Books
John Merriman, A History of Modern Europe, vol. II, From the French Revolution to the Present (2nd edition)
John Maynard Keynes, The Economic Consequences of the Peace
P.M.H. Bell, The Origins of the Second World War in Europe (3rd edition)
Alan Sillitoe, The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner
      Articles available on electronic reserve:
Text of Charter 77
George Weigel, “Europe’s Two Culture Wars.” Commentary, May 2006, pp. 29-36
Andrew Purvis, “Marseille’s Ethnic Bouillabaisse.” Smithsonian, December 2007, pp. 86-93

The Course
Thomas More published his book Utopia in 1516. It might be said that while many aspired to design ideal societies in subsequent years, it was not until the 20th century in Europe that people for the first time possessed the power and technology to translate utopian visions into reality for whole peoples and states. The result was not a culmination of the progress of the nineteenth century, but totalitarian dictatorships, world wars, and mass genocide. With the collapse of the communist utopia in Eastern Europe, the end of the century finds Europeans in a certain sense back at their starting point at its beginning, poised between the kinder, gentler utopian promise of the European Union and the reality of Bosnia and Kosovo. How they got to that point is the subject of this course. It will examine the contours of Europe in 1914, the First World War, the weaknesses of liberal democracy in the interwar years, the allure of alternative political systems like communism and fascism, World War II, the social welfare state in Western Europe since 1945, and the course of events in communist Eastern Europe.

Course Objectives
Students will be expected to understand
1. The contours of Europe in 1914 and the course of the First World War;
2. The 1919 peace settlement and the weaknesses of liberal democracy in the interwar years;
3. The rise and nature of fascism and Nazism in Mussolini’s Italy and Hitler’s Germany;
4. The Russian Revolution and the development of communism under Lenin and Stalin in the Soviet Union;
5. The origins and course of the Second World War;
6. The development of the social welfare state and regional integration in Western Europe;
7. The Cold War and the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe.

Attendance
You’re responsible for the material covered at every class meeting. That means if you miss a class, you should get the lecture notes from someone else. The McMurry Catalog defines “excessive” absences as missing three or more class meetings with no prior explanation. If you get into this situation, you’ll be reported to the Registrar’s Office; and in extreme cases, you can be administratively dropped from the class.

Course Grade
Your final course grade will be calculated as follows: 25% for each of three non-comprehensive tests and 25% for a 5-8 page research paper whose topic will be determined later in the course. The grade scale will be A: 90 to 100, B: 80 to 89, C: 70 to 79, D: 60 to 69, F: 59 and below. Within those parameters, plus and minus grades will be given: A: 93-100, A-: 90-92, B+: 87-89, B: 83-86, B-: 80-82, etc. There will be no A+ grades and no plus or minus grades for an F. Borderline cases (e.g., 89.6 or 79.8) will be decided on the basis of improvement in the course, class participation, and regularity of attendance.

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.