EUROPE AND THE WORLD IN THE 20TH CENTURY
SPRING 2015
T/R 7, 7-8 FLINT 105
COURSE DESCRIPTION:- Most people in the industrialized European societies
greeted the opening of the twentieth century with a mixture of hope and fear.
Scientific advances of the late 19th century, which had led to the agricultural
revolution as well as to the development of new technologies, fueled expectations
that the future promised a better world; one that was not dominated by poverty,
disease, or famine. This optimism was offset by the widely-held belief that the
accelerated progress and prosperity experienced by Westerners brought on the
dissolution of traditional social structures and growing tensions within the
international arena. During the course of the next few years these fears were borne
out by events like the “Scramble for Africa” and the outbreak of war in Europe in
1914.
Above all, the twentieth century saw the increasing interaction among countries and
peoples on a global scale. By mid-century, the relationship between Western
countries and the rest of the world had been dramatically altered by revolutions,
wars, and the globalization of economic forces. From this point on Cold War
rivalries and political and economic developments in Asia, Africa and other regions
formerly dominated by the European powers increasingly determined the course of
world affairs.
CONTENT AND AIMS OF COURSE:-
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This survey offers various perspectives on the origins of today's world of global
interdependency by focusing on the interrelationship between Europe and the world
community in the 20th century. It examines the various ways in which the ideas,
cultures, and economies of European countries shaped the development of countries
around the globe. Topics considered will include imperialism in the Middle East,
India, Asia, and Africa, the impact of political revolutions and world wars in
countries like China, Cuba, Russia, the spread of nationalism, and the origins and
consequences of the Cold War. Students will be encouraged to view these events
from the internal perspective of the participants and from the standpoint of the
outside world.
The purpose of this course is to provide a foundation for the study of 20th-century
world history from a European perspective. It will present a chronological overview
of key events in western history from the last hundred years, while introducing
students to particular themes regarding social, political, ideological, and cultural
dimensions of a particularly dramatic and transformative era in the modern period.
Required Texts (Paperback editions available at UF bookstore):

J.A.S. Grenville, A History of the World from the 20th to the 21st Century.
Third Edition (preferred), Routledge, 2005.
James Overfield , Sources of Twentieth Century Global History. First
Edition.Wadsworth, 2001.
Exams and Grading:
Three in-class exams = 90%
Attendance/Class Participation = 10%
Please note that attendance is mandatory for this class. You are allowed 2
unexcused absences for the term. Otherwise you need to provide a valid excuse –
medical or family emergency -- for any absences which exceed this number.
Course Calendar:Week of:
6 January
Introduction to course; The Western World 1900-1914: Science, Material Progress,
and Intellectual Currents.
13 January
The Western Political Order: Liberalism, Conservatism, Socialism, Nationalism and
the Great Power system.
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20 January
Late 19th-century Imperialism and its impact in Africa and Asia. The rise of Japan.
27 January
The Great War, 1914-1918 and its aftermath. The Global impact of WWI.
Liberalism challenged: The Russian Revolution and Civil War of 1917-1924.
International responses to the rise of communism in Russia and Europe.
3 February
The rise of fascism in Italy and Germany and militarism in Japan.
10 February
International relations in the inter-war period (1919-1939): The League of Nations.
Conflicts in the Middle East and Africa. The fate of China; Japanese imperialism.
The Great Global Depression and the coming of the Second World War in Asia and
Europe.
Reading Assignments: Grenville, A History of the World, (Parts I-IV) Chapters 1-21.
Overfield , Sources of Twentieth Century Global History, Chapters 1, 3-4, 6, 8.
17 February/First Exam
24 February
Global warfare, 1939-1945: (1) The war in Europe, (2) The war in Asia and the
Pacific.
28 February – 7 March Spring Break
10 March
Post-War Europe: Reconstruction of a divided continent (East vs. West). The
United States and Cold War crises in Europe (Greek Civil War and Berlin Airlift,
1946-1948).
17 March/Second Exam
Independence movements in Africa , South Asia (India and Pakistan), and Southeast
Asia (Malaysia and Indonesia).
24 March
-Mao’s Revolution in post-war China. National movements and Cold War conflicts
in Korea (1950-1953) and Southeast Asia (1954).
31 March
Colonial issues and Cold War realities in the Middle East (1919-1980).
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Reading Assignments: Grenville, A History of the World, (Parts V.-X.) Chapters 2245 . Overfield , Sources of Twentieth Century Global History. Chapters 7-11
7 April
United States vs. USSR: Hungarian Uprising, Berlin Wall, Cuban Missile Crisis.
Wars in Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos). The U.S. and Soviet Bloc after
1963: From Brezhnev to Gorbachev. Europe’s third way: Economic and political
integration in the West. Post-war cultural/political movements: Counter-culture of
1960s, the rise of European terrorism (Algeria, N. Ireland, Spain).
14 April
Africa after colonialism, Dictatorships, Democracy and Crises in Latin America.
The crumbling of communism in East-Central Europe. Tensions in the Middle East.
Dissolution of “Cold War” Europe (“Velvet Revolutions of 1989”, Balkan crises).
Reflections on post-Cold War cultural confrontations and the rise of religious-based
terrorism. The emergence of a new world order?
21 April/ Third Exam
Reading Assignments: Grenville, A History of the World, (Parts XI. –
XVIII.) Chapters 46-80. Overfield, Sources of Twentieth Century Global
History. Chapters 10-13.
ADDENDUM TO SYLLABUS
Code of Conduct/Make-up exam policies for EUH3931
UF faculty is now being asked to provide written guidelines relating to (1) student conduct in the
classroom and (2) make-up examinations. Most of these can be deduced by exercising common
sense. But to avoid any misunderstandings, students enrolled in the courses listed above should take
note of the following:
Code of Conduct:
(1) Cell phones must be turned off throughout the class period.
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(2) Students are asked not to talk, read papers, surf the internet, and otherwise distract the class
from the lectures/class discussion.
(3) Students coming in after the lecture has begun should not interrupt the professor and/or
students by walking in front of classroom, re-arranging desks to gain access to seating, etc.
Latecomers should therefore take a seat at the back or wherever it is possible without disturbing
others.
(4) Anyone who arrives more than ten minutes after class has begun will be counted absent unless
he/she has the prior approval of the instructor.
(5) Intellectual honesty: any student caught plagiarizing the written work of others and/or cheating
on an exam will automatically fail the course.
Make-up exams/Late Papers:
(1) Apart from documented illness, family emergencies (immediate family only), and exceptional
circumstances (to be determined by the instructor), exams will have to be taken on the assigned day.
The scheduling of permitted make-up exams will be at the discretion of the instructor.
(2) All written assignments – term papers and the like – are due on the day assigned in the syllabus
and/or as announced by the instructor during class. Papers must be handed into the instructor on
the due date in a hard-copy format. (That is, do not send your paper as an e-mail attachment etc.)
No late papers will be accepted for any reason(s).
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