Introduction to Topics in History (292-0-20)
Topic
Comparative Fascism
Instructors
Lauren K Stokes
847/467-3086
Harris Hall - Room 235
Meeting Info
Kresge Centennial Hall 2-325: Tues, Thurs 3:30PM - 4:50PM
Overview of class
Ever since the emergence of fascism in the early 1920s, historians, political theorists and ordinary citizens have debated what its true nature is—a debate currently experiencing a revival as populist, xenophobic and far-right parties make electoral gains across the globe.
Focusing primarily on the fascist regimes that arose in Italy and Germany in the first half of the twentieth century, but also fascist movements that subsequently arose elsewhere, we will investigate questions such as: Is fascism a single, coherent ideology? Is is a form of populism? What is its relationship to imperialism? How did fascists want to reconstruct national, sexual, and racial identities? Who joined fascist movements and why--and, just as importantly, who fought fascism and how?
Are "fascism" and "anti-fascism" still useful concepts for helping us to understand developments today, or is it a purely historical phenomenon from the previous century?
Learning Objectives
• Identify and explain the common features of fascist regimes and movements • Compare and contrast the features of the two fascist regimes in Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, as well as fascist movements in other countries (Spain, Japan, Argentina) • Analyze primary sources in relation to theoretical frameworks • Critically read secondary sources for argument • Recognize multiple different "schools" of studying fascism, and identify the strengths and drawbacks of different approaches • Make your own arguments about the nature of fascism as a phenomenon and its relevance or lack thereof to the present
Evaluation Method
Class participation, writing assignments
Class Notes
Concentration: European, Global
Class Attributes
Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
Historical Studies Distro Area