History of European Civilization III: Europe in Ruins: After 1945

Undergraduate / Graduate

Students who plan to complete a three-quarter sequence register for HIST 13003 in Spring Quarter after completing HIST 13001-13002. This course charts the devastation of European society in the Second World War, and its reconstruction in this conflict's aftermath. We will begin in wartime, focusing on how the final years of mass violence shaped the possibilities for the postwar period. We will then turn to the social, political, cultural, and economic dynamics that contributed to the creation of a "new Europe" from 1945 through the present, including: the Cold War, European integration, decolonization, migration, revolutionary movements, memory cultures, and human rights. In our exploration of these themes, we will be particularly attentive to the legacies of the first half of the twentieth century in its second half, considering in particular how the history of total warfare, fascism, and genocide has shaped contemporary European society, and Europe's place in the world today. We will also ask how postwar Europe was shaped by deeper pasts, such those students have encountered in the first two quarters of the European Civilization sequence. For this reason, the course is particularly suited for students who have completed Euro Civ 1 and 2, and it fulfills the third quarter civilization requirement. However, students who have not completed this sequence are also welcome. Assessment will be based on class participation, short assignments, a midterm, and a final.