World War I

Catalog description

The First World War marks a watershed in European and world history. We will examine the preconditions for the war--such as European imperialism, the arms race, and the rise of international law. We then move to study the outbreak of the war, and the debate over "war guilt." Our seminar covers the key battles and the course of the war on the various fronts (Western Europe, Italian Front, the Eastern Front, the Middle East), and the war on sea and in the air. We close with an examination of the war's outcome--fascism, communism, revolution, the mandate system and postwar European and colonial order. We will read classics and recent works on what many consider to be the foundational moment for the twentieth century. No prior knowledge is assumed.