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Academic Year 2004/2005


Nationhood and Empire in Modern Germany, 1800 - 1918
HIST 120 FA

This seminar explores the rise of German nationalism and the processes that led to the creation of the German Empire in 1871, focusing on how the deep regional, confessional, and class divisions pulling at the fabric of this society were expressed, suppressed, and redirected. Close attention will be paid to the tensions produced by very rapid industrialization and how Germany's internal divisions, growing industrial power, and nationalism were subsequently channeled into a policy of aggressive imperialism that challenged both the European and international status quo before 1914. The course carefully analyses the role played by these various developments in the tensions that led to the First World War and concludes by exploring Germany's subsequent historical development, allowing students to evaluate the influence of the economic structure,
institutions, and political culture of the German Empire on the Weimar Republic, the Nazi state, and the postwar Federal Republic. The aim of the seminar is to firmly ground students in the processes that resulted in the creation of the German nation-state and to familiarize them with the major debates on the course of German history in the twentieth century.

MAJOR READINGS

David Blackbourn and Geoff Eley, THE PECULARIARITIES OF GERMAN HISTORY
Mary Fulbrook, ed., GERMANY HISTORY SINCE 1800
Wolfgang Mommsen, IMPERIAL GERMANY 1867-1918
Hagen Schulze, THE COURSE OF GERMAN NATIONALISM
A.J.P. Taylor, THE COURSE OF GERMAN HISTORY
Hans-Ulrich Wehler, THE GERMAN EMPIRE 1871-1918

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Your grade in this course will be based on five elements:

1. Attendance and participation 20%
2. Response questions 10%
3. Class presentation 10%
4. Midterm paper 30%
5. Final paper 30%

COURSE FORMAT: Seminar

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UGRD    Credit: 1    Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS HIST    Grading Mode: Graded   

Prerequisites: NONE Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-21-2005


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