and words from other historical periods are rarely explained. Not all information is accurate and up-to-date. Paper has not been spell-checked or proofread, and contains numerous errors. Reader has a difficult time understanding essay because of errors.

10 pts

Total Points: 100