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Course length: 15 weeks Last revised: 6 October 2003 |
Course Materials:
Mark Mazower, Dark Continent: Europe's Twentieth Century
George Orwell, Homage to Catalonia
Slavenka Drakulic, Café Europa
John W. Boyer (Editor), Julius Kirshner (Editor), Jan Goldstein (Editor), Twentieth-Century Europe (University of Chicago Readings in Western Civilization, Vol 9)
Course Description:
HIST 337 Europe in the World Setting since 1914 (3)
(Fulfills the historical or international perspective requirement.) An investigation of the political, economic, and cultural developments of 20th-century Europe, with special emphasis on the factors involved in the two world wars and their worldwide effects and significance.
Course Goals/Objectives:
After successful completion this course, students will be able to:
- discuss the historical and international consequences of the twentieth century's two world wars
- identify the forces in twentieth-century European culture, politics, and science and technology that led to the Europeans' self-destructive wars, the rise of totalitarianism, and the eventual consolidation of social democracy
- identify the underlying forces in the rise of modern totalitarianism, the decline of imperialism, and the collapse of communism
- describe the place of women and minorities in twentieth-century European society
- discuss the transformation of the bourgeoisie, the urban working classes, and the rural population over the course of the century
- discuss the manner in which art, literature, and philosophy reflected the tone and character of an age rapidly shifting between total war, mass political mobilization, unprecedented prosperity, and ecological crisis
- delineate the roles of the airplane, automobile, radio, cinema, television, and computers in changing the lives of people everywhere
Learners will also demonstrate their analysis and understanding of the readings in writing and discussion assignments. They will have satisfactorily demonstrated competency in citing specific examples of what happened and in analyzing in depth why it happened. This requirement is consistent with the upper-division historical studies that go well beyond the simple compilation of facts, names, or dates.
Course Introduction:
In this course, we examine European history between the crucible of World War I (1914) and the implosion of the Soviet Union (1991). During this short but momentous era, twentieth-century Europe experienced what historian Eric Hobsbawm has called "the age of extremes." First, Europe suffered four horrible years of total war (1914-1918). Next, the continent experienced a decade of painful adjustment and frenzied partying (the1920s). Then, came a worldwide economic depression and political extremism. This decade, the 1930s, ended with the onset of the bloodiest war in human history (World War II.). World War II marked the depths of human depravity with the extermination of six million Jews in the Holocaust.
Remarkably, after these horrors, Europe emerged into a period of what we might call "cold prosperity." Two superpowers, the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.)--dominated separate western and eastern
spheres of Europe. Although this Cold War stalemate seemed destined to last for centuries, a series of events during the mid-to-late 1980s, especially the reforms of the daring Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, resulted in the collapse of the Soviet
system by the end of 1991. Europe and the rest of the world continue to come to terms with these momentous changes.
Although no longer as preeminent in the world as they were during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the countries of Europe still compose one of the most formidable economic, cultural, and political powers on the face of the earth. Technologies, political and economic ideas, and cultural styles first formulated in Europe continue to shape our lives today.
Our approach to history encompasses diverse perspectives. We study the traditional subjects--the great political, economic, and political events. The roles of literature, art, philosophy, and mass and popular culture, more recent objects of historical study, will also be covered. Finally, we will explore the role of government in sustaining the health and welfare of society.
One of the great lessons of twentieth-century European history is that we do not face a simple choice between totalitarianism and liberal democracy but can see an alternative--social democracy.
Consequently, we will encourage you to define history more broadly than most people do. We will press you to consider constantly the way in which all the aspects of life join together to produce an age and its people. Then we will ask you in what ways the history of twentieth-century Europe continues to echo in your life today.
The course is presented in the following five modules:
1. War's Aftermath: Chaos, Entertainment, and Experimentation
2. The "Devil's Decade"--1930s: The Rise of Hitler
3. War's Encore: Hot and Cold (1939-1962)
4. Prosperity, Contestation, and Stagnation (1963-1980)
5. Of Reform and Collapse: 1981-1991
**Grading Information and Criteria:
The grading scale, based on 100 points, is:
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A |
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90–100 points |
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B |
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80–89 points |
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C |
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70–79 points |
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D |
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60–69 points |
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F |
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0–59 points |
Grading Criteria
Grades will be determined as follows:
Reflection Essays 60% (10% each)
Proctored Final examination 40%
TOTAL 100%
Grades will be determined as follows. The reflection essay grades will constitute 60% (or 10% each) of your final grade. These should be submitted in accordance with the written directions you received with your class materials. Each essay should be approximately 1000-1200 words in length.
The comprehensive final exam must be proctored and will each constitute 40% of your final grade for this course. The final examination will consist of a combination of short and long essays (a long essay should take approximately one hour to complete thoroughly) as determined by the instructor. The final examination will not include any multiple choice, true/false, fill in the blanks or similar testing formats.
**Other Information
Any other information the instructor wishes to add. This might include:
¨ General expectations of students, such as hours per week students should expect to devote to the class
¨ Turnaround time for faculty to respond to email and return papers
¨ Unique class procedures or activities (such as cooperative learning exercises, panel presentations, case study methods, class journals or learning logs)
¨ Supplemental objectives (such as development of skills like teamwork, writing, oral presentation; integration of knowledge on focus topics)
¨ Optional activities such as study groups
** Project Descriptions
Writing Assignments
While the reading assignments will provide you the information you need, at the same time the six short writing assignments will help you develop the skills you need to use this information effectively on the final. Try to use each one to improve your skills in formulating an essay- organizing your thoughts, developing a central theme and expressing your ideas clearly in writing.
These are the reflection essay topics. These assignments are intended to highlight the main points of discussion in the reading and to give you a chance to obtain feedback from your instructor about important course material on a regular basis. Each essay should be submitted in accordance to the directions you received with your course materials.
Assignment 1 Write and 800-1200 word essay on the following subject. The first writing assignment should be submitted at the end of week two.
War ravaged Europe and the world between 1914-1918 and again between 1939 to 1945. What were the principle causes of these wars? Be sure to consider not only the political, economic, and social causes outlined in the Mazower text but also the ideological and psychological passions that ignited these total wars. For these latter issues be sure to draw upon the Boyer, Kirshner, and Goldstein collection of readings. How did the inconclusiveness of World War I ending and the postwar settlement almost inevitably bring about World War II? What is the relationship between the eclipse of European power and the advent of the Cold War? How has the end of the Cold War allowed the emergence of the European Union?
Assignment 2 Write an 800-1200 word essay on the following subject The second writing assignment should be submitted at the end of week four.
The twentieth century saw the rise and fall of expansive and ambitious political ideologies on both the right and the left of the political spectrum. Draw upon the Mazower text and the Boyer, Kirshner, and Goldstein collection of readings to delineate the vital points of fascism, Nazism, and communism. What flaws did Geogre Orwell, in Homage to Catalonia, expose in the communist ideal? Are these the same flaws that helped bring the system crashing down in the opinion of Slavenka Drakulic in Café Europa?
Assignment 3 Write an 800-1200 word essay on the following subject. The third writing assignment should be submitted at the end of week six.
The twentieth century was one in which technology of all different sorts exploded. Be sure to consider where and when various technologies emerged and how they spread. On the one hand, how did technologies during the first half of the century help spark the most destructive wars in human history? On the other hand, how did technologies lead to unprecedented prosperity and a military standoff? Can was see this technological evolution across the twentieth century as a permanent triumph or merely a temporary pause in the history of human destructiveness?
Assignment 4 Write an 800-1200 word essay on the following subject. The fourth writing assignment should be submitted at the end of week eight.
The evolution of notions of social classification changed radically across the twentieth century. First outline the various social classes in Europe on the eve of World War I. How did this war shatter the old European social system? What were the alternatives that fascism, communism, and Nazism offered to European as to reformulating their social orders? How did the devastation of World War II lead to a fundamental transformation in the European class system? How has the collapse of the Soviet Bloc reordered class relations not only in Eastern but also Western Europe?
Assignment 5 Write an 800-1200 word essay on the following subject. The fifth writing assignment should be submitted at the end of week eleven .
The status of women has also underwent a dramatic evolution between 1900 and the 1990s. Delineate the various political, economic, and social forces that helped reshape the lives of women. What role did women themselves play in this transformation? Finally, compare and contrast the status of women in 1900 with the 1990s. In what ways have women made dramatic strides? In which ways are they still subordinate to men?
Assignment 6 Write an 800-1200 word essay on the following subject. The sixth writing assignment should be submitted at the end of week thirteen.
Europe in 1900 directly controlled almost all of the Asian and African continents and exercised hegemony over much of the financial and cultural lives of both North and South Americans. How did the rise of scientific racism both reflect and help legitimize this dominance? Trace how World Wars I and II not only shattered European military and political power in the rest of the world but also led to the rise of anti-colonial struggles and a retreat of scientific racism. Finally how did the end of the imperial age, the renaissance of the European economy after World War II, and falling birth rates in Europe after 1970s lead to unprecedented immigration into Europe from Asia and Africa? How is Europe being transformed by these immigrants?
Academic Policies
[Specific policies and/or URLs for UMUC policies will be provided]
**Course Schedule:
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Week 1 |
The Long Road to War Mazower, Preface and Boyer and Goldstein, “Mentalities on the eve of the Great War,” pp. 6-82. |
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Week 2 |
The Great War Boyer and Goldstein, “European Society during the War”pp. 83-190. Module One |
Assignment One Due |
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Week 3 |
From Crisis to Crisis Mazower, “The Deserted Temple: Democracy’s Rise and Fall,” chapter 1, pp. 3-40. Module One |
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Week 4 |
The Failed Peace Mazower, Empires, Nations, Minorities” chapter 2, pp. 41-75. Boyer and Goldstein, pp. 191-317. Module Two |
Assignment Two Due |
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Week 5 |
The Great Depression and the Rise of Competing Dictatorships Mazower, Healthy Bodies, Sick Bodies” chapter 3, and The Crisis of Capitalism” pp. 76-103 and 104-137. Module Two |
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Week 6 |
Political Passions and Polarization Boyer and Goldstein, pp. 318-432. Finish George Orwell, Homage to Catalonia. Module Two |
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Week 7 |
The Nazi Era Mazower, “Hitler’s New Order, 1938-45,” chapter 5 pp. 138-181. Module Three |
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Week 8 |
World War II in Europe Mazower, “A Brutal Peace, 1943-9,” chapter 7, 212-249. Module Three |
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Week 9 |
The Search for Peace and Stability Boyer and Goldstein, pp. 464-559. Module Four |
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Week 10 |
The Cold War Mazower, “Blueprints for the Golden Age,” chapter 5, pp. 182-211. Module Four |
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Week 11 |
Creating the Eastern Bloc Mazower, “Building People’s Democracy,” chapter 8, pp. 250-285. Module Four |
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Week 12 |
The Post-War Revival of Western Europe Mazower, “Democracy Transformed: Western Europe, 1950-75,” chapter 9, pp. 286-326. Module Five |
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Week 13 |
Prosperity and its Discontents Mazower, “The Contract in Crisis” chapter 10, 327-360. Boyer and Goldstein, “Custodians of the Liberal Conscience: Two Views from Vienna,” pp. 433-463, and “Moving Forward,” pp. 560-624. |
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Week 14 |
The Collapse of the Soviet Bloc and the Remolding of Europe Mazower, “Sharks and Dolphins: The Collapse of Communism” chapter 11, 361-394, and “Epilogue: Making Europe,” 395-403 Finish Slavenka Drakulic, Cafe Europa |
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Week 15 |
Final Examination |
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Additional Information
Week 1 Introduction: The Long Road to War
Read Mazower, Preface, and Boyer and Goldstein, “Mentalities on the eve of the Great War,” pp. 6-82.
Initially, we shall set the stage for a study of twentieth-century Europe by exploring the dynamic but peaceful first fifteen years of the new century (1901-1914). As you read the relevant sections of Mazower, Readings in Western Civilization, and Module one, get a sense of what were the values of "Old Europe" before World War I, its culture and world view. By doing so you will gain a sense of why Europeans would be so traumatized by the events that would unfold in subsequent decades.
Week 2 The Great War
Read Boyer and Goldstein, “European Society during the War,” pp. 83-190; Module One, Assignment One Due
The first great trauma to affect twentieth-century Europe was "the Great War." Explore in the Readings in Western Civilization how World War I brutalized and radicalized European mind due to the mechanization of warfare, which resulted in mass death and casualties.
Week 3 From Crisis to Crisis
Read Mazower, “The Deserted Temple: Democracy’s Rise and Fall,” chapter 1, pp. 3-40.
Module One
The end of war in 1918 did not bring a return to the old order. Explore in the Mazower and Module one readings for this week the problems with liberal parliamentary democracy in the interwar period (1919-1939).
Week 4 The Failed Peace
Read Mazower, Empires, Nations, Minorities” chapter 2, pp. 41-75. Boyer and Goldstein, pp. 191-317; Module Two; Assignment Two Due
The Versailles Peace Treaty did not resolve national and international tensions. For this week Mazower provides a fine overview of tensions within and between nations and the Readings in Western Civilization show you some of the voices of discontent, revenge, and revolution that emerged. In short, ponder how national and international tensions wracked European nations and empires during the 1920s and 1930s.
Week 5 The Great Depression and the Rise of Competing Dictatorships
Read Mazower, Healthy Bodies, Sick Bodies” chapter 3, and The Crisis of Capitalism” pp. 76-103 and 104-137; Start George Orwell, Homage to Catalonia; Module Two
The nervous but giddy 1920s gave way to the devastation of the Great Depression which hit some parts of Europe, especially Germany, shortly after the October stock market crash in New York. Mazower's chapter sets the stage and George Orwell's book provides a searing personal insight into the effects of the Great Depression and the rise of extreme politics (fascism and communism) across Europe.
Week 6 Political Passions and Polarization
Read Boyer and Goldstein, pp. 318-432; Finish George Orwell, Homage to Catalonia; Module Two; Assignment Three Due.
The late 1930s was an age of extreme polarization. The Readings in Western Civilization provide vital insights into the nature of this polarization and the concluding sections of Orwell's book show how some on the Left became disillusioned by the course of the Popular Front in Spain. Ponder how economic and political chaos helped propel Europe from the Spanish Civil War into World War II.
Week 7 The Nazi Era
Read Mazower, “Hitler’s New Order, 1938-45,” chapter 5 pp. 138-181; Module Three
What was it like to live under Nazism? This weeks reading in Mazower provides important insights into this question. In what ways did Hitler's totalitarian rule finally put an end to the Europe of 1900?
Week 8 World War II in Europe
Readings: Module Three; Assignment Four Due
The readings for this week detail how Hitler was dislodged from his control of Europe through a world-wide coalition of forces. As you read the material for this week, explore the fashion by which the USA and the USSR defeated Hitler.
Week 9 The Search for Peace and Stability
Read Mazower, “Blueprints for the Golden Age,” chapter 5, pp. 182-211. Boyer and Goldstein, pp. 464-559; Module Four
By 1944 it was clear that Hitler would be defeated and that Europe would be in the middle between two new superpowers, the USA and the USSR. Nevertheless, as you read through Mazower and the Readings in Western Civilization, you will find that Europeans were filled with hopes and dreams for the future of Europe. To what degree did these aspirations fit into the mould of either capitalism or communism, as known in the USA or the USSR respectively, and to what degree did they reflect a European yearning for a distinctly new society?
Week 10 The Cold War
Read Mazower, “A Brutal Peace, 1943-9,” chapter 7, 212-249; Module Four
Now we turn to the origins of the Cold War between the USA and USSR. Mazower's chapter shows how tense the conflict was between the two wartime allies during the late 1940s.
Week 11 Creating the Eastern Bloc
Read Mazower, “Building People’s Democracy,” chapter 8, pp. 250-285; Module Four; Assignment Five Due
The USSR created in Eastern Europe a series of satellite regimes. Mazower provides a telling overview of the rise of the Soviet Dominated Eastern Bloc. To what degree was this set of governments simply an imposition of Russian power? To what degree, especially initially, did it represent a common hope among Europeans to create a new society?
Week 12 The Post-War Revival of Western Europe
Read Mazower, “Democracy Transformed: Western Europe, 1950-75,” chapter 9, pp. 286-326; Module Five
This week we examine Western Europe. Mazower's analysis raises the question of the degree to which the rise of Social Democracy in Western Europe and the emergence of both a welfare state and consumer society were the work of the United States or of the Western Europeans themselves. Certainly, the USA had a blueprint, as outline in the Marshall Plan, but the implementation of this plan was ultimately shaped according to European imperatives.
Week 13 Prosperity and its Discontents
Read Mazower, “The Contract in Crisis” chapter 10, 327-360. Boyer and Goldstein, “Custodians of the Liberal Conscience: Two Views from Vienna,” pp. 433-463, and “Moving Forward,” pp. 560-624; Start Slavenka Drakulic, Cafe Europa; Module Five; Assignment Six Due
The unprecedented prosperity Europe experienced in the 1950s and 1960s was largely over by the mid 1970s. The economic crises of the 1970s and 1980s and had momentous effects on both Western and Eastern Europe. Mazower provides an overview and the Readings in Western Civilization section for this week shows how many in Western Europe advocated a return to laissez-faire economics while, as Darkulic notes, Eastern Europeans became increasingly alienated from the Soviet model.
Week 14 The Collapse of the Soviet Bloc and the Remolding of Europe
Read Mazower, “Sharks and Dolphins: The Collapse of Communism” chapter 11, 361-394, and “Epilogue: Making Europe,” 395-403; Finish Slavenka Drakulic, Cafe Europa;
Module Five
We end the class with a consideration of how Communism Collapsed. Again Mazower provides a fine overview while Drakulic probes the personal and psychological effects of the disintegration of the system and why easy and fast integration with Western Europe will be, and has proven, difficult. After having viewed the rise, fall, and then rebirth of Europe in the twentieth century, reflect on where the continent now seems headed.
Week 15 Final Examination
The comprehensive final exam must be proctored and will each constitute 40% of your final grade for this course. The final examination will consist of a combination of short and long essays (a long essay should take approximately one hour to complete thoroughly) as determined by the instructor. The final examination will not include any multiple choice, true/false, fill in the blanks or similar testing formats.