20th Century Europe to the Present

A survey of the ideas, events, individuals, and trends of Europe since 1900, emphasizing the rise of totalitarianism and the two world wars. Through a combination of lecture and discussion of primary sources, the course will examine the origins and outcomes of World War I; the rise of collectivist dictatorships in Russia, Italy, and Germany; the Great Depression and its effects; the road to World War II, and the war itself, the postwar trends toward European union and decolonization; and the Cold War.