History Empire, Revolution, and Global War: European History since 1600

Transcription

1 History Empire, Revolution, and Global War: European History since 1600 David Ciarlo INSTRUCTOR: Spring, 2019 Office: Hellems 221 MWF: 12:00-12:50 Hale 270 Office Hours: Weds & Fri 1-2 and by appointment COURSE DESCRIPTION TEACHING ASSISTANT: Ryan Smith Office Hours: Mon 1-2, Fri in Hellems 359 The history of Europe is often seen from two radically different perspectives. Some hold up the history of Europe as a march-of-progress: from the philosophy of the Greeks and the engineering of the Romans, Europe ascended, step-by-step, into modern civilization. The cultural flowering of the Renaissance swept away the superstition of the "Dark Ages," leading to the scientific revolution and then to the Enlightenment. The English invented constitutional government, and the French invented the Rights of Man; the freemarket system, meanwhile, brought us the industrial revolution and the rise of the middle class. All of these culminated in the twin triumphs of Democracy and Capitalism that reign triumphant today. Europe, in this view, is the cradle of Western Civilization, and has led the rest of the world into an ever-brightening future. Others are more skeptical. They focus instead upon the coercion behind every innovation. "Western" values were forced upon other cultures by means of the conquistador's sword, the slave-shackle, the gunboat, the machine gun, and the ruthless monopolization of capital. The "superiority" of the West, in this view, was never a superiority of ideas, but of firepower and finance, both honed over centuries of warfare and exploitation. The fine-sounding philosophies and democratic pretensions of Europeans were little more than a velvet glove covering a mailed fist. European history, in this perspective, is the history of warfare that culminated in not one but two world wars. It is the history of changing systems of discipline and oppression, from slavery, to wage-slavery to the tyranny of the time-clock. It is the rise of state power of social surveillance which erodes individuality and produces conformity. It is the history of imperialism backed by racial thinking, which led ultimately to the horrors of the Holocaust. Which view is the correct one? We will approach these two "faces" of European history as inseparable from each other. Values cannot be cleanly separated from the desire to promote those values, even to the point of cruel coercion. Ideas and philosophical reflections cannot be neatly segmented out from the systems of exploitation in which they arose. To understand the history of Europe, one has to come to terms with both the inspiration of ideals and the violence of systems. We will explore this Janus-face of Europe from different angles. We will grapple with such topics as the origins of the French Revolution and the roots of overseas imperialism, or with the innovations of the industrial economy and the oppressions of rigid social class structures. We will read both primary and secondary sources to gain a multiplicity of views. The class will offer formal lectures, but also informal class discussions and collective analysis of visual sources. While we cannot possibly cover all topics in a single semester, the goal is to come away with an informed, sophisticated understanding of the larger arc of the history of the history of Modern Europe.

2 TEXTS Lynn Hunt, et al, The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures Volume II: Since th Edition (Bedford/St. Martin, 2015) ISBN: (note: we are using the 5 th edition, which will hopefully save you money, since they released the 6 th Edition this Fall; also, there are TWO other variants of this textbook by the same authors adjacent at the bookstore, so avoid those.) Mary Shelley, Frankenstein [1818], Macdonald and Scherf, eds 3 rd Edition (Broadview, 2012) ISBN: (note: there are countless editions of Frankenstein, but we want the 1818 version, which is much harder to find.) Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto, [1848] ISBN: (note: I ordered the above edition, but the Communist Manifesto is available everywhere, including online: you can use any edition you want just be sure to read from a printed copy (even if you print it out yourself from a PDF). Primo Levi, Survival in Auschwitz [1947] (Touchstone, 1996) ISBN: (excepts from Slavenka Drakulic, How We Survived Communism and Even Laughed, posted on Canvas) There will be a number of other short readings each week, posted on the Canvas website. These will include primary sources and texts, and will rarely be longer than 5 pages. The Canvas course site is REQUIREMENTS AND EVALUATION - There will be an in-class midterm and final exam (closed-book, bluebook-style) both of which will center around one central essay question, but also require the identification of historical terms and images. - There will be two 5 page papers: due Feb. 13 and Apr 24 - There will be three in-class quizzes (on readings): Feb. 8, Mar. 6, Apr Attendance at lectures is a crucial part of the class; and participation makes it more interesting. Attendance and participation will factored in as the equivalent of one in-class quiz. - Moreover, if you so desire, you can take optional quizzes on the textbook, Hunt's Making of the West. These quizzes are open-book, but time-limited, and can be taken online at any time (via Canvas), but "due" every other week, 5 p.m. on Saturday. (These optional quizzes cannot be 'made up') The cumulative grade of these quizzes can be substituted for the lowest grade of the two papers, the midterm, or in-class quizzes. Grading Breakdown First 5 page Paper (due Feb. 13) 20% Mid-Term 15% Second 5 page Paper (due Apr. 24) 20% In-class Quizzes (3) + Attendance/Participation 20% Optional Textbook quiz cumulative score can REPLACE the lowest grade of any of the above Final Exam 25%

3 Please note: plagiarism of any kind that is taking another's words and/or ideas from a book, another student, or from the internet without complete citation will not be tolerated regardless of the circumstances, and will be referred to the Honor Code Committee for disciplinary action. The penalty for cutting-and-pasting from Wikipedia or submitting a paper from an online paper mill is an "F" for the class grade, in addition to any penalties administered by the Honor Code Committee. Attendance policy: Attendance will evaluated as the equivalent to one of the in-class quizzes, with one grade-step lost for every two absences (excused or otherwise) after the first two. i.e. zero to two absences = 10 (an A); three or four absences = 9 (A-); five or six = 8 (B-); seven or eight = 7 (C-); etc. Laptop policy: to avoid distractions (and more importantly, to avoid distracting others) cell-phone and laptop usage is not allowed. However, in cases where students have a compelling reason to use a laptop to take notes, please contact me or a TA, and we will work something out. SCHEDULE OF LECTURES, READINGS, AND DISCUSSION Week 1: Jan. 14 (Mon.) Introduction to the course: perspectives on "European History" Jan. 16 (Weds.) New Worlds: Voyages of Discovery & the Spanish Conquest of the New World have read Lynn Hunt, et al, Making of the West: Jan. 18 (Fri.) The Reformation Making of the West, Week 2: Jan. 21 (Mon.) No class (Martin Luther King Day) Jan. 23 (Weds.) Wars of Religion and the Thirty Years' War Making of the West, ; Jan. 25 (Fri.) New World of Scientific Thought (the Scientific "Revolution") Making of the West, (also read on economics, ) à start reading Mary Shelley, Frankenstein First Optional Quiz on Chapters 14, 15 & 16 (via Canvas) due by 5 p.m. Friday Week 3: Jan. 28 (Mon.) The Dutch Republic (and Commerce) in the Netherlands Making of the West, Jan. 30 (Weds.) Absolute Monarchy (and Bureaucracy) in France Making of the West, (also read up on Prussia & Russia, ) Feb. 1 (Fri.) Constitutional Monarchy (and Finance) in England; Rise of the East India Company Making of the West, Week 4: Feb. 4 (Mon.) New World Slavery & the Atlantic System Making of the West, ;

4 Feb. 6 (Weds.) The Beginnings of the Enlightenment Making of the West, Feb. 8 (Fri.) Early Romanticism à jump ahead to: Making of the West, Quiz (in-class) on Mary Shelley, Frankenstein Week 5: Feb. 11 (Mon.) The later Enlightenment & The Corruptions of the Ancien Regime Making of the West, ; Feb. 13 (Weds.) The French Revolution Making of the West, *First Paper Due at beginning of class Feb. 15 (Fri.) The Napoleonic Wars Making of the West, Second Optional Quiz on Chapters 17, 18 & 19 (via Canvas) due by 5 p.m. Friday Week 6: Feb. 18 (Mon.) Industrialization Making of the West, Feb. 20 (Weds.) Social Consequences of Industrialization Making of the West, , reread Feb. 22 (Fri.) Conservatism, Liberalism, early Socialism, & early Nationalism Making of the West, ; , Third Optional Quiz on Chapters 20 & 21 (via Canvas) due by 5 p.m. Friday Week 7: Feb. 25 (Mon.) The Revolutions of 1848 Making of the West, Feb. 27 (Weds.) Mid-term Exam (in-class) Mar. 1 (Fri.) New Ways of Knowing: the Crystal Palace & the New Sciences Making of the West, , also read up on Darwin (p. 737) Week 8: Mar. 4 (Mon.) New Nations of Italy and Germany Making of the West, Mar. 6 (Weds.) The "Scientific" Socialism of Marx Quiz on and discussion of Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto Making of the West, 696,

5 Mar. 8 (Fri.) Nationalism & the Rise of Mass Politics Making of the West, 737, , Fourth Optional Quiz on Chapters 22 & 23 (via Canvas) due by 5 p.m. Friday Week 9: Mar. 11 (Mon.) The New Imperialism I: the Scramble for Africa Making of the West, Mar. 13 (Weds.) The New Imperialism II: in the colonies George Orwell, "Shooting an Elephant" [1936] Mar. 15 (Fri.) Week 10: Industrialization II: Advertising and Mass-Produced Goods Making of the West, , Mar. 18 (Mon.) Origins of the First World War Making of the West, , , Mar. 20 (Weds.) The First World War excerpt from Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front [1929] Making of the West, , , 834 Mar. 22 (Fri.) Revolution in Russia Making of the West, Spring Break (!) (March 25 29) Fifth Optional Quiz on Chapters 24 & 25 (via Canvas) due by 5 p.m. Friday Week 11: Apr. 1 (Mon.) Avant-Garde Europe Making of the West, Apr. 3 (Weds.) The New Woman and the New Man in Consumer Society Making of the West, Apr. 5 (Fri.) Week 12: Fascism Making of the West, Apr. 8 (Mon.) The Rise of Nazism Making of the West, , start reading Primo Levi, Survival in Auschwitz Apr. 10 (Weds.) Stalinism Making of the West, , Apr. 12 (Fri.) The Gathering Storm: Europe in the 1930s Making of the West, Sixth Optional Quiz on Chapters 26 and 27 (via Canvas) due by 5 p.m. Friday

6 Week 13: Apr. 15 (Mon.) The Second World War Making of the West, Apr. 17 (Weds.) The Holocaust Apr. 19 (Fri.) Discussion: Primo Levi, Survival in Auschwitz Week 14: Apr. 22 (Mon.) Reconstructing Europe and the Cold War Making of the West, , Apr. 24 (Weds.) East: State Socialism West: The German "Economic Miracle" and the origins of the European Union Making of the West, *Second paper due at beginning of class Apr. 26 (Fri.) Upheavals: Decolonization & the Crisis of 1968 Making of the West, ; 937, Week 15: Apr. 29 (Mon.) 1989 and The Fall of Communism excerpts from Slavenka Drakulic, How We Survived Communism and Even Laughed In-class Quiz on Drakulic Making of the West, , May. 1 (Weds.) Review Session for Final Making of the West, , Seventh Optional Quiz on Chapters 27, 28, & 29 (via Canvas) due by 5 p.m. Friday Final Exam is Sunday, May 5, at 7:30 p.m.

7 SYLLABUS STATEMENTS ACCOMMODATION FOR DISABILITIES If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please submit your accommodation letter from Disability Services to me in a timely manner so that your needs can be addressed. Disability Services determines accommodations based on documented disabilities in the academic environment. Information on requesting accommodations is located on the Disability Services website. Contact Disability Services at or dsinfo@colorado.edu for further assistance. If you have a temporary medical condition or injury, see Temporary Medical Conditions under the Students tab on the Disability Services website. CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR We are all in this together. Students and faculty each have responsibility for maintaining an appropriate learning environment. Those who fail to adhere to such behavioral standards may be subject to discipline. Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially important with respect to individuals and topics dealing with race, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy, age, disability, creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, political affiliation or political philosophy. I will gladly honor your request to address you by an alternate name or gender pronoun; just advise me of this preference early in the semester so that I may make changes to my records. For more information, see the policies on classroom behavior and the Student Code of Conduct. HONOR CODE All students enrolled in a University of Colorado Boulder course are responsible for knowing and adhering to the Honor Code. Violations of the policy may include: plagiarism, cheating, fabrication, lying, bribery, submitting the same or similar work in more than one course without permission from all course instructors involved, and aiding academic dishonesty. All incidents of academic misconduct will be reported to the Honor Code (honor@colorado.edu); ). Students who are found responsible for violating the academic integrity policy will be subject to nonacademic sanctions from the Honor Code as well as academic sanctions from the faculty member. Additional information regarding the Honor Code academic integrity policy can be found at the Honor Code Office website. Note: Your papers will be submitted to a plagiarism- detections service to ensure against cheating. Please be aware that you will receive an F for the course if you are caught cheating in addition to any penalties assessed by the Honor Code Council. SEXUAL MISCONDUCT, DISCRIMINATION, HARASSMENT AND/OR RELATED RETALIATION We are all in this together. The University of Colorado Boulder is committed to fostering a positive and welcoming learning, working, and living environment. CU Boulder will not tolerate acts of sexual misconduct (including sexual assault, exploitation, harassment, dating or domestic violence,

8 and stalking), discrimination, and harassment by members of our community. Individuals who believe they have been subject to misconduct or retaliatory actions for reporting a concern should contact the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance (OIEC) at or cureport@colorado.edu. Information about the OIEC, university policies, anonymous reporting, and the campus resources can be found on the OIEC website. Please know that faculty and instructors have a responsibility to inform OIEC when made aware of incidents of sexual misconduct, discrimination, harassment and/or related retaliation, to ensure that individuals impacted receive information about options for reporting and support resources. RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS Campus policy regarding religious observances ask that faculty make every effort to deal reasonably and fairly with all students who, because of religious obligations, have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments or required attendance. In this class, please let me know of any religious holidays or observances in the first week of classes, so that we can figure out possible work- arounds, new deadlines for papers and exams, alternatives for discussions, and so forth. I am happy to make every effort to accommodate observances and holidays, but students must take the initiative and be in touch with me at the beginning of the semester. See the campus policy regarding religious observances for more details.