Courses

How did Germany become the country it is today, at the heart of the European Union? And how did ordinary people experience this process? We will answer these questions by looking at the history of Germany since its formation as a nation. We will examine how fragmented German states formed a united nation in 1871; how Imperial Germany interacted with the broader world before and during World War I; how the Weimar Republic simultaneously endured a progressive social environment and political instability; how the Nazis rose to power with an oppressive campaign that led to genocide; how Germany was divided by the victorious Allies after the Axis defeat in World War II; and how the two German states fit into the divided Cold War world. We will conclude by examining the surprising 1989 Peaceful Revolution and reunified Germany’s leading role in a united Europe. And we will reflect on how ordinary Germans—including historically minoritized groups such as Jewish Germans and Afro-Germans—experienced these major geopolitical events.

The course will consist of both lecture and discussion based on a wide variety of sources, including text, videos, and oral histories of the Nazi era and beyond. Students will come away with the ability to connect various eras in German history and the broader European and global context.