History 3340
Modern Europe
Dr. Fritz

Brief Description of Course: This course is a survey of 19th and 20th century Europe in which we will first examine the 19th century political, economic, social, and intellectual origins of modern Europe, and then will study the evolution of these trends and their impact on producing the instability and upheavals of the 20th century. Finally, we will look at European development since World War II and the consequences of the collapse of communism.

Books:

John Merriman, A History of Modern Europe, vol II.
Perry M. Rogers, Aspects of Western Civilization. Problems and Sources in History, Vol II. 3rd ed.
Written Assignment:

Each student will read one of the political or social novels of the period and write an essay based upon it. This is not meant to be a book review, nor should it be, but rather an analysis of what the book you have read illustrates about the nature of its era, the insights it provides, and its assessments of the political and social events and movements of that era. You will most likely have to consult other historical works in order to get a better idea of how your novel fits into the historical culture of its period. A guide to doing a book analysis will be provided to you.

Some 19th century authors: Stendhal, Balzac, Emile Zola, Mary Shelley, Charles Dickens, George Eliot, Theodor Fontane, Gustave Flaubert, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Ivan Turgenev.

Some 20th century authors: Joseph Conrad, D.H. Lawrence, Marcel Proust, Siegfried Sassoon, Erich Maria Remarque, Stefan Zweig, Vera Brittain, Virginia Woolf, Franz Kafka, George Orwell, Arthur Koestler, Ignazio Silone, Mikhail Sholokov, Christopher Isherwood, Thomas Mann, Heinrich Mann, Ayn Rand, Simone de Beauvoir, Olivia Manning, Albert Camus, Kingsley Amis, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Gnter Grass, Heinrich B”ll, Siegfried Lenz, Aharon Appelfeld, Elie Wiesel, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Cynthia Ozick, Christa Wolf, Czeslaw Milosz, Danilo Kis, Milan Kundera.

This is by no means an exclusive list of possible authors. Please see me if you need further suggestions or to discuss any author listed above. The 1st Draft of your essay, which will be reviewed and commented upon by the instructor, and then returned for revision, will be due: Friday, October 16.

The FINAL DRAFT should be 10-12 typed pages and will be DUE: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20. Your written assignment will be graded on content, organization, and style. Clarity of writing follows clarity of thinking.

Document Analyses:

Each student will write a 1-2 page analysis of the documents in 5 selected chapters of the Rogers book. This should not be a summary of the documents, but an analysis of their significance and what they reveal about the nature of social, political, economic, and intellectual change in European society.

Exams:

There will be three exams (combination of essay/short answer), the first two of which will be prepared out of class. The third exam will be comprehensive and will be given in class during the regularly scheduled final exam period. Make-up exams will be given during the final week of classes.

Grades:

There will be three examinations in addition to the document analyses and the written assignment. Each of these five grades will be worth 20% of your final grade. Grading Scale:
```
     A  = 93-->      B+= 87-89   B- = 80-82   C  = 73-76   D+= 67-69   F = 59-->
     A- = 90-92     B =  83-86   C+=77-79    C- =70-72    D  =  60-66
```
You are responsible for all information discussed in class and in the required reading. If there is any student in this class who has need for test-taking or note-taking accommodation, please discuss this with me.

Topic and Reading
Day
- 8/31-9/4 Revolutionary France, Napoleon, and the European Legacy, 1789-1815 Merriman: ch. 12-13; Rogers: ch. 1-2.
- 9/7 Labor Holiday
- 9/9-9/14 Challenges to Restoration Europe: Liberalism, Nationalism, Romanticism, 1800-1850 Merriman: ch. 14-15
- 9/16-9/18 The Industrial Revolution and Its Consequences, 1800-1850 Merriman: ch. 16; Rogers: ch. 3.
- 9/21-9/23 The Revolutions of 1848: Political, Social, & National Merriman: ch. 17.
- 9/25 1st Examination
- 9/28-9/30 The Era of Nationalism & National Unification, 1850-1875 Merriman: ch. 18-19; Rogers: ch. 4 (Nationalism).
- 10/2-10/7 Rapid Industrialization and Its Challenges, 1875-1914 Merriman: ch. 20-21.
- 10/9-10/12 The Age of European Imperialism, 1875-1914 Merriman: ch. 22; Rogers, ch. 4 (Imperialism)
- 10/16 1st Draft of Book Review/Analysis due
- 10/14-10/26 Cataclysm: The Origins & Impact of World War I, 1890-1918 Merriman: ch. 23-24; Rogers: ch. 5.
- 10/28 2nd Examination
- 10/30 Fall Break Holiday
- 11/2-11/11 The Search for Meaning: Communism & Fascism: Two Coercive Utopias 1917-1932 Merriman: ch. 25-26; Rogers: ch. 6 & 7 (Legacy of WWI/Weimar).
- 11/13-11/18 Another Coercive Utopia: The Triumph of Nazism, 1933-1939 Merriman: ch. 27; Rogers: ch. 7 (Nazi Appeal/Victory).
- 11/20 Final draft of Book Review/Analysis Due
- 11/20-11/25 Europe's Second Attempt at Suicide: World War II, 1939-1945
- 11/30-12/2 Merriman: ch. 28; Rogers: ch. 8 & 9.
- 11/26-11/27 Thanksgiving Day Holiday
- 12/4-12/11 From Cold War to the Collapse of Communism: Post-War Europe, 1945-1991 Merriman: ch. 29-30; Rogers: ch. 10 & 11.
- 12/16 Final Examination: Wednesday, December 16: 8:00-10:00 a.m.
  
  Last updated: The Ides of October, 1998

Topic and Reading