History 2145A: Twentieth Century Totalitarianism

Course Description

History 2145A is an introductory lecture course on totalitarianism in the twentieth century, with a comparative focus on National Socialist Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The course explores definitions of totalitarianism as a historical term, and tests those definitions against a range of historical evidence. By the end of the term, students should be able to assess and compare the totalitarian character of Nazi Germany and the USSR from political, social, economic, cultural, and military perspectives.

Required Texts

Peter Kenez, A Short History of the Soviet Union from the Beginning to the End (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1999/2006).

Ian Kershaw, Hitler (London: Longman, 1991).       

Martin Kitchen, The Third Reich: Charisma and Community (Harlow: Pearson Education, 2008).

Evaluation

The mid-term examination (40% of course grade) will be written during normal class hours on 2 November. The final examination (60% of course grade) will be scheduled by the registrar during the December exam period.

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