HIST 343
EUROPE SINCE 1871
- Catalog Entry
HIST 343. Europe Since 1870. (B)
Three hours lecture (3).
Prerequisite: 3 hours of history at the 100 level.
Study of political events which brought on two World wars, their economic and social impact on Europe; shift of world power away from Europe; adjustments made in consolidation of European community since 1870.
- Detailed Description of Content of Course:
The major topics included in this course are: European civilization in the late nineteenth century, the development of mass society and modern culture, European imperialism, World War I, the Russian Revolution, the new totalitarian dictatorships, World War II, and the Cold War division of Europe.
1. Europe in 1871
a. The Great Powers
b. The Lesser Powers
c. On Europe's Frontiers
2. The European culture and societies at the End of the Nineteenth Century
a. Mass Political and Cultural Movements
b. Several Representative Thinkers and Critics
3. Internal Development of the European States
a. The Growth of Democracy in the West
b. Limited Democracy in Central Europe
c. Russia
4. European Imperialism
a. The Motives of European Imperialism
b. Imperialism in Africa
c. Imperialism in the Far East
5. The Road to World War I
a. The Insecurities of Europe's States
b. The Search for a Solution in the East
c. The Development of the anti-German Alliance
d. The Balkan Trap
6. World War I
a. Military Stalemate in the East and West
b. The Intervention of Italy and the United States
c. The Home Front
7. The Peace Treaties
a. The Settlement with Germany
b. The Breakup of Austria-Hungary
c. The Arrangements Outside Europe
8. The Russian Revolution of 1917
a. The February Revolution
b. The Bolshevik Takeover
c. The Russian Civil War
9. The Soviet Union Between Wars
a. Lenin's New Economic Policy
b. Stalin's Victory
c. The Command Economy
d. The Purges
10. European Economic and Social Life Between Wars
a. The New Technologies
b. The New Society
c. Postwar Pessimism
d. Existentialism
11. The European Democracies
a. Internal Developments
b. International Relations
c. The Great Depression
12. Fascism in Southern Europe
a. Spain
b. Italy
13. The Rise of Nazi Germany
a. The Weimar Republic
b. Hitler
c. The Nazi State
14. World War II
a. German Victories
b. The Allied Resurgence
c. Results of the War
15. The Cold War
a. The Partition of Europe
b. The Threat to Democracy
c. The Two Alliance Systems
- Detailed Description of the Course
Class meets three hours per week. Assigned readings include textbook and several additional books including secondary and primary sources. Class format is primarily lecture but
also includes some discussions. Students are expected to contribute to classroom discussions and to write a short paper on one of the assigned readings.
- Goals and Objectives of the Course:
1. The student will have a deeper understanding of Europe's decline from a position of world political, economic, and military domination.
2. The student will know the origin and nature of totalitarian societies.
3. The student will be familiar with the variety of European societies and increase his or her appreciation of the differences and similarities among them.
4. The student will be able to expand his or her ability to evaluate historical events and compose persuasive arguments.
- Assessment Measures
The student's grade will be based on the results of the short quizzes, the midterm, the paper, and the final exam. Tests are designed to improve the student's understanding of the major developments in Europe and the interconnections between them.
- Other Course Information
None.
- Review and Approval
Date Action Reviewed by
January 2005 Reviewed and Approved by Charles McClellan