HIST 1002A: Europe in the Twentieth Century
Fall 2022-Winter 2023
Instructor: Sean Eedy
Introduction: The twentieth century has been defined differently for the purposes of historical inquiry. Often, we are presented with what has come to be known as the “short” twentieth century from the end of World War One in 1918 to the Fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. These historical markers are often characterized as those instances of momentous change that cause fundamental breaks or ruptures from that which came before. The First World War is often marked as the point where the European Balance of Power established after the French Revolution in 1789 was forever ended. However, without the French Revolution as a starting point, identifying the beginning of the twentieth century with the conclusion of the First World War makes little sense.
As such, this course begins with the establishment of the new European order following the unification of Italy and Germany and the road to war in 1914. Taking this long view of the twentieth century, the time period becomes one of rupture and upheaval, of civil war and revolution across the First World War, The 1917 Russian Revolution, the Second World War, the revolutionary moments of 1953 and 1956 against Soviet hegemony, 1968 in both Eastern and Western Europe, and the peaceful revolutions of 1989 that brought an end to Soviet Empire and the Cold War more broadly.
This course will introduce students to some of the problems across the European twentieth century that created the tensions, conflicts, and ruptures between the Great European Powers and split the world in militarized, ideological Blocs.
Class Format: This course is being offered in person during the Fall/Winter 2022-23 terms. Each week, students will be expected to attend a two-hour lecture and one-hour discussion group. Lectures will typically approach the big ideas and events associated with the course and the period under discussion. Readings and discussion groups will focus on social and cultural activities and how people understood and adapted to the world changing around them.
Aims and Goals: Students should complete HIST 1002A with a greater understanding of the process of writing history and of conducting historical research. Students are encouraged to develop their analytical and interpretational skills through the critical examination of a wide array of historical writing and representations of history, including primary and secondary sources, films, literature, comics, etc. Students should be able to critically assess evidence and develop original arguments and analyses, communicating their ideas clearly, effectively, and logically.
Assessment: Students should note that this course is reading and writing heavy.
In addition to attendance and participation in their respective discussion groups, each term will present students with a map assignment designed to geographically orient them to the changing shape and borders of Europe across the twentieth century. Each term will also present students with major papers based on novels as primary sources. There will also be both a mid-term and final examination during the regularly scheduled exam periods.