HIS 2243 - Empires and Nations in Eastern Europe

Credits: 4
Eastern Europe, roughly situated between Russia and Germany, saw itself made and remade several times over the course of the last century while serving as a testing ground for radical political
ideologies. This course will address the emergence of modern nations in this region vulnerable to invasions and annexations by its more powerful neighbors. One focus will be on the collapse of multiethnic empires during World War I and the rise of nation states which grappled with diverse populations of their own. A second focus will be on Nazi empire-building, genocide, and incidents of ethnic cleansing during and shortly after World War II. A third focus will be on the Soviet Union’s westward territorial expansion and domination of Eastern Europe during the Cold War. We will also consider developments since the collapse of Communism, including European integration and the resurgence of nationalism.
McDaniel Plan: International; Social, Cultural, and Historical Understanding