Politics in Dark Times

4.0 credits

The 20th century was a century of disasters: genocide, reigns of terror, and totalitarian rule. These phenomena go beyond the unpleasantness of ordinary politics. They obliterate the principles of constitutional democracy, even decency itself. This class functions as an effort to understand these “dark times.” Specifically, we will examine phenomena of terror and totalitarianism, focusing especially on the totalitarian movements that operated in the 20th century. We will examine the logic of these totalitarian movements and the peculiar forms of terror they engaged in. We will also examine the conditions under which they come to be successful, and the forms of political action and moral obligation that might counter them.