Instructions:
 

At the time of the exam on May 19th (11:30-1:30 PM), you will be given two questions randomly selected from the following list. You will then answer one of these two. Please remember that your essay will be graded for organization (for example, every essay should have an introduction that previews the argument), command of the material, and writing. Although you may need to use several readings to answer a question, be sure to organize your essay as a response to the question, not on a reading-by-reading basis. You may not use any notes or books when writing the essay in class.
 

Questions:
 

1. The Challenge of Limited War.Limited wars present a special challenge to presidential leadership. Identify and discuss the leadership problems peculiar to limited wars and examine critically how presidents have addressed those problems. Support your analysis with case study material drawn from two limited wars. (Note: This essay should be organized around the theme of leadership challenges, not on a war-by-war basis.)
 

2. Readying the Public for War. Presidents sometimes have had to lead the American public to accept the need to enter or initiate a conflict, but they may have found it difficult to shift public opinion in favor of war. Contrast and compare how two presidents set the stage for United States involvement in war.
 

3. The Merits of "Hands-On" Supreme Leadership. Eliot Cohen argues that successful wartime leadership requires that a political leader intervene actively in military decision making. Based upon wartime presidential leadership since the beginning of the 20th Century, has "hands-on" supreme command proven to be necessary and/or sufficient to assure success for the United States in military conflict?
 

4. Franklin Roosevelt and the Approach of Global War. Assess critically Franklin D. Roosevelt's leadership in the period before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.