Professor Gregg A. Brazinsky
Department of History
Phillips 305
George Washington University
Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday 3:00-4:30
Office Phone 994-0987
E-mail: brazinsk@gwu.edu
TAs: Michael Simerman, Shaadi Khoury,
Elizabeth Charles, Raabia Shafi, Richard Boles,
Gary Tripmacher, Jeremy Streatfeild.
History 182W.10
U.S. Diplomatic History—20th Century
Fall 2007 Semester
General Summary:
This course will examine American foreign relations in the twentieth century. It
will pay particular attention to the emergence of the United States as an imperial power;
World War I; the world role of the supposedly isolationist United States in the interwar
years; World War II; postwar "hegemony"; the Cold War; and American relations with
Europe and the Third World. In approaching these developments we will examine the
development of American state power, the nature of foreign policy elites, the cultural
elements informing their views of the world and the institutional contexts in which they
worked. We will also explore the interconnections between American foreign policy and
domestic society. Students will be encouraged to consider how the lessons of the past
century of U.S. foreign relations might usefully guide future American diplomacy.
WID Function and Purpose:
The purpose of the WID component of History 182 is for students to learn to
write clearly argued essays that incorporate different types of primary and secondary
source based evidence. This skill can be crucial in a wide variety of different careers
ranging from law to journalism to government work. All essays will be evaluated based
on argumentation, use of evidence, organization and style. We will work with students
who are at a disadvantage because they are not native speakers of English.
Requirements:
Although I cannot take attendance in lecture, attending lectures will be vital for
performing well on the papers and quizzes. The amount of reading for this class is very
limited so the only way to acquire the knowledge necessary to do well on the papers is to
come to lecture regularly and absorb all of the important points made in class.
Attendance at discussion section will also be crucial for performing well in the
class. Your TA will discuss in great depth what the expectations are for each paper.
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Unexcused absence from 3 or more discussion sections will result in an automatic “F” for
the entire course.
All students will write three 5 papers. On the first paper students will submit a
rough draft to their TA before submitting the final version. On the second paper they will
bring a draft into discussion for peer review before handing in the final version. Bringing
in a paper for peer review is very important and failure to do so will result in 5 points
being deducted from you paper grade. All paper topics will be distributed two weeks
before the actual paper is due.
Over the course of the semester there will be five pop quizzes given during
lecture. They may be given at any time during the lecture and on any date. There will be
no make-ups for the quizzes. Students who have notes from their doctors and/or death
notices from family members will be excused and not have the “0” averaged in.
Academic Integrity:
This course will be governed strictly by the George Washington University’s Code of
Academic Integrity. All students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the code.
They may find it at the following website: http://www.gwu.edu/~ntegrity/code.html
In writing courses, plagiarism is considered a particularly serious offense. All papers will
be submitted electronically and cross-checked for plagiarism. Students found to be guilty
of plagiarism will receive the maximum possible punishment. Before the first paper, I
will also post special plagiarism guidelines on Blackboard.
Grading:
The complete grading standards for the papers will be posted on Blackboard.
Final grades will be determined according to the following formula:
Papers: 50%
Pop Quizzes: 25%
Performance in Discussion: 25%
Paper Due Dates:
1st Draft of Paper 1: Wednesday September 26
2nd Draft of Paper 1: Wednesday October 17
1st Draft of Paper 2: Wednesday October 24
2nd Draft of Paper 2: Wednesday November 14
Paper 3: Monday December 10
Office Hours:
As indicated above, I will be available in my office on Mondays and Wednesdays
between 3:00 and 4:30. Students are welcome to show up without an appointment.
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Students wishing to meet with me who cannot attend regular office hours should e-mail
me to set up an appointment. The T.A.s will also be holding office hours at a time to be
announced later. Technical questions regarding deadlines for pass/fail, add/drop,
registrations, forms, credit etc., should be directed to the History Department secretary’s
office in Phillips 335 at 994-6230.
Assigned Texts:
Walter LaFeber, The American Age: American Foreign Policy at Home and
Abroad 1750-present.
In addition to the textbook readings, I have posted readings on Blackboard for every
session of this class. These documents can be found by going to “course outline” and
selecting the appropriate session. These readings are, for the most part, primary sources.
Students are responsible for both reading all of the documents contained on Blackboard
prior to each class and bringing copies of the documents with them to class. As the
semester progresses, I may post additional readings and materials on Blackboard that are
not currently on the syllabus. Such additions will consist of at most one or two more
documents per class. They will be posted on Blackboard at least one week before the
class for which they have to be read. These documents will be discussed in class and I
will ask students for their opinions about the meanings and significance of individual
documents.
Classroom Etiquette:
Talking in class, except when permitted by the instructor, is strictly prohibited.
All cell phones should be turned off during lecture. Although I may not stop during the
lecture to chastise those who are having conversations, I often see and remember students
who do so consistently. In such cases I will deduct points from one of your papers. The
standard penalty for disruptive behavior in one lecture is 15 points.
Class Schedule:
Tuesday, September 4: First Day of Class.
Introduction/Overview
Thursday September 6: The Origins of American Foreign Policy.
Assigned Readings: LaFeber, The American Age, Chapter 1.
On Blackboard: John Wintrhop, City Upon the Hill Sermon; Ezra Stiles, The
United States Elevated to Honor and Glory.
Tuesday September 11: Isolationism and Expansionism 1789-1865.
Assigned Readings: Skim LaFeber, The American Age, Chapters 2-4.
On Blackboard: James Madison, The Federalist #10; George Washington, The
Farewell Address, John L. O’Sullivan, Manifest Destiny.
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Thursday September 13: Laying the Foundations of Empire, 1865-1898.
Assigned Readings: Skim LaFeber, The American Age, Chapters 5-6.
On Blackboard: Josiah Strong on Anglo-Saxon Predominance; Alfred Thayer
Mahan on Sea Power; Richard Olney on American Jurisdiction in the Western
Hemisphere.
Tuesday September 18: The Spanish-American-Cuban-Philippines War.
Assigned Readings: LaFeber, The American Age, Chapter 7.
On Blackboard: Albert Beveridge, The March of the Flag; William Jennings
Bryan, Two Speeches; Henry Cabot Lodge, For Intervention in Cuba.
Thursday September 20: The Open Door Policy.
On Blackboard: Richard F. Hinton, “The Race for Commercial Supremacy in
Asia;” Charles Denby, “America’s Opportunity in Asia;” Rev. Judson Smith,
“The Awakening of China.”
Tuesday September 25: Theodore Roosevelt and World Order.
On Blackboard: The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine; Roosevelt’s
Case for Supporting the Revolution in Panama; Theodore Roosevelt, The
Strenuous Life; Theodore Roosevelt, Speech at Charleston: Roosevelt’s Letter to
Cecil Rice.
Thursday September 27: Dollar Diplomacy.
Assigned Readings: LaFeber, The American Age, Chapter 8.
On Blackboard: William Howard Taft, Dollar Diplomacy; William Howard Taft,
Loan Convention for Honduras; Loan Convention for Nicaragua.
Tuesday October 2: Wilson, Revolution and War.
Assigned Readings: LaFeber, The American Age, Chapter 9.
On Blackboard: Woodrow Wilson on Latin America Policy; Robert Lansing on
Intervention; Woodrow Wilson, Peace Without Victory; The First Lusitania Note;
Woodrow Wilson, Declaration of Neutrality; Woodrow Wilson’s War Message.
Thursday October 4: Wilson, Versailles and the League of Nations.
Assigned Readings: LaFeber, The American Age, Chapter 10.
On Blackboard: Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points; Woodrow Wilson’s League
of Nations Speech; Lenin, Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism.
Tuesday October 9: The Internationalism of the 1920s and 1930s.
Assigned Readings: LaFeber, The American Age, Chapter 11.
On Blackboard: Herbert Hoover on Foreign Trade; Calvin Coolidge’s Speech on
the Dawes Plan; Charles Evan Hughes on Naval Disarmament.
Thursday October 11: American Entry into World War II.
Assigned Readings: LaFeber, The American Age, Chapter 12.
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On Blackboard: FDR, Message to the Nations of the World; FDR Address at
Chautauqua, FDR, Quarantine Speech; FDR, Arsenal of Democracy Speech.
Tuesday October 16: World War II and the Peace Settlement.
Assigned Readings: LaFeber, The American Age, Chapter 13.
On Blackboard: The Atlantic Charter; FDR, Broadcast to the Nation; Bretton
Woods Decisions; Dumbarton Oaks decisions.
Thursday October 18: Origins of the Cold War.
Assigned Readings: LaFeber, The American Age, Chapter 14.
On Blackboard: George Kennan’s Long Telegram; The Truman Doctrine;
Winston Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech; NSC 68: Conclusions and
Recommendations.
Tuesday October 23: The Cold War in Asia.
On Blackboard: George C. Marshall on the Situation in China; John Leighton
Stuart, Report on Mao’s Overture; William Knowland, Argument against the
Recognition of China; Film: Our Job in Japan.
Thursday October 25: The Korean War.
Assigned Readings: LaFeber, The American Age, Chapter 15
On Blackboard: Dean Acheson’s Defense Perimeter Speech; Intelligence
Memorandum #302.
Tuesday October 30: Eisenhower’s New Look and Nuclear Diplomacy.
On Blackboard: Eisenhower on the Dangers of a Military Industrial Complex;
John Foster Dulles on Massive Retaliation; NSC 158.
Thursday November 1: Eisenhower and the Third World.
Assigned Readings: LaFeber, The American Age, Chapter 16.
On Blackboard: Indonesian President Sukarno at the Bandung Conference; The
Eisenhower Doctrine; Secret History of the Coup in Iran; The CIA in Guatemala.
Tuesday November 6: Modernization and Kennedy’s Cold War.
On Blackboard: Rostow and Millikan, A Proposal; JFK on the Creation of the
Peace Corps; JFK’s Inaugural Address.
Thursday November 8: The Cuban Missile Crisis and the Alliance for Progress.
Assigned Readings: LaFeber, The American Age, Chapter 17.
On Blackboard: The Cuban Problem; JFK’s Speech on the Alliance for Progress;
Interview with Fidel Castro; USAID Program for Nicaragua.
Tuesday November 13: Nation Building and War in Vietnam.
On Blackboard: Ho Chi Minh Declares Vietnamese Independence; Eisenhower’s
Domino Theory; Counterinsurgency Plan in Vietnam, The Gulf of Tonkin
Resolution.
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Thursday November 15: The United States and Sub-Saharan Africa.
On Blackboard: Statement of U.S. Policy Toward Africa South of the Sahara
Prior to Calendar Year 1960; Current Policies of the United States Government
Relating to Security: Africa; CIA Report on the Situation in the Congo.
Tuesday November 20: Nixon, Kissinger and Detente.
Assigned Readings: LaFeber, The American Age, Chapter 18.
On Blackboard: Henry Kissinger on the National Interest; NSC Options Paper on
Chile; Nixon’s Speech Explaining the Global Centers of Power
Tuesday November 27: The End of Détente.
On Blackboard: Zbigniew Brzezinski, Excerpt from Memoir; U.S. Memos on
Afghanistan; Interview with Jimmy Carter; Carter-Brezhnev Exchange of Letters.
Thursday November 29: Reagan and the End of the Cold War.
Assigned Readings: LaFeber, The American Age, Chapter 19.
On Blackboard: Ronald Reagan’s Star Wars Speech; Ronald Reagan’s Evil
Empire Speech; The Reagan Doctrine Speech.
Tuesday, December 4: Bush I, Clinton and the New World Order.
On Blackboard: George HW Bush Press Conference on Panama; George HW
Bush Thanksgiving Day Address; George HW Bush Press Conference at
Kennebunkport; George HW Bush Declares A New World Order; Clinton Speech
at the WTO; Clinton State of the Union Address 1999.
Thursday, December 6: George W. Bush and the War Against Terror.
On Blackboard: Excerpt from 2000 Presidential Debate; George W. Bush Address
at West Point; Excerpt from 2004 Presidential Debate; George W. Bush Press
Conference with Tony Blair.
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