HST 458/558, Winter 2010

DRAFT - SUBJECT TO CHANGE

HST 458/558 • History of Modern Germany• Winter 2010

Richard H. Beyler
Telephone: 503.725.3996 • E-mail: r.beyler <at> pdx <dot> edu • Website: web.pdx.edu/~drrb
Office: Cramer 441-O • Drop-in office hours: Tue. 14:00-15:15; otherwise by appointment

Themes and objectives. German history during the 19th and 20th centuries presents a series of astonishing ruptures and transformations: transition from unification to division to reunification; vacillation between authoritarian monarchy, parliamentary democracy, and left- and right-wing dictatorship; rapid industrialization and urbanization; tensions between avant-garde modernism and deep-rooted conservatism. This course traces major events in the history of Germany (or rather, what became Germany) in the 19th and 20th centuries, emphasizing the interconnections between political, social, and cultural developments. Along the way, we will critically compare some of the competing historical interpretations which have been brought to bear on the complexities of this story, and ways in which these conflicting interpretations of the past have been used to further various cultural and political agendas (Vergangenheitspolitik, or “politics of the past”). Through this course, students should develop their ability to identify and describe these trends and to analyze them in a critically, historically informed way.

Texts. The following assigned texts are core reading for everyone in the class:

Blackbourn, David. History of Germany 1780-1918: The Long Nineteenth Century. 2nd ed. Malden: Blackwell, 2003.

Fulbrook, Mary. History of Germany 1918-2000: The Divided Nation. 3rd ed. Malden: Wiley-Blackwell, 2008.

The 1st editions of these two books–with the titles and subtitles reversed–are available as “e-books” through the on-line NetLibrary service via the PSU library. Access the titles using the on-line catalog, vikat.pdx.edu; then log-in to NetLibrary using your PSU/Odin username and password. It is also possible (and eventually more convenient) to set up a NetLibrary account once logged into the system. Using the 1st editions will work for the class, though there are some changes, particularly for the Fulbrook volume, which will require your reading a more recent article or two to bring you up to date. Please talk with me if you plan to use the e-book versions.

Each member of the class will choose one supplementary reading option from a list of options to be provided. Depending on your choice of assignments (see below), you may also have a second supplementary reading option. Graduate students (HST 558) will read, in addition:

Fulbrook, Mary, ed. German History since 1800. London: Arnold, 1997.

Requirements. The outline below is for undergraduates (HST 458). Graduate students (HST 558) have a modified set of requirements, about which there is a separate handout.

• Final exam (30%). The exam may include questions of some or all of these types: short answer, identification, interpretation of brief textual passages or images, chronological ordering, mapping, and essay. It will cover assigned readings, lectures, and discussions.

• A review essay on your individually chosen supplementary reading text (20%). This paper (8-10 pp.) briefly summarizes the content of your chosen book, analyzes the author’s argument and use of evidence, and compares the author’s perspective to other historical accounts. Obviously a convenient point of comparison will to be to one or both of our textbooks, but you should also refer to the author’s other works, to reviews and assessments of your chosen book, and/or other works on this topic. Please see the supplementary reading handout for some further guidelines. Choose your text no later than Week IV.

• A film analysis (10%) based on one of several selected films, which you should view at your convenience at some point during the term. This is a short paper of 4-5 pp. You should not spend effort summarizing the film, but rather analyze how it exemplifies or illuminates the historical context in which it was produced. Guiding questions will be provided. In any event, keep in mind that films are works of fiction and, as such, are creative responses to (and not necessarily factually accurate representations of) their time and place. Films that aim at a portrayal of real or imagined historical events generally tell at least as much about the concerns and worldview of the film-makers as about the times and places portrayed. Below the list of options; some, but not all, are available for (short-term) checkout in the PSU Library: Sign up for your chosen film no later than Week IV of the term.
Das Kabinett des Dr. Caligari, dir. Robert Wiene (The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, 1920)<>
Metropolis, dir. Fritz Lang (1927)
M: Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder, dir. Fritz Lang (M: A City Seeks a Murderer , 1931)
Triumph des Willens, dir. Leni Riefenstahl (Triumph of the Will, 1935) – documentary.
Olympia, dir. Leni Riefenstahl (1936) – documentary
One, Two, Three, dir. Billy Wilder (1961).
Die Mörder sind unter uns, dir. Wolfgang Staudte (Murders Among Us, 1946).
Die Ehe der Maria Braun, dir. Rainer Werner Fassbinder (The Marriage of Maria Braun, 1979).
Die verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum, dir. Volker Schlöndorff & Margarethe von Trotta (The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum, 1975).
Rosa Luxemburg, dir. Margarethe von Trotta (1986)
Die weisse Rose, dir. Michael Verhoeven (The White Rose, 1982)
Jeder für sich und Gott gegen alle, dir. Werner Herzog (Every Man for Himself and God Against All a/k/a The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser 1983).
Das schreckliche Mädchen, dir. Michael Verhoeven (The Nasty Girl, 1991).
Architecture of Doom, dir. Peter Cohen (1989) – documentary
Sophie Scholl: Die letzten Tage, dir. Marc Rothemund (Sophie Scholl: The Last Days, 2005)
Conspiracy, dir. Frank Pierson (2001)
Rosenstrasse, dir. Margarethe von Trotta (2003)
Taking Sides, dir. István Szabó (2001).
Good-Bye, Lenin, dir. Wolfgang Becker (2003)
Das Leben der Anderen, dir. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (The Lives of Others, 2006).

For the remaining 30%, you should then choose one of the following three options:

• Response essays are three short papers (each 4-5 pp.) on a question related to our reading, lectures, or discussions, assigned and due on the dates indicated in the syllabus. You might think of these as a kind of rolling mid-term exam with take-home essay questions, spread over the course of the term.

• A in-class presentation on a second supplementary reading option. This is similar to the review essay, but in addition to the written paper you will give an in-class presentation (approximately 15 minutes) on your chosen book. Don’t just simply read your paper; use of audiovisual material is strongly encouraged (though not required). As with the review essay, don’t just summarize the book in question, but instead compare the author’s framing of historical questions, use of evidence, and conclusions with other possible historical perspectives. For this assignment (unlike the review essay), you also have the option of presenting on one of the works of fiction or drama in the supplementary reading list. In this case, your presentation should explain how the text illustrates, exemplifies, or illuminates the historical context in which it was produced. As with the review essay, you will probably want to do some background research and comparative reading on the book in question. In-class presentations will be scheduled, where possible, to fit into our sequence of topics. To facilitate scheduling, you should declare your chosen book as soon as possible, but not later than week IV. You must schedule an individual meeting with me no later than one week before the in-class presentation, and come to that meeting with a full outline and notes, prepared to answer questions about the historical significance of your chosen book. Please note: you will not be allowed to give the in-class presentation without this advance meeting. After the presentation, submit any notes and audiovisual material you may have used. The final essay is due at our last class meeting, as with the regular review essays.

• The research paper (12-15 pp.) is based on independent research on a specific topic relating to our course. “Specific” is a key term here: to make this a tractable project, you will need to stay focused. The research paper option is, frankly, extra work, but there are many interesting and important aspects of the German history that we will not be able to cover in class. If there is a topic you are enthusiastic about researching, schedule a meeting with me to discuss it no later than week IV of the term. A written abstract (draft introduction or summary) and working bibliography (at least five items) is then due during week VI. A (partial) draft of no fewer than 5 pp. is due during week VIII. The final paper is due at our last regular class meeting. A research paper must be on a topic distinct from that of your review essay.

Other general policies. Written work must be typed and should conform to standards of correct usage. Both “content” and “form” will be considered in grading. Papers may be turned in either in hard copy or as e-mail attachments in Word document (.doc) or PDF format sent prior to the respective class meeting. No other formats, please! Either way, please make sure you keep a copy of the paper. Material taken (quoted, paraphrased, summarized) from other sources must be properly cited, and the sources properly documented; failure to do so constitutes plagiarism. Chicago / Turabian citation style is preferred, but MLA style is also acceptable. I reserve the right to give just a grade (no comments) on late papers; they are also subject to a penalty of up to one letter grade. For PSU policy on incompletes, see the Bulletin.

The course proceeds roughly chronologically. The assigned texts (Blackbourn, Fulbrook) provide background reading, but their chapter organization may not exactly correspond to the sequence of in-class lectures and discussions. Presentations will be added to the schedule in (I hope!) appropriate spots.

Week I, 4 Jan. Introductions. The heritage of the Enlightenment in Germany. The Napoleonic Wars: political and cultural upheaval. Post-revolutionary reaction.

Week II, 11 Jan. Romanticism in culture and politics. Liberalism, nationalism, and the (abortive?) revolutions of 1848. Prussia vs. Austria: struggle for hegemony. The process of unification. Read: Blackbourn, Prologue, chaps. 1-2. Assigned: response essay #1.

Week IV, 25 Jan. Liberalism, nationalism, and the (abortive?) revolutions of 1848. Prussia vs. Austria: struggle for hegemony. The process of unification. Read: Blackbourn, chaps. 3-4. Due: response essay #1. Designate review essay text, film to analyze, and third assignment option no later than this date.

Week V, 1 Feb. The Franco-Prussian war of 1870-71. Foundation of the Kaiserreich under Emperor Wilhelm I and Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Wilhelmian society, politics, and culture: economic boom, urbanization and industrialization; the Kulturkampf (“cultural struggle”); the contested rise of Social Democracy. Read: Blackbourn, chaps. 5-7.

Week VI, 8 Feb. The Wilhelmian Empire, cont’d: artistic experimentation; revolutionary developments in science and technology; imperial ambitions. Read: Blackbourn, chaps. 8-9. Assigned: response essay #2. Due: research paper abstract & working bibliography.

Week VII, 15 Feb. World War I. The aftermath of war. The culturally rich and politically troubled Weimar Republic. Read: Blackbourn, Epilogue; Fulbrook, chaps. 1-2. Due: response essay #2.

Week VIII, 22 Feb. National Socialism: rise and consolidation of power. Ideologies, myths, and realities of the totalitarian system. Society, politics, and culture in the Third Reich. “Racial hygiene,” the “Volk community,” and the Holocaust. Read: Fulbrook, chaps. 3-5. Due: research paper draft.

Week IX, 1 Mar. World War II. Occupation and reconstruction. Divided Germany and the Cold War.
Read: Fulbrook, chaps. 6-10. Assigned: response essay #3.

Week X, 8 Mar. Culture, society, and politics in the two German states. Re(?)unification(?). Germany in the European Community. Conclusions and prospects. Read: Fulbrook, chaps. 11-14. Due: response essay #3; review essays; research papers; graduate historiography papers.