HIST 1106 - The Twentieth Century: A World in Turmoil

This course sets out to provide a clear thematic account of the 20th century from the perspective of the twenty-first century. It will introduce students to key events and issues in the global history, politics and culture of the twentieth century. It assumes no prior knowledge. The course serves as a foundation course for a number of interdisciplinary majors within the faculty and also fulfils the needs of students across the University who seek an informed introduction to the key events of the recent past. The course will cover the following themes: the New Imperialism; Total War, New Ideologies (and Revolution); Asia between the Wars; the Inter-War Years in Europe; World War II; the Cold War, the End of Empire; the Post Colonial World; and the Collapse of Communism in Europe. Students will be encouraged and assisted through a mixture of lectures and tutorial workshops as they strive to acquire an overview of the twentieth century and to investigate why it was a 'World in Turmoil'.