History 2342A – History of Europe in the 20th Century
At the beginning of the 20th century, European elites reflected with pleasure at their accomplishments. Following a century of bewildering political, social, cultural, and ideological change, many Europeans faced the new century with a sense of optimism for the future. They had achieved an unrivalled level of technological sophistication, possessed vast imperial holdings in far-flung corners of the world, and had realized significant socio-political advances. A half century later, Europe had been ripped apart by two wars that snuffed out the lives of millions, lay divided into two halves – a largely Capitalist West and a Communist East – that would battle for ideological supremacy, and had lost the vast majority of its prized overseas possessions. In more recent years, hope for the future – in the shape of a European Union that has steadily extended its competencies in an attempt to create a united continent devoid of the many sources of tension that plagued Europe’s past – has been brought into question by European infighting and economic setbacks. This course will explore Europe’s 20th century in an attempt to convey to students its critical events as well as help them understand how modern European history has been largely shaped by Europeans’ social, political, intellectual, and cultural negotiation of the modern Nation-State, its roles, and its limits.

Required Readings:

Eric Dorn Brose. A History of Europe in the Twentieth Century. New York and Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 2005.

The textbook will be used to complement the lectures and is mandatory reading. Students are expected to read the relevant sections (as per the outline) before class and to come to class prepared. The textbook is available at Agora Bookstore (145 Besserer Street).

Assignments and Grades Breakdown:

Mid-term Examination (February 29) 30%
Term Paper (10-12 pages, due March 21) 40%
Final Examination (take home) 30%

Examinations:
The Midterm will be held on February 29 and will cover all material up to this date.

The Final Examination will be a take home assignment. Further details to be provided.

Term Paper:
For this course, you are obliged to write an essay (approximately 10-12 double-spaced pages) based upon one of the historical documents from the list below. Both content and style will be graded. Research for this paper should be based on approximately 10 secondary sources. Bibliographic entries and citations for the term paper must be in the Chicago Style used in the historical discipline. A very helpful essay- writing guide is provided by the department at: http://www.history.uottawa.ca/pdf/history_essay_guide.pdf

List of Historical Documents:

1. The First World War and the Paris Peace Conference
a. General Friedrich von Bernhardi, “Germany and the Next War”: Introduction (1912)
http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/11352/pg11352.txt

OR
b. Siegfried Sassoon, “Counter-Attack” (1918)
http://www.bartleby.com/136/2.html
Wilfred Owen, “Disabled” (1917/18)
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/disabled/

OR
c. Woodrow Wilson, “Fourteen Points Speech” (1918)
http://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/President_Wilson%27s_Fourteen_Points

2. The Russian Revolution and Bolshevism across Europe
a. Sergei Eisenstein, “Battleship Potemkin” (1925)

OR
b. Pravda (attrib. Josef Stalin), “Muddle instead of Music” (1936)
http://www.arnoldschalks.nl/tlte1sub1.html

OR
c. Clara Zetkin; Rosa Luxemburg; Karl Liebknecht; Franz Mehring, “The Spartacist Manifesto” (1919)
http://www.marxists.org/history/international/social-democracy/call/1919/30.htm

3. Interwar Europe
a. Sigmund Freud, “Civilization and its Discontents” (1929)
http://72.52.202.216/~fenderse/freud_civilization_and_its_discontents.pdf

OR
b. Fritz Lang, “Metropolis” (1927)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGgon2YeISw

4. Fascism
a. Benito Mussolini, “The Doctrine of Fascism” (1932)
http://www.worldfuturefund.org/wffmaster/Reading/Germany/mussolini.htm

OR
b. Leni Riefenstahl, “The Triumph of the Will” (1935)

5. The Second World War and the Holocaust
a. Fritz Hippler, “The Eternal Jew” (1940)

OR
b. Winston Churchill, “Their Finest Hour” (1940)
http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/mod/1940churchill-finest.asp

6. Early Post War Europe
a. Vittorio de Sica, “Bicycle Thieves” (1948)

OR
b. Treaty of Friendship, Co-Operation and Mutual Assistance (The Warsaw Pact) (1955)
http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/mod/1955warsawp01act.asp

7. Life in Eastern Europe
a. Krzysztof Kieslowski, “The Office” (1966)

OR
b. Dmitri Shostakovich, String Quartet No. 8 in C minor (1960)

8. European Integration
a. The Treaty of Rome: Preamble and Part One (pp. 1-6) (1957)
http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/emu_history/documents/treaties/rometreaty2.pdf

OR
b. Margaret Thatcher, The Bruges Speech (1988)

9. The Collapse of USSR and the Warsaw Pact
a. Milan Kundera – “Eduard and God” in Laughable Loves (1969/1974)

OR
b. Vaclav Havel, “New Year’s Address to the Nation” (1990)
http://chnm.gmu.edu/1989/archive/files/havel-speech-1-1-90_0c7cd97e58.pdf

General Policies and Guidelines:
Plagiarism and Academic Fraud:
Plagiarism – the use of another’s ideas without proper citation – is a serious offence and sanctions may be imposed by the Faculty. For further information on the university’s stance on plagiarism, see: https://www.uottawa.ca/about/sites/www.uottawa.ca.about/files/plagiarism.pdf

Students should also be aware that submitting the same work for more than one class is academic fraud and is also a serious academic offence.

Late assignments:
Assignments must be submitted to the instructor at the beginning of class on the due date. NO LATE SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED WITHOUT DOCUMENTED MEDICAL SUPPORT.

Schedule of Lectures (Subject to Change):

January 11
Introduction – Review of the 19th Century – Beginning our 20th Century
Brose: pp. 1-74

January 18
World War One and the Paris Peace Conference
Brose: pp. 74-90; 96-119

January 25
The Russian Revolution; Historical Writing
Brose: pp. 90-96; 105-107; 166-175; 211-216

February 1
The Interwar period: Stability or Instability?
Brose: pp. 120-166

February 8
The Rise of Fascism (Italy, Germany, Spain); the Road to War
Brose: pp. 176-211; 216-222

February 22
World War Two and the Holocaust
Brose: pp. 223-264
February 29
**Mid-term Examination**

March 7
Early Post-War Europe and European Integration, Pt. I
Brose: pp. 265-297; 305-310

March 14
Life behind the Iron Curtain and evolution in Western Europe, 1949-1968
Brose: pp. 297-302; 310-324

March 21 **Due Date for Term Paper**
The Turbulent 1960s: Decolonization, Protests and a Middle Course
Brose: 303-305; 325-357

April 4
European Integration, Pt. II: The “Eurosclerotic” 1970s and Renewed European integration (1980s-1990s)
Brose: pp. 358-397; 433-471

April 11
The demise of Eastern Europe and USSR; the Re-emergence of Nationalisms; the End of Europe?
Brose: pp. 398-432