The 20 years between the two world wars were some of the most tumultuous Europe has ever experienced. It emerged from a conflict that many hoped would be the ‘war to end all wars’ but which instead unleashed new forms of violence and left much unfinished business. The problems which faced Europe as the First World War ended were so severe that many felt that only extreme solutions were viable. Radical ideologies on both ends of the political spectrum gained huge support and, in some cases, formed the basis of government in powerful states – Communism in Russia, Fascism in Italy and National Socialism in Germany. So potent were these systems, and so committed to absolute control both within and beyond their borders, that they gave rise to many horrors – dictatorship, oppression, slavery, genocide – and eventually led to the outbreak of the Second World War. This module will consider these three extreme states both on their own merit and in comparison, with one another, examining not only their similarities and differences, but also the ways in which they related to one another and how they shaped the international relations of the period.
Lecture 16, Seminar 16
1,500 words Source analysis. Assessment Details: Students will analyse, with a comparative approach, a piece of propaganda from each of the three regimes. worth 40%.
1,500 words Essay. Assessment Details: Students will analyse a core theme of the module and assess its historical and historiographical impact. worth 60%.
Reassessment Method: Single Instrument 100% written assessment / essay (2,000 words)
On successfully completing the module, students will be able to:
1) Appraise the three main extreme ideologies which took hold of countries in Europe during the interwar period and understand how they governed.
2) Investigate the similarities and differences between these three movements, with reference to their ideological foundations, domestic and foreign policies, and relationship to conflict and violence.
3) Apply advanced source analysis techniques to propaganda examples from all three regimes and explore how these functioned within systems of state control and coercion.
4) Individually and/or collectively debate, differentiate and explain the role of these three extreme regimes in shaping European relations during the interwar period, especially regarding the outbreak of the Second World War.
5) Effectively communicate information, ideas, and interpretations concerning scholarly debates using written and visual primary evidence.
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