Europe in the Age of Total War (351-0-20)
Instructors
Robin Duffin Bates
847/467-4839
Harris 242
Meeting Info
University Hall 101: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:20PM
Overview of class
The outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789 created modern politics and thereby brought forth a new form of war: a total social mobilization on a previously unimaginable scale fought by mass armies of ordinary citizens in the name of the nation, its glory, and its survival. We will trace the social, political, and ethical implications of total war through the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, World War I and World War II, comparing these to the colonial wars of imperial conquest pursued by European states in the same period as extensions of the political claims of the nation on a global scale - wars whose practices in turn changed and intensified the conduct, scale, and human consequences of war in Europe itself.
Learning Objectives
You'll learn to:
1) Understand and interpret the historical events, ideas, and actors crucial to the development of modern European warfare, including its political, cultural, and ethical implications.
2) Assess competing explanations of the historical transformation of warfare both in primary sources created by historical actors and in the scholarly literature, showing an awareness of how claims are supported by evidence, how analytic categories structure arguments, and how historical context shapes the meaning of statements.
3) Develop original arguments about the historical development and human consequences of warfare, based on your independent interpretation of primary and secondary sources.
Evaluation Method
Class Participation: 30% Source Evaluation Assignment: 20% Essay Assignment: 25% Take-Home Final Exam: 25%
Class Materials (Required)
See Canvas for class materials
Class Notes
Concentration: European
Class Attributes
Advanced Expression
Ethical and Evaluative Thinking Foundational Disci
Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
Historical Studies Distro Area
Global Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity
Ethics & Values Distro Area
Enrollment Requirements
Enrollment Requirements: Only History majors and minors can currently enroll in this class.
Associated Classes
DIS - Kresge Centennial Hall 2-329: Fri 2:00PM - 2:50PM
DIS - University Library 4770: Fri 1:00PM - 1:50PM
DIS - Harris Hall L04: Fri 3:00PM - 3:50PM