HIST 2102 Readings in European History, 1850 to the Present University of Pittsburgh Fall term Tuesdays, 6 8:30pm, 316 Old Engineering Hall

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1 HIST 2102 Readings in Eurpean Histry, 1850 t the Present University f Pittsburgh Fall term 2014 Tuesdays, 6 8:30pm, 316 Old Engineering Hall Gregr Thum 3524 Psvar Hall thum@pitt.edu Office hurs: Mnday & Wednesday 2 3pm r by appintment This curse prvides a frum fr the discussin f majr trends f Eurpean histry frm the mid-19th century t the present, and their reflectin in histrigraphy. The selectin f bks largely crrespnds t the Histry Department s reading list fr the cmprehensive PhD exams in the Eurpean reginal field. While this requires cvering a thematically wide range f literature, I tried t structure the curse alng cherent chrnlgical and thematic lines. In sme cases, I chse thematical depth ver breadth, and I gave cnsideratin t themes and regins that are particularly relevant t ur current students in mdern Eurpean histry. The syllabus is nt carved in stne thugh. The emphasis n certain themes can be increased r decreased depending n the participants specific research interests. Als, n an individual base, sme f the texts can be replaced by thers if students wish t d s. The main purpse f the curse is t familiarize the seminar s participants with a range f histrigraphical literature by fcussing n bks that have (r are likely t have) a lasting impact n current and future research. We might disagree, hwever, n the actual quality f bks and jurnal articles, the strengths f their methdlgy, r the persuaviness f their interpretatins. Students enrlled in this curse are strngly encuraged t develp their wn pinins abut the selected texts and share them with the class. Als, I like this curse t be an excercise in drawing brad cnnectins between texts and themes. Fr the sake f a lively and thrught-prvking schlarly discussin, it is smetimes better t versht with an interpretatin than t nt sht at all! After all, a gd graduate seminar is meant t be a labratry fr the creatin and testing f new ideas. Students f the thematic field Pwer & Inequality While this curse is designed as a readings curse in the Eurpean reginal field, significant thematic verlaps exist with the graduate prgram s transnatinal theme Pwer & Inequality. Natinalism, 'ethnic cleansing,' empire and clnialism, r the establishment f the American and Sviet hegemnies in pstwar Eurpe are all themes relevant t bth mdern Eurpean histry and Pwer & Inequality. Students f Pwer &

2 2 Inequality are thus welcme in this curse. I will accmmdate their specific reading interests as far as pssible. Requirements All students are expected t participate actively during all curse sessins and cntribute generusly t the discussin. Discussin leadership: Each student will lead at least ne discussin f a particular bk r shrter text. This includes a brief presentatin f an authr s general argument, its research cntext and receptin, and the preparatin f questins that will get the cnversatin started. It might make sense t circulate questins in advance. Written assignments: Fllwing the principle n reading withut writing, students are expected t submit the fllwing texts: Fur shrt cmmentaries (2 pages each) n a week s readings. Please submit the cmmentaries by t all seminar participants by nn n the day we meet t discuss the readings yu chse. Tw thematic reviews (2 3 pages each) that draw brader cnnectins between the readings and in-class discussins f mre than ne week. Please submit these reviews (t the instructr) n later than a week after the last sessin the readings f which yu discussed. One histrigraphical essay (8-12 pages) that ties tgether the curse as a whle by drawing cnnectins between texts and themes discussed and yur wn MA r PhD research. These essays may serve as nuclei fr cmps essays in histry. We will discuss these essays during the final sessin f the curse. Please submit this essay by t all seminar participants by Nvember 28, The fur cmmentaries and tw thematic reviews have t cver the readings f at least six different weeks. Grade weighting: Shrt cmmentaries: 25% (the cmmentary with the lwest grade wn t cunt) Thematic reviews: 25% Histrigraphical essay: 15% Discussin leadership: 10% Weekly participatin: 25%

3 3 Curse schedule Aug 26 Intrductin Rbert Bideleux and Catherine Lee. "Eurpe: What Kind f Idea?". The Eurpean Legacy: Tward New Paradigms 14, n. 2 (2009): The Rise f the Middle Class Sep 2 Failed revlutins? 1848 and the transfrmatin f Eurpe s mnarchies Jnathan Sperber. The Eurpean Revlutins, nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, Sept 9 Liberalism, imperialism, and Eurpe s civilizing missins Read ne f the fllwing bks: Jennifer Pitts. The Turn t Empire: The Rise f Imperial Liberalism in Britain and France. Princetn: Princetn University Press, 2006 Mark Bassin. Imperial Visins: Natinalist Imaginatin and Gegraphical Expansin in the Russian Far East, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, Mdernizatin and the Liquidatin f Difference Sep 16 The ideal f the hmgenus natin-state Eugen Weber. Peasants int Frenchmen. The Mdernizatin f Rural France, Stanfrd: Stanfrd University Press, 1976, chapters 1, 5, 6, 10, 12, 18, 28, 29. Anthny D. Smith. "The Myth f the 'Mdern Natin'." In The Antiquity f Natins. Cambridge, UK: Plity Press, 2004, Sep 23 *** class cancelled *** Sep 30 The ideal f the classless sciety Albert S. Lindemann. A Histry f Eurpean Scialism. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1983,

4 4 Oct 7 Mdernity and anti-mdernity Carl E. Schrske. Fin-de-siècle Vienna: Plitics and Culture. New Yrk: Knpf, 1979, Yuri Slezkine. The Jewish Century. Princetn: Princetn University Press, 2006, Oct 14 *** n class (Mnday make-up fr fall break) *** The Culminatin f Vilence Oct 21 Fast-track t mdernity? The Stalinist Sviet Unin Stephen Ktkin. Magnetic Muntain: Stalinism as a Civilizatin. Berkeley: University f Califrnia Press, 1995, 1-155, Karl Schlögel. "A Stage fr the Hrrrs f Industrializatin: The Secnd Mscw Shw Trial in January 1937." In Mscw Malden, MA: Plity Press, 2012, Mritz Feichtinger, and Stephan Malinwski. "Transfrmative Invasins: Western Pst-9/11 Cunterinsurgency and the Lessns f Clnialism." Humanity: An Internatinal Jurnal f Human Rights, Humanitarianism, and Develpment 3, n. 1 (2012): Oct 28 Fast-track t empire? Nazi Germany Adam Tze. The Wages f Destructin: The Making and Breaking f the Nazi Ecnmy. New Yrk: Penguin, 2006, chapters 1, 7 8, 14 16, 20. Michael Geyer and Sheila Fitzpatrick, eds. Beynd Ttalitarianism: Stalinism and Nazism Cmpared. New Yrk: Cambridge University Press, 2009, Nv 4 Ethnic cleansing, mass murder, and gencide Eric D. Weitz. Century f Gencide: Utpias f Race and Natin. Princetn: Princetn University Press, 2003, 1 52 & Christian Gerlach. "Extremely Vilent Scieties: An Alternative t the Cncept f Gencide." Jurnal f Gencide Research 8, n. 4 (2006): A. Dirk Mses. "Hannah Arendt, Imperialism, and the Hlcaust." In German Clnialism: Race, the Hlcaust, and Pstwar Germany, edited by Vlker Langbehn and Mhammad Salama. New Yrk: Clumbia University Press, 2011, Nrman M. Naimark. "The Expulsin f Germans frm Pland and Czechslvakia." In Fires f the Hatred: Ethnic Cleansing in Twentieth Century Eurpe. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2001,

5 5 Pstwar: Americanizatin, Svietizatin, Eurpeanizatin Nv 11 Americanizatin and Svietizatin after 1945 Victria de Grazia. Irresistible Empire: America's Advance thrugh Twentieth- Century Eurpe: Belknap Press f Harvard University, 2005, 1 15, , Katherine Verdery. Natinal Idelgy Under Scialism: Identity and Cultural Plitics in Ceausecu's Rmania. Berkeley: University f Califrnia Press, 1991, 1 71, Nv 18 Eurpe's pstwar recvery Tny Judt. Pstwar: A Histry f Eurpe since New Yrk: Penguin, 2005,1 99, , , , Wlfram Kaiser. "Frm Islatin t Centrality: Cntemprary Histry Meets Eurpean Studies." In Eurpean Unin Histry. Themes and Debates edited by Wlfram Kaiser and Antni Varsri. Basingstke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010, Nv 25 Eurpean searches fr usable pasts Claudi Fgu and Wulf Kantsteiner. "The Plitics f Memry and the Petics f Histry." In The Plitics f Memry in Pstwar Eurpe, edited by Richard Ned Lebw, Wulf Kantsteiner and Claudi Fgu. Durham and Lndn: Duke University Press, 2006, Tny Judt. "The Past Is Anther Cuntry: Myth and Memry in Pstwar Eurpe." In Memry and Pwer in Pst-War Eurpe. Studies in the Presence f the Past, edited by Tny Judt. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002, Christpher Clark. The Sleepwalkers. Hw Eurpe Went t War in New Yrk: Harper, 2012, (ch. 1 3); (The Balkan Inceptin Scenari); (Cnclusin) Cming t terms with the disparate halves f 20 th -century Eurpean histry Dec 2 Ulrich Herbert. "Eurpe in High Mdernity: Reflectins n a Thery f the 20th Century." Jurnal f Mdern Eurpean Histry 51 (2007): Dec 9 Cncluding sessin