Lectures and readings take a topical and international rather than strictly chronological or national approach. That is, we will examine pertinent historical themes in roughly chronological order, but we will also consider the longer history of these themes across the 19th and 20th centuries when appropriate. The course begins with an overview of the changes that took place in the European world in the 18th and 19th centuries, focusing on the way the industrial, intellectual, and political revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries shaped the construction of class society, the emergence of the nation state, and the rise of the European powers to world domination. We then examine the crises of politics and culture in the late 19th to mid-20th century that marked the end of European hegemony. The last part of the course concentrates on events since 1945 including the emergence of a bipolar world and the collapse of the Soviet block, decolonization and the Americanization of Europe, and the social consensus and dissent in contemporary European society.
Teaching assistants can make assignments based on the films.
Most of the films are on video and available at the undergrad library or from That's Rentertainment. Other assignments will be determined by your teaching assistant.