History - A History of Modern Germany, 1870-2006 NEW

This course is for anyone with an interest in European and World History, Germany and German Culture

For the first session students will need an open mind and a desire to learn

Additional Costs: N/A

The course aims:

The course will cover the history of Modern Germany since its unification in 1871 down to the reunification of 1993. Given Germany’s particular importance in British history, this course hopes to offer a broader and deeper understanding of the key events, characters and values that have shaped the most powerful country in Western Europe.

By the end of the course students will have a greater understanding of the complex, important and troubled history of a hugely important nation.

The Course will cover:

Background: An overview of the Holy Roman Empire, the role of Martin Luther and religious division, the Thirty Years’ War, the impact of Napoleon Bonaparte, the rise of Prussia, the revolutions of 1848 and other key moments

• The Franco-Prussian War, 1870-71 and German Unification
• The Kaisers: Wilhelm I, Frederick III and Wilhelm II
• The Iron Chancellor: The life and legacy of Otto von Bismarck
• The German Empire
• The Krupps and German Industrialization
• The Great War: causes, fighting the war, coping with defeat – ‘The Stab in the Back’
• Humiliation of Versailles and the troubles of the Early Twenties
• The Weimar Republic
• Hitler and the Rise of the Nazis with an overview of World War II
• Post-war Germany: The division of East and West Germany
• Analysis of the key figures and events in the life of East Germany
• Analysis of the key figures and events in the life of West Germany
• Role in the creation of a new Europe
• The Berlin Wall: 1961-89
• The end of Communism and reunification
• Reconciliation with the past and finding a new identity

 

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