HIST 4390 TOTALITARIAN EUROPE

Transcription

1 HIST 4390 TOTALITARIAN EUROPE Dr. Katherine Zubovich Office Hours: MW 1:30-2:30 pm Office: 601 Stabler Hall Upper-Level Course MWF 12:00-12:50 pm Ross Hall 122 This class examines the history of totalitarian politics, societies, and cultures as they emerged, developed, and came to an end in twentieth-century Europe. Over the course of the semester, we will compare and contrast three main cases: Italy, the Soviet Union, and Germany. Alongside our study of these cases, we will also examine the emergence of the concept of totalitarianism by reading and discussing texts by some of the era s most astute fight-hand observers, from Hannah Arendt to Vaclav Havel. Our course texts also include primary source documents, from films to memoirs, and secondary sources written by historians. Nearing the end of the semester, we will turn our attention to the legacy of totalitarianism in Europe in discussions about historical memory, commemoration, and the rise of the far-right in Europe today. Students will engage actively with both primary and secondary sources and they will hone their research and writing skills in four short newspaper reports and a final research paper. Course Readings Required texts: 1. Hannah Arendt, Totalitarianism (Part 3 of The Origins of Totalitarianism) 2. Heda Margolius Kovaly, Under a Cruel Star: A Life in Prague, The above texts are available at the UALR Bookstore for purchase and have also been placed on short-term course reserve at Ottenheimer Library. All other required readings are posted on Blackboard. There you will also find an online version of this syllabus, writing manuals, as well as images, music, films, and maps shown in class. General (and optional) reading material and historical timelines, which you may wish to reference for background information, are also posted on Blackboard. Course Requirements :: Attendance, active participation, punctuality % :: 1st Newspaper Report, words (due Sept 9) % :: 2nd Newspaper Report, words (due Sept 23)...15% :: 3rd Newspaper Report, words (due Oct 7)...15% :: 4th Newspaper Report, words (due Nov 7)...5% :: Research Paper, 6-8 pages (due Dec 5) % Grading Scale A: ; B: 80-89; C: 70-79; D: 60-69; F: 59 and below 1

2 A Note on Format The format of this course alternates between lecture and discussion, as marked on the course schedule. Most of our class meetings will be discussions. Lectures are intended simply to relay basic historical narratives that will help lay the groundwork for our discussions. Lectures will be informal and participatory. Attendance, Active Participation, and Punctuality Your attendance and active participation in our discussions are essential components of your final grade. You may miss up to three meetings without penalty. Save these permitted absences for unavoidable situations, such as sickness or emergencies. Exceptions will, of course, be made for extenuating circumstances. Be sure to discuss your situation with me if such circumstances arise. Please avoid being late, since this is disruptive to the discussion. A note on participation Different people have different ways they best participate, all of which are valid: active listening, thoughtful preparation, sharing a well-formulated idea or question after a long pause, helping a classmate understand a concept, coming to office hours. If you do not regularly speak in class, please be sure to find other ways to make contributions and demonstrate your understanding of the readings. Writing Assignment Specs All reports are due at the beginning of class on the date specified in the syllabus. Papers must be double-spaced, typed in Times New Roman 12-point font, with 1-inch margins. Your papers should be carefully written and closely proofread. Consider making use of resources available at the University Writing Center: If you require an extension on a report or paper deadline, be sure to speak with me at least one week ahead of time to request and arrange this. Academic Integrity All assignments are required to reflect original and independent work. Plagiarism not acceptable under any circumstance is the use of intellectual material produced by another person without acknowledging its source. A good rule of thumb is: when in doubt, cite. If you have any questions do not hesitate to see me. Please consult the university s policies on academic integrity, available at Another good source on plagiarism and how to avoid it can be found at Purdue s Online Writing Lab ( When referencing books, articles, and other sources in the papers you write for this class, you are required to include citations in Chicago Style, unless otherwise stated. We will spend time in class before papers are due talking about why, when, and how to cite. Students with Disabilities Your success in this class is important to me, and it is the policy and practice of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to create inclusive learning environments consistent with federal and state law. If you have a documented disability (or need to have a disability documented), and need an accommodation, please contact me privately as soon as possible, so that we can discuss with the Disability Resource Center (DRC) how to meet your specific needs and the 2

3 requirements of the course. The DRC offers resources and coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations are established through an interactive process among you, your instructor(s), and the DRC. Thus, if you have a disability, please contact me and/or the DRC, at (V/TTY) or (VP). For more information, please visit Course Objectives In this course, students will: o Learn the key events and major figures of twentieth-century European history; o Analyze how historical narratives and concepts (like totalitarianism ) are created and have evolved over time; o Use critical thinking and analytical skills to examine and discuss primary and secondary sources; o Use evidence from textual and visual sources to draw conclusions and support arguments about the past in both verbal and written form; o Develop research skills first-hand in assignments that call for the use of newspaper and other online databases; o Craft a research question and develop a thesis statement that convincingly answers this question for the final research paper; o Prepare feedback and deliver constructive criticism on a peer s draft research paper; o Write, revise, and submit a polished research paper that demonstrates mastery of the analytical and writing skills developed during the semester. COURSE SCHEDULE Indicates a reading that is available on Blackboard. Part 1: What is Totalitarianism? Week 1 Aug 17 (W) Introduction Aug 19 (F) Lecture: Totalitarian Europe (History) Reading: Start reading Arendt, Totalitarianism, first published in Today you will receive the Google Ngram mini assignment on Blackboard Week 2 Aug 22 (M) Lecture: Totalitarian Europe (Interpretations) Reading: Continue reading Arendt, Totalitarianism. Assignment: Report on your Google Ngram search results in class Aug 24 (W) Discussion: Hannah Arendt s Totalitarianism Reading: Arendt, Totalitarianism. Aug 26 (F) Discussion: Friedrich and Brzezinski s Totalitarianism Reading: Carl J. Friedrich and Zbigniew K. Brzezinski, Totalitarian Dictatorship and Autocracy, 1965, pp

4 Part 2: Three European Case Studies Week 3 Aug 29 (M) Lecture: Fascism in Italy Today you will receive the Newspaper Report Assignment on Blackboard Aug 31 (W) Discussion: The Rise of Mussolini Readings: [1] Benito Mussolini, Trenchocracy, December 15, 1917; [2] Mussolini, Afternoon Speech, March 23, 1919; [3] Mussolini, Proclamation of Open Dictatorship: Speech to Parliament, January 3, 1925; [4] Mussolini, The Social and Political Doctrine of Fascism, 1932.; [5] Mussolini, The Manifesto on Race, July 14, Sept 2 (F) Discussion: Race and Empire Readings: [1] Esmonde Robertson, Race as a Factor of Mussolini s Policy in Africa and Europe, in Journal of Contemporary History 23, no. 1, (Jan 1988): 37-58; [2] Benito Mussolini, Orders for the Use of Poison Gas against the Ethiopians, ; [3] Mussolini, The Discourse on Empire, May 9, Week 4 Sept 5 (M) NO CLASS (Labor Day) Sept 7 (W) Film: Scipio Africanus: The Defeat of Hannibal (dir. Carmine Gallone, 1937) Sept 9 (F) Film: Scipio Africanus part 2 Assignment: First Newspaper Report due today Week 5 Sept 12 (M) Lecture: The Russian Revolution Sept 14 (W) Discussion: The Experience of Revolution Readings: Pasha Angelina s The Most Important Thing, Peasant Narratives, and other selected documents from In the Shadow of Revolution: Life Stories of Russian Women from 1917 to the Second World War. Sept 16 (F) Discussion: Everyday Stalinism Reading: Sheila Fitzpatrick, Palaces on Monday, in Everyday Stalinism: Ordinary Life in Extraordinary Times: Soviet Russia in the 1930s, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999), Week 6 Sept 19 (M) Lecture: Going to the Movies with Stalin Sept 21 (W) Film: Circus (dir. Grigorii Aleksandrov, 1936) 4

5 Sept 23 (F) Film: Circus part 2 Assignment: Second Newspaper Report due today Week 7 Sept 26 (M) Lecture: Nazi Germany Sept 28 (W) Discussion: The Development of Nazism Readings: [1] Adolf Hitler, On His Hopes for Germany in 1914 from Mein Kampf; [2] Adolf Hitler, Speech of April 12, 1922; [3] Reports on the Sources of Working-Class Support for the Nazis and the Limits to Opposition, ; [4] Joseph Goebbels, The Tasks of the Ministry of Propaganda, March 15, 1933; [5] Peter Gay, memoir about attending the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Sept 30 (F) Discussion: Propaganda and Volksgemeinschaft Reading: David Welch, Nazi Propaganda and the Volksgemeinschaft: Constructing a People s Community, in Journal of Contemporary History 39, no. 2 (April, 2004): Week 8 Oct 3 (M) Film: Triumph of the Will (dir. Leni Riefenstahl, 1935) Oct 5 (W) Film: Triumph of the Will part 2 Oct 7 (F) Discussion: Triumph of the Will Assignment: Third Newspaper Report due today Reading: Start reading Heda Margolius Kovaly, Under a Cruel Star. Part 3: Totalitarian Regimes Compared Week 9 Oct 10 (M) Lecture: Mass Repression and State Violence Oct 12 (W) Discussion: The Holocaust Readings: [1] Victor Klemperer, Reflections on the Meanings of the Yellow Star for Jews in Germany in 1941, 1947; [2] Himmler, Speech to SS Officers in Posen, October 4, 1943; [3] Hermann Friedrich Graebe, Description of a Mass Execution in Ukraine in 1942, Oct 14 (F) Discussion: The Holocaust Reading: Kovaly, Under a Cruel Star, Week 10 Oct 17 (M) Discussion: The Purges Reading: Kovaly, Under a Cruel Star,

6 Oct 19 (W) Discussion: Show Trials in the USSR and Czechoslovakia Readings: [1] Excerpt from transcript of Nikolai Bukharin s Trial (1938) [2] Bukharin s letter to Stalin, December 1937; [3] Excerpt from transcript of Rudolf Slansky s trial (1952). Oct 21 (F) Discussion: Research Paper Workshop Today you will receive your Research Paper Assignment Week 11 Oct 24 (M) Lecture: Gender and Society Oct 26 (W) Discussion: Women in Fascist Italy Reading: Victoria De Grazia, Motherhood, in How Fascism Ruled Women: Italy, , (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1992), Oct 28 (F) Discussion: Harvard Project on the Soviet Social System Readings: [1] David Engerman, Know Your Enemy, excerpt; [2] Spend some time exploring the HPSSS online and come to class ready to discuss your findings: Week 12 Oct 31 (M) Discussion: Women in the Soviet Union Reading: David L. Hoffmann, Mothers in the Motherland: Stalinist Pronatalism in Its Pan-European Context, Journal of Social History 34, no. 1 (Fall, 2000): Assignment: Submit research paper proposal by today on Blackboard Nov 2 (W) Lecture: Art and Totalitarianism Nov 4 (F) Discussion: Resistance and Counterculture Readings: [1] National Socialist Reich Youth Leadership, Report on Swing Dancing as a Form of Resistance, 1942; [2] Jokes about the Nazi Regime, ; [3] Vasilii Aksenov, In Search of Melancholy Baby, excerpt. Week 13 Nov 7 (M) Discussion: Foreign Reactions to Totalitarianism (An opportunity to share your Newspaper Reports.) Assignment: Fourth Newspaper Report due today Nov 9 (W) Discussion: Local Reactions to Totalitarianism Reading: Nikita Khrushchev, Secret Speech, 1956 Nov 11 (F) Discussion: Research Paper Workshop 6

7 Week 14 Nov 14 (M) Discussion: Post-Totalitarianism Reading: Vaclav Havel, The Power of the Powerless, selections Nov 16 (W) Extra Office Hours for Research Paper Nov 18 (F) NO CLASS (Zubovich at conference) Assignment: Draft Research Paper due by tonight on Blackboard Part 4: Totalitarianism Remembered Week 15 Nov 21 (M) Research Paper Peer Review Session Nov NO CLASS (Thanksgiving Break) Week 16 Nov 28 (M) Film: The Joke (dir. Jaromil Jires, 1969) Nov 30 (W) Film: The Joke part 2 Dec 2 (F) Discussion: Commemorating and Memorializing Reading: Statement by Vice-President Viviane Reding, EU Justice Commissioner on the Europe-wide Day of Remembrance for the victims of totalitarian and authoritarian regimes, August, Week 17 Dec 5 (M) Discussion: Totalitarian Legacies in Today s Europe Reading: Cas Mudde, Populist Radical Right Parties in Europe Today, in Transformations of Populism in Europe and the Americas: History and Recent Trends, (London: Bloomsbury, 2015), Assignment: Research Papers due Dec 7 7