Thursday, January 8, 2009

SS Course 2009: From Bismarck to Hitler: The Rise and Fall of a Superpower

Course 211
Date: 26–30 January
Time: 9.15 am
Full Price: R270,00 Staff: R135,00 Reduced: R70,00

From Bismarck to Hitler: The Rise and Fall of a Superpower
Presented by Christopher Danziger, formerly at UCT and Durham, now freelance lecturer at Oxford and Warwick, United Kingdom

Germany is widely considered the most prosperous state in Europe. In the space of 30 years it twice took on and almost defeated the whole world. Yet the reality is that in 1865, Germany, later to be considered a superpower, was a powerless collection of small states. In 1945 it was shattered and divided into four zones of occupation. The period of German paramount power lasted for less than 80 years. Why did such a giant lie sleeping for so long? And why was such a giant so comprehensively slain? Indeed, has the giant been slain, or is it merely lying dormant?
This course aims to familiarise students with the creation of a German national state in the 1860s, and its attempt to dominate the world between 1914 and 1945. Students will be encouraged to question what constitutes a superpower and to decide what, if any, are its limits.

LECTURE TITLES

  1. Before Bismarck: political powerlessness.
  2. Bismarck and the creation of a superpower.
  3. From Bismarck to Versailles: testing the limits.
  4. The Weimar Republic: acceptance and denial.
  5. Hitler: the shattering of an illusion.

Recommended reading

  • Carr, W. A History of Germany 1818–1990. Hodder, 1991.
  • Craig, G. Germany 1866–1945. Oxford University Press, 1980.
  • Kershaw, I. Hitler: Profiles of Power. Longmans, 2000. (Or any other book by Iain Kershaw.)
  • Taylor, A.J.P. Bismarck. Hamish Hamilton, 1985.

No comments:

Post a Comment