Nineteenth Century Europe

History 3363 — Fall 2009

G. Shanafelt

Books

John Merriman. A History of Modern Europe, Vol 2, From the French Revolution to the Present, 2nd ed.
William Doyle, The French Revolution: A Very Short Introduction
Robert Heilbroner. The Worldly Philosophers
Ivan Turgenev, Fathers and Sons
Laurence Lafore, The Long Fuse

The Course

A quick perusal of the class readings will reveal that the word “revolution” appears repeatedly — in politics, in economics, in the sciences. This course is about a century in which Europe underwent massive changes, changes which transformed it in many ways all out of recognition from what it had been earlier, and which created the world as we know it today whether we live in Europe or Texas. If our century is the 21st, there can be little doubt that its foundations were laid by Europeans in the 19th, and that many of the processes which began then are still working themselves out among us a century later.

Course Objectives

Students in this course will be expected to understand

1.	The origins and course of the French Revolution, and the factors which underlay subsequent revolutionary outbreaks throughout Europe in the course of the 19th century;
2.	The origins and consequences of the Industrial Revolution that began in Britain at the end of the 18th century;
3.	The major political/economic philosophies of the time (liberalism, conservatism, socialism, nationalism);
4.	European interaction with the non-European world (imperialism);
5.	The factors that led to the outbreak of the First World War in 1914.

Course Grade

It goes without saying that you're expected to come to class having completed the weekly reading assignments. Though the course is mainly lecture in format, everything will make more sense if you keep up with the work. Your final grade will be computed as follows: 25% on each of the three noncomprehensive tests during the semester (the final examination will simply be the third noncomprehensive test), and 25% on an 8-10 page research paper on a historical problem to be determined later in the semester. Letter grades will be assigned according to the percentage scale described in the McMurry Catalog. Instances of plagiarism will result at a minimum in a zero grade for the assignment and in flagrant cases failure in the class.

Students with Disabilities

McMurry University abides by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which stipulates that no otherwise qualified student shall be denied the benefits of an education “solely by reason of a handicap.” If you have a documented disability that may impact your performance in this class and for which you may be requesting accommodation, you must be registered with and provide documentation of your disability to the Disability Services Office, located in Old Main Room 102. Arrangements will be made for students needing special accommodations.

Proposed Class and Reading Schedule

Aug 25 Aug 27	Introduction Europe in 1789	Merriman, xxiii-xxv, 467-468
Sept 1 Sept 3	The End of the Ancien Régime The Republic of Virtue	Merriman, 469-506; Doyle, 1-80
Sept 8 Sept 10	The Revolutionary Legacy The Industrial Revolution — Origins	Merriman, 506-573; Doyle, 81-108
Sept 15 Sept 17	The Industrial Revolution — Results Liberals and Conservatives	Merriman, 573-592; Heilbroner, chs. 1-4
Sept 22 Sept 24	Utopians and Marxists First Test	Merriman, 592-597; Heilbroner, chs. 5-6
Sept 29 Oct 1	The Continent: Reaction and Revolution England: Triumph of Reform	Merriman, 598-669
Oct 6 Oct 8	1848: Upheaval Revolution from Above: Cavour	Merriman, 670-720
Oct 13 Oct 15	Revolution from Above: Bismarck Stabilization in Central Europe	Merriman, 720-745; Begin Turgenev
Oct 20 Oct 22	Revolution from Above: Alexander I From the Nihilists to the Populists	Merriman, 770-794; Turgenev, all
Oct 27 Oct 29	Britain: Victorian Summer France: Second Empire and Third Republic	Merriman, 746-770, 794-813
Nov 3 Nov 5	Second Test Economics and the “Great Depression”	Merriman, 814-857
Nov 10 Nov 12	The Coming of Mass Society Culture: From Romanticism to Realism	Merriman, 858-897; Lafore, 15-54
Nov 17 Nov 19	Imperialism Sick Men: Austria-Hungary and Turkey	Merriman, 898-939; Lafore, 55-140
Nov 23	Diplomacy: The Forging of the Alliances	Merriman, 940-964; Lafore, 141-224
Nov 21-23	[Thanksgiving Vacation]
Nov 30	Paper due
Nov 30 Dec 3	The July Crisis Conclusion: The Lamps Go Out	Merriman, 964-973; Lafore, 225-268
Dec. 8	Third Test (8:00-10:00)