HIS 135
Paragraph One
 
 
Berlin wall
The Berlin Wall

Answer the following question in a short paragraph of about one-half page in length:

Why did communism change from being an attractive political ideology after World War Two to being a political liability by the 1990s?
 
Blue Separator Bar
 
Directions

Write your paragraph using a word processor (double-spaced, one-inch margins, font size 10 or 12).  This assignment should be a single paragraph about a half-page in length--it should not exceed one page.  Please take the time to organize your thoughts in a logical manner and be sure to cite some historical material either from your textbook reading, or from outside research, to support your analysis. Please make sure that the first sentence of your paragraph is a direct answer to the assignment question (a thesis).

You should approach this question as a historian looking over the entire course of the Cold War in its entire worldwide scope. You should not focus solely on what has happened in Russia. Of course, you cannot cover everything about the Cold War (After all, there are historians who have written thousands of pages on the Cold War). You should think "big picture," and you should focus.

Please consult Charlie's History Writing Center for specific information on the writing requirements of this course.

Your assignment should be sent to your course instructor following the directions for submitting assignments.

This short paragraph is worth a maximum of 50 points.

 
 

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ps.  I really like these short paragraph questions because they require some reflection and interpretation; you must also be very precise with your wording because of length considerations.  There is no single right answer.