HIST 122 Rise, Fall, and Rebirth: Europe 1740s to 2020s
The course focuses on the rise, fall, and re-emergence of Europe as a global political, economic, and cultural force in the contemporary world. We begin with the Enlightenment in the 18th century and the dissemination of European power in the 19th century through capitalism, the industrial revolution, nationalism, and imperialism. We then turn to Europe’s crisis in the 20th century with attention to World War I, Fascism and Nazism, World War II and the Holocaust, and colonial wars of independence, to be followed by European rebirth in the form of reconstruction and European unity. The period 1990s to 2020s welcomed several former states of the USSR into the European Union, and witnessed UNESCO’s restoration of historic sites. Specific topics include the French Revolution, transformations in capitalism, the rise of the nation-state, colonialism and decolonization, liberalism, socialism, communism, changes in family structure and gender relations, and the movements for women's, workers’, gay and lesbian and other minority rights.
Survey Requirement Met: Europe