Religion and the Rise of Authoritarianism

Catalog description

This course will examine the deep connections and mutual influence between forms of religious life and forms of political life when political power becomes centralized, autocratic, or totalitarian. What role does religion play in accelerating (or inhibiting) this process? The question will be examined with reference to historical examples from the modern period: the development of fascism in Italy and Spain, and the role of the Roman Catholic Church; the rise of National Socialism in Germany and the Protestant “German Christian” movement in facilitating the Holocaust, along with the role of the Vatican. In some cases, religious ideology and religious groups provide a counterweight or opposition to centralized power; the course will examine the example of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Niemöller and The Confessing Church in Germany as a response to the Nazi state, the Solidarity movement in post-Stalinist Poland, and the Evangelische Kirche in the GDR in 1989. Insights gained will be brought to bear on recent political and religious developments in the United States. The course includes a travel component to relevant sites in Germany over spring break. Satisfies Religious Studies major and minor requirement. Satisfies German Studies major and minor requirement. Prerequisites & Notes Requires instructor permission