How and Why the Military’s Duties and its Image Fluctuated During the Cold War and the Decades after that Period.

Thematic PowerPoint Assignment Three (Covers the course material from Weeks 6 and 7) Textbook: William T. Allison, Jeffrey Grey, Janet Valentine, American Military History: A Survey from Colonial Times to the Present, Second Edition (2012) , Chapters 13 to 17. ISBN-10:0205898505, ISBN-13: 978-0205898503 After the Second World War, the United States became the most significant military force in the free world, a power that would change its role in the world. However, the type of international system the United States operated within and the creation of major nuclear capabilities had a major impact on warfare in the second half of the 20th century, changes to which the United States tried to adapt. From 1945 until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the American government and military would participate in major conflicts and “small wars” tied to American concern over the rise of communism and the power of the USSR. These events would have a significant negative effect on the image of the American military. Then, in the last years of the 20th century and the first years of the 21st century, the country would become the world’s peacekeeper and nation-builder, as well as the political and military, (and sometimes economic) leader of the entire world. The American military, used to the evolution of its role and its image, would navigate this period with one eye on its duties and the other on re-shaping the negative reputation it gained during the Cold War. For this assignment, you must create a slideshow presentation that explains how and why the military’s duties and its image fluctuated during the Cold War and the decades after that period. In other words, how did a military coming off the heels of a major victory and augmentation of its influence due to World War II become an entity forced to redefine itself, its responsibilities, and its image? In this presentation, you must do the following: •Explain how and why the defense of the country was restructured via the creation of a civilian/military defense establishment. •Explain what the theories and policies were that shaped the United States’ early understanding of its relationship with the Soviet Union. •Explain how American participation in the Korean War indicated a change in how the government and the military viewed its role in the Cold War and areas possibly threatened with the spread of communist ideology and Soviet influence. •Explain how the augmentation of nuclear capabilities changed defense and military policy and the problems a focus on nuclear weapons may have created for U.S. defense policy (you may discuss specific policies and complications with those policies in both the Eisenhower and Kennedy years). •Explain the types/phases of participation the United States military engaged in during the Vietnam conflict, how these types/phases of participation were guided by civilian leaders, and how they impacted the American public’s view of the war. •Explain the impact the Vietnam War had on the image of the American military and the attempts made in the 1980s to regain a more positive image for military. •Explain the role the Gulf War and the various peacekeeping and nation-building efforts of the Clinton years had in the re-bolstering of the American military’s image and its role in world affairs. •Explain the impact 9/11, Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, and Operation IRAQI FREEDOM had on the image of the American military and its role in world affairs. •Conclude with a strong statement (or bullet point list) that illustrates the current image and responsibilities of the American military as you see them. Requirements: •Your slideshow MUST contain AT LEAST 10 slides. •Your slideshow MUST address ALL of the points listed above. •Your slideshow MUST have an over-arching argument (thesis) that you plainly state. •Your slideshow CANNOT contain word for word information from Professor Stevens’ powerpoints or from the textbook. ALL language must be in your own words. •The slideshow you upload to our dropbox MUST be in the Microsoft PowerPoint program. (Please contact me if you do not have access to the program on your computer.) Tips for completing this assignment: •Think of the assignment as creating a detailed outline of the main question. •Use keyword headers and sub-headers that illustrate the topics of each slide. •Condense material on each topic into small bullet point lists of fragments of sentences. Do NOT just use keywords unless they are headers or sub-headers. •Make sure that as you move through ideas you are making logical transitions to the next issue. •You may use pictures and maps to illustrate your points or add flare to your presentation; however, if you use only an image on a particular slide, that slide does not count in your minimum slide count of 10.