Required Materials The following textbooks will be made available at the bookstore:

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1 TOTALITARIANISM Political Studies 290, Fall 2016 Cross-listed: Global & International Studies, Human Rights Tues/Thurs 8:30am-9:50am in Olin 202 Professor Kevin Duong Office Hours: Aspinwall 209, Wednesday, 10am-noon or by appointment Totalitarianism is a conceptual lodestar of twentieth century politics. It is supposed to point to everything that contemporary American and European political culture is not terroristic, homogenous, authoritarian, ideologically manipulative, and unfree. At the same time, critics have used the concept to describe regimes as different as the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, Maoist China, ISIS, and occasionally even the US itself. What is totalitarianism? This class engages this question by introducing undergraduate students to the history and theory of totalitarianism. We will study specific cases especially Nazi Germany, Vichy France, Soviet Union, and Mussolini s Italy alongside the theoretical frameworks scholars have used to understand these regimes. Students can expect to discuss themes such as religion and secularism, collaboration and resistance, the rise of human rights, and the role of historical memory in contemporary Europe. Required Materials The following textbooks will be made available at the bookstore: - Hannah Arendt, Origins of Totalitarianism (Penguin) - Hannah Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem (Penguin) - Alice Kaplan, The Collaborator: The Trial and Execution of Robert Brasillach (University of Chicago Press) - Friedrich Hayek, The Road to Serfdom (University of Chicago Press) - Arthur Koestler, Darkness at Noon (Simon & Schuster) - Ernst Jünger, On Pain (Telos) Many of our readings are on our course Moodle website, which you can access with the enrollment key: resistancef16 Course Objectives and Expectations Assignments: You will be responsible for three analytical essays in this class. The deadlines for these essays are listed below in our class schedule, and detailed instructions for these essays will be distributed as the deadlines approach. Students are also expected to complete their reading assignments for each class and to be prepared to discuss them in seminar. Finally, participation is also part of a student s overall class grade. Guidelines for Written Work: Unless otherwise stated, you must submit a hard copy of an assignment in the beginning of class. Written work must be typed in 12-point Times New Roman and double-spaced, with one-inch margins, 0-point spacing after lines, and page numbers. All evidence must be cited in accordance with MLA or Chicago format. If you are unsure of these rules and requirements, please consult a style handbook.

2 2 Attendance: Attendance is mandatory for this class. We will be moving through a large amount of material each week. Our class policy is that students may miss two classes without an excuse. Any unexcused absences beyond two will penalize a student s grade if an adequate justification, to be determined by the instructor, is not forthcoming. A student s overall grade will be in jeopardy after four unexcused absences, and I will schedule a meeting with you to discuss the matter if that happens. Class Participation: Please note that participation is a substantial component of the course s overall evaluation. Students can ensure that they receive the maximum participation points by participating in class discussion everyday (especially by coming to class prepared with questions regarding the reading assignment), and by showing general attentiveness towards, including thoughtful responses to, their fellow classmates. If for any reason a student is concerned about their ability to do the above listed, please feel free to discuss the matter with me early in the semester. Laptop Policy: This is a discussion class. Laptops will therefore not be permitted in class. Note taking can be done adequately with pencil and paper when the need arises. If there is an unusually compelling reason, however, for why on a particular day you may need your laptop out, please let me know and we can try to accommodate that. I also expect that you will refrain from texting, sending s, using the internet, doing other work, etc. during class. Course Evaluation: Essay #1: 30% Essay #2: 30% Essay #3: 30% Class Participation: 10% Other Matters: Plagiarism: Each student is expected to abide by the Code of Academic Integrity, which you can access at ( It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with college policies regarding plagiarism and other violations of academic integrity, which will be strictly observed in this class. If work is found to be plagiarized, the student will receive an automatic failing grade in the class, and depending on the situation additional sanctions may be imposed by the college. Reasonable Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: If you have a disability that may require assistance or accommodations, or if you have any questions related to any accommodation for testing, note taking, reading, etc., please speak with me as soon as possible. You may also contact Student Disability Services with any questions about such services. Additional Writing Help: If you seek additional writing help beyond the scope of the course, I encourage you to visit the Bard College Learning Commons which provides writing resources for students. You can visit their website here:

3 3 Course Schedule Readings and assignments are to be completed by their corresponding date. Optional readings are additional selections that may improve your mastery of the material, but aren t required. Required readings with asterisks (*) are available online on Moodle. WEEK 1-2: What is Totalitarianism? Literary and Popular Accounts Many of us today have an idea of what totalitarianism is, even if it is sometimes impressionistic. In the first week of our class, we explore our received popular perceptions of what totalitarianism is in film and literature. What are the defining features of totalitarianism that we pick up in American literary and political culture? Aug 30: Sep 1: No Readings Charles de Gaulle, Russian Menace Like German in the New York Times* Arthur Koestler, Darkness at Noon (pp. 1-79) Sep 6: Arthur Koestler, Darkness at Noon (pp ) Sep 8: Arthur Koestler, Darkness at Noon (pp ) Abbott Gleason, Totalitarianism: The Inner History of the Cold War (pp ) Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Humanism and Terror: An Essay on the Communist Problem WEEK 3-5: The Origins of Totalitarianism: Classical Accounts Totalitarianism theory was a body of theory that emerged in the mid-twentieth century. These foundational texts formalized totalitarianism s essential features, the better to understand its historical novelty. During these weeks, we ll move away from popular understandings of totalitarianism to a more intensive study of its classic studies. Sep 13: Friedrich Hayek, The Road to Serfdom (pp ) Friedrich Hayek, Law, Legislation, Liberty, Vol 1 (pp )* Sep 15: Friedrich Hayek, The Road to Serfdom, (pp , , ) Sep 20: Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism (pp ) Sep 22: Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism (pp ) Zbigniew Brzezinski, Totalitarianism and Rationality * Sep 27: Sigmund Neumann, Permanent Revolution: The Total State in a World at War (pp. 1-72)* Sep 29: Sigmund Neumann, Permanent Revolution: The Total State in a World at War (pp , ) Essay #1 assigned Carl J. Friedrich and Zbigniew Brzezinski, Of Totalitarian Dictatorship in Totalitarian Dictatorship and Autocracy David Ciepley, Liberalism in the Shadow of Totalitarianism Jacob Talmon, The Origins of Totalitarian Democracy Abbott Gleason, Totalitarianism: The Inner History of the Cold War (pp ) Juan Linz, Totalitarian Systems in Totalitarianism and Authoritarian Regimes

4 4 WEEK 6-8: The Political Culture of Totalitarianism In the classical accounts of totalitarianism, ideology holds a special place. That ideology was unique in how it brought together preexisting ideas from the nineteenth century and radicalized them. Foremost among those ideas were the sacred, the cult of the will, and the revolutionary role of technology in an age of mass society. During these weeks, we observe different ways totalitarian movements sought to combine these ideas into a persuasive, mass political culture. Oct 4: Oct 6: Oct 11: Oct 13: Oct 18: Oct 20: Leni Reifenstahl, Triumph of the Will (in class film) Emilio Gentile, Fascism as Political Religion * Federico Finchelstein, On Fascist Ideology * Fall Break Ernst Jünger, On Pain Filippo Marinetti, The Founding and Manifesto of Futurism * Essay #1 Due Simonetta Falasca-Zamponi, Fascist Spectacle: The Aesthetics of Power in Mussolini s Italy (pp , 42-88)* Ian Kershaw, The Hitler Myth * No Class Jeffrey Herf, Reactionary Modernism: Technology, Culture, and Politics in Weimar and the Third Reich (pp ) Sandrine Sanos, The Aesthetics of Hate: Far-Right Intellectuals, Antisemitism, and Gender in 1930s France Enzo Traverso, Interpreting Fascism: Mosse, Sternhell and Gentile in Comparative Perspective Sigmund Neumann, Permanent Revolution (pp ) Marjorie Perloff, The Futurist Moment: Avant-Garde, Avant Guerre, and the Language of Rupture Zeev Sternhell, Neither Right Nor Left: Fascist Ideology in France Mark Antliff, Avant-Garde Fascism: The Mobilization of Myth, Art, and Culture in France, WEEK 9-10: Violence & Total War Totalitarian states were engaged in a form of total war that manifested the power of the total state at home. During these two weeks, we investigate how total war and the total state were conceptualized. What are the links (if any) between ideology and violence? Do totalitarian states understand the use of political violence differently from other states? And how do we explain their exterminationist impulses? Oct 25: Enzo Traverso, The Origins of Nazi Violence (pp )* Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism (pp ) Oct 27: Bernardo Bertolucci, The Conformist (in-class film) Nov 1: Enzo Traverso, The Origins of Nazi Violence (pp ) Simonetta Falasca-Zamponi, Fascist Spectacle: The Aesthetics of Power in Mussolini s Italy (pp )* Essay #2 Assigned

5 5 Nov 3: No class Timothy Snyder, Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin Arno Mayer, Why Did the Heavens Not Darken? The Final Solution in History Geoff Ely, Nazism as Fascism: Violence, Ideology, and the Ground of Consent in Germany, David Bell, The First Total War: Napoleon s Europe and the Birth of Warfare As We Know It Enzo Traverso, Intellectuals and Anti-Fascism: For a Critical Historicization WEEK 11-12: Ordinary Politics and Everyday Life Under Totalitarianism How do people live under totalitarianism? In what ways do individuals support or undermine that regime in everyday life? During this week, we explore the ways individuals adjust to and sometimes get conscripted into totalitarian regimes. Nov 8: Nov 10: Václav Havel, Power of the Powerless * Christopher Browning, Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland (1-2, 55-77, )* Daniel Jonah Goldhagen, Hitler s Willing Executioners (91-103)* Michael R. Marrus and Robert O. Paxton Vichy France and the Jews (xvxviii, 3-21, 34-44)* Nov 15: Jochen Hellbeck, Revolution On My Mind: Writing a Diary Under Stalin (pp. 1-9, 37-52)* Sheila Fitzpatrick, Everyday Stalinism: Ordinary Life in Extraordinary Times: Soviet Russia in the 1930s (pp. 1-13, 67-79)* Essay #2 Due Nov 17: Marcel Ophüls, The Sorrow and the Pity: The Choice (in-class film) Sheila Fitpatrick and Alf Lüdtke, Energizing the Everyday: On the Breaking and Making of Social Bonds in Nazism and Stalinism in Beyond Totalitarianism: Stalinism and Nazism Compared WEEK 13-15: What Comes After Totalitarianism? In many ways, totalitarianism s real philosophical challenge is raised in its aftermath. Who is responsible? How does a political community come to terms with its past? In these final weeks, we examine the legal trials of collaborators. We also examine political debates over remembering the history of totalitarianism. Nov 22: Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil (pp ) Nov 24: Thanksgiving Break Nov 29: Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil (pp , ) Dec 1: Alice Kaplan, The Collaborator: The Trial and Execution of Robert Brasillach (pp. ix-91) Dec 6: Alice Kaplan, The Collaborator: The Trial and Execution of Robert Brasillach (pp , )

6 6 Dec 8: Dagmar Herzog, Sex after Fascism: Memory and Morality in Twentieth-Century Germany (pp. 1-6, )* Essay #3 assigned Corey Robin, The Trials of Hannah Arendt Carolyn Dean, The Frail Social Body: Pornography, Homosexuality, and Other Fantasies in Interwar France Joan Scott, The Politics of Virility Daniel Lee, Petain s Jewish Children: French Jewish Youth and the Vichy Regime WEEK 16: Totalitarianism Today? In our final week, we look at possibilities of totalitarianism today. Has totalitarianism changed its shape in the 21 st century? Are there problems today the vocabulary of totalitarianism can still capture? Dec 13: Dec 15: TBD: Sheldon Wolin, Inverted Totalitarianism * Final Day Essay #3 due