Modern Europe

HIST 303, By John McCole

Term: Winter 2009

HIST303-Europe20thCentury-McCole-Fall2022

This course is a survey of the splendors and horrors of Europe’s history during the past century, from 1914 to the present. It was often a century of terrors: it brought two devastating world wars; fierce ideological and political conflict between liberal democracy, fascism, and communism; and genocide and ‘ethnic cleansing.’ In the process, Europeans’ relations with the rest of the world changed dramatically. The European nations began the century as the world’s dominant imperial powers; in the Cold War, two halves of Europe were integrated into blocs dominated by ‘outside’ powers, the USA and USSR. In our time, Europeans are struggling to redefine their identities and their place in the world. Yet the twentieth century was also a time of exciting social transformation and cultural achievement in Europe. We will examine the major social, political, and cultural movements that have vied to define and control Europe during this period. We will give full attention to the second half of the century, including recent and contemporary events.