History 441: Germany in the 20th Century

Instructor: William Mood

Purpose

History 441 examines Germany in the 20th century, covering a cross section of German life and culture from Germany's defeat in World War I to its reunion at the end of the Cold War. With a broad brush this course traces the development of German ideology to pinpoint both the continuity of its history in the 19th century as well as the discontinuity during the war years of the 20th century. In addition, it analyzes current social and economic problems within the framework of globalization and European politics. Using a combination of primary sources, students will investigate topics that include the birth of the Weimar Republic and rise of the Nazi party, the effects of total war and the emergence of democracy, the tragedy of division and the birth pains of reunion, as well as discussions about birth control and debates about immigration policy. This course is about the many voices in contemporary Germany and their political expression.

Textbooks

1. Christopher Browning. Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland (Harper Collins 1992).

2. Mary Fulbrook. Divided Nation: A History of Germany 1918-1990 (New York: OUP 1992).

3. Volker Berghahn. Modern Germany: Society, Economy and Politics in the 20th Century, 2nd. (Cambridge University Press 1988)

4. Sebastian Haffner. The Meaning of Hitler (Harvard University Press 1983).

5. Primary Sources On-line: Internet History Sourcebook: Western Europe since 1945

6. Celia Applegate, A Nation of Provincials: The German Idea of Heimat (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1990) and Alfred E. Cornebise, "Der Rhein Entlang: The American Occupation Forces in Germany, 1918-1923, A Photo Essay," Military Affairs Vol. 46, No. 4 (Dec., 1982), 183-189. (Available in JSTOR)

Objectives

• Improve your understanding of 20th century Germany by identifying key events and people associated with a particular historical period. In particular, you will be able to discuss the impact of both world wars on German society, to trace the rise and fall of the Weimar Republic, to analyze the Nazi state and genocide, to outline the problems of German reunification and to clarify Germany's role in the EU.

• Develop your analytical skills and understanding of the study of history by reading primary sources and by writing a research paper.

• Evaluate internet sites and secondary resources relevant to the study of German society.

• Analyze historical debates about nationalism, minority rights and women's issues and their relevance to contemporary German society.

• Learn how to locate academic articles in the UMUC library databases.

Grading

Class participation/Weekly Assignments (30%) 
Proctored Midterm Exam (20%)
Final Exam (25%)
An 8-10 page research paper, approximately 2000 words (25%) (see grading rubrics & worksheet)

Web Links

• Avalon Project: Major Documents Collection
• Center for Studies of Intelligence: Publications
• Deutsche Aussenpolitik/German Foreign Policy
• Digital Collections National Defense University Library
• DW-World
• Foreign Relations of the United States: Electronic Facsimile (1861-1960)
• FRUS Volume XV, Germany and Berlin. Also see Germany and the Cold War
• German History in Documents and Images
• German Historical Museum
• German History Resources
• German Law Archive
• German News (English Edition)
• German Political & Economic History (Chronology), 1945 - 1997
• H-German Home Page
• Internet Archive (See the newsreel section for interesting clips)
• MHI: Army Heritage Collection Online (select manuscripts)
• Modern History Sourcebook: Basic Law 1949
• Photos of the Great War
• Voices of the Holocaust
• The Jewish Holocaust 1933-1945
• Jüdische Zeitschriften in NS-Deutschland (in German, not required for class)
• Historical New York Times (UMUC Library Database)
• Wall Street Journal Historical (UMUC Library Database)
• National Archives Search (ARC)
• Newspaper pictorials
• University of Wisconsin Digital Library (see The History Collection)