Home Writing Sources Web

HY 280
Blocks 5-6, 2001
S.A. Ashley

TWENTIETH CENTURY EUROPE

The course involves study of twentieth-century European society and politics from 1890 to 1990, with particularly close attention given to the origin, nature and impact of the central phenomena of the time: total war, the challenge to liberal states from fascism and communism, the development of mass culture, and the growth of consumer society.

You are expected to do the required reading and to participate actively in class discussions. You also either submit an essay (10-12 pp) which uses primary sources to examine a significant issue (due Fri., Feb. 9) or a short (6-8 pp) analysis of growing up in prewar Europe or fighting the Great War (due Wed. Jan. 31) and either alone or in collaboration with a fellow student a multi-media presentation on a relevant subject of your choice, due Wed., Feb. 14.

In a second analytical essay (10-12 pp), you assess the nature or the appeal of fascism, the reasons for the Holocaust, or the politics of remembering and forgetting, using selected interpretive works as the basis for your argument (due Fri., March 9). Contributions to an "electronic forum," on a collaborative project on the Resistance, and a written final examination conclude the course.

REQUIRED READING

Graves

GOOD-BYE TO ALL THAT

Lafore

THE LONG FUSE

Eatwell

FASCISM: A HISTORY

Mazower

THE DARK CONTINENT

Salvemini

ORIGINS OF FASCISM IN ITALY (reserve)

Silone

FONTAMARA (reserve)

Allen

THE NAZI SEIZURE OF POWER

Orwell

HOMAGE TO CATALONIA

Mussolini et al

THE DOCTRINE OF FASCISM

Mayer

THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE FREE

Levi

SURVIVAL AT AUSCHWITZ

Sartre

NO EXIT; DIRTY HANDS

Marcuse

ONE DIMENSIONAL MAN (excerpts, on reserve)

Gaspard

A SMALL CITY IN FRANCE

Rosenberg

THE HAUNTED LAND

CLASS SESSIONS

La belle époque

Mon., Jan. 22

Introduction

Tues., Jan. 23

"Europe’s fair sunset"

   Lafore: Intro, 1
   Graves: 1-9

Wed., Jan. 24

"Suicide for fear of death"

   Lafore: 2-4

Thurs., Jan. 25

Why war?*
   Lafore: 5-7

Fri., Jan. 26

  "Back before the leaves fall. . ."
     Begin Graves (ch. 10-Epilogue)
     Proposals due

The Great War and the Twenties

Mon., Jan. 29

The war it  was

   "Gallipoli"
    Graves (ch. 10-Epilogue)

Tues., Jan. 30

"lower than wolves. . ."

   Graves (finish)
   Begin Salvemini, Mazower

Wed., Jan. 31

Peace

   Mazower: 1 (3-21), 2 (41-69)
   Read Salvemini (8-24)
   Short essays due

Thurs., Feb. 1
       

Mussolini’s triumph *

   Salvemini: 8-24
   Eatwell: 1-2

Fri., Feb. 2

The long weekend: the 20s

   Mazower: 4
   Read Allen, pt. 1

The "Terrible Thirties"

Mon., Feb. 5
    

Hitler’s triumph *

   Allen, pt. 1
   Begin Silone

Tues., Feb. 6

Fascism in action: Italy

   Silone
   Eatwell: 4
   Begin Allen: pt. 2

Wed., Feb. 7

Fascism in action: Germany

   Eatwell: 7
   Allen: pt. 2
   Mazower: 3

Thurs., Feb. 8

Against the tide

   Eatwell: 9 (i-iii), 10

Fri., Feb. 9

Long Essays Due

Mon., Feb. 12    

The Popular Fronts

   Read Orwell; begin Mayer

Tues., Feb. 13

The Spanish Civil War
   Orwell
   Continue Mayer

 

Wed., Feb. 14

 Fascist "magic" *
   Mayer
   Mussolini et al
   Media projects due

World War II and the Aftermath

Mon., Feb. 19

Appeasement

Tues., Feb. 20

The next last war

   Eatwell: 5, 8, 9 (iv)
   "Seven Beauties"
   Begin Levi

Wed., Feb. 21

The Holocaust
   Levi

Thurs., Feb. 22

   Resistance
      Read Duras, Améry 
      Work on group project

Fri., Feb. 23

Liberation

   Mazower: 6
   Eatwell: 11 (i), 12 (i), 13 (i)
   "Bicycle Thief"

Mon., Feb. 26

Reconstruction: East and West

   Eatwell, 11 (ii-iii), 12 (ii), 13 (ii-iii), 14 (i-ii)
   Mazower: 7
   Group Project Due

The "New Europe"

Tues., Feb. 27

Diminution: The Cold War and decolonization 

   Mazower: 8
   "Battle of Algiers"

Wed., Feb. 28

Existentialism: world without meaning *
   Sartre
Thurs., Mar. 1 The "economic miracle"

    Mazower: 9
    Marcuse: 1-4
 

Fri., Mar. 2

Haves and have nots, ins and outs

   "Clockwork Orange" or "Swept Away"
   Work on Marcuse

Mon., Mar. 5

Consumer society *

   Marcuse (discuss)
   Read Gaspard
   Begin Rosenberg

Tues., Mar. 6

Making democracy work

   Gaspard
   Eatwell: 11 (iv), 13 (iv), 14 (iii-iv)
   Mazower: 10
   Continue Rosenberg

Postmodern Europe

Wed., Mar. 7

Life without the enemy
   Work on Rosenberg
Thurs., Mar. 8 "And the walls came tumbling down. . ." *

  Rosenberg
   Mazower: 11

Fri., Mar. 9

Long essays due

Mon., Mar. 12

Europe faces its past. . .

   "Nasty Girl"
   Eatwell: 12 (iii-iv)

Tues., Mar. 13

. . . and its future

   Fukayama
   Eatwell: 15
   Mazower: Epilogue

Wed., Mar. 14

Final Examination

* INDICATES ELECTRONIC FORUM ENTRY
Home Writing Sources Web