Weimar and Nazi Germany

The two German political regimes of the era from 1918 to 1945 - the Weimar Republic born out of the Great War and the Nazi dictatorship that destroyed it - exemplified and contributed directly to the reshaping of European (and non-European) life in the twentieth century. This research seminar for senior history majors and minors will examine some of the approaches scholars have taken to understanding social, intellectual, cultural, and political aspects of life under these two governments as well as their effects on our understanding and experience of the "modern" world. The bulk of the course will be devoted to students crafting high-quality research papers on individually chosen topics.