Nineteenth Century Europe

History 3363 — Fall 2011

G. Shanafelt

Books

William Simpson and Martin Jones, Europe 1783-1914
Georges Lefebvre, The Coming of the French Revolution
Laurence Lafore, The Long Fuse

Online

Samuel Smiles, Self-Help
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto

The Course

A quick perusal of the class readings will reveal that the word “revolution” appears repeatedly — in politics, in economics, in the sciences. This course is about a century in which Europe underwent massive changes, changes which transformed it in many ways all out of recognition from what it had been earlier, and which created the world as we know it today whether we live in Europe or Texas. If our century is the 21st, there can be little doubt that its foundations were laid by Europeans in the 19th, and that many of the processes which began then are still working themselves out among us a century later.

Course Objectives

Students in this course will be expected to understand

1.	The origins and course of the French Revolution, and the factors which underlay subsequent revolutionary outbreaks throughout Europe in the course of the 19th century;
2.	The origins and consequences of the Industrial Revolution that began in Britain at the end of the 18th century;
3.	The major political/economic philosophies of the time (liberalism, conservatism, socialism, nationalism);
4.	European interaction with the non-European world (imperialism);
5.	The factors that led to the outbreak of the First World War in 1914.

Course Grade

It goes without saying that you're expected to come to class having completed the weekly reading assignments. Though the course is mainly lecture in format, everything will make more sense if you keep up with the work. Your final grade will be computed as follows: 25% on each of the three noncomprehensive tests during the semester (the final examination will simply be the third noncomprehensive test), and 25% on an 8-10 page paper and oral presentation on a novel of the time period. Each student will be assigned a different novel to examine by the professor. The paper will be due at the time of the presentation; late papers will lose one percentage point of their grade for every day that they are late.

Your final grade will follow standard grading format, i.e., A: 93-100, A-: 90-92, B+: 87-89, B: 83-86, B-: 80-82, etc. There will be no A+ grades and no plus or minus grades for an F. Borderline cases (e.g., 89.6 or 79.8) will be decided on the basis of improvement in the course, class participation, and regularity of attendance. Instances of plagiarism will result at a minimum in a zero grade for the assignment and in flagrant cases failure in the class. Note that to get credit for this course in your major, as with all courses in all majors, you'll need a final grade of a C or better. A final grade of C- is not considered adequate for this course to count toward your major requirements.

Students with Disabilities

McMurry University abides by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which stipulates that no otherwise qualified student shall be denied the benefits of an education “solely by reason of a handicap.” If you have a documented disability that may impact your performance in this class and for which you may be requesting accommodation, you must be registered with and provide documentation of your disability to the Disability Services Office, located in President Hall South. Arrangements will be made for students needing special accommodations.

State Board of Educator Certification Standards for Teacher Education Candidates

If you plan to minor in Curriculum and Instruction, with a teaching concentration in History 8-12, or in Social Studies 8-12, this course provides partial fulfillment of the following standard of the TEKS competencies:
Standard IV. History: The social studies teacher applies knowledge of significant historical events and developments, as well as of multiple historical interpretations and ideas, in order to facilitate student understanding of relationships between the past, the present, and the future.

Proposed Class and Reading Schedule

Aug. 30 Sept. 1	Introduction Europe in 1789	Simpson, 1- 30; Lefebvre, 1-37
Sept. 6 Sept. 8	The Origins of the French Revolution — I The Origins of the French Revolution — II	Simpson, 31-63; Lefebvre, 39- 151
Sept. 13 Sept. 15	From the Terror to Brumaire From Brumaire to Waterloo	Simpson, 64-100; Lefebvre, 153-219
Sept. 20 Sept. 22	The Industrial Revolution Liberals and Conservatives	Simpson, 101-120; Smiles, ch.1
Sept. 27 Sept. 29	First Test The Continent: Reaction and Revolution	Simpson, 140-174
Oct. 4 Oct. 6	England: Triumph of Reform 1848: Upheaval	Simpson, 175-191
Oct. 11 Oct. 13	Another Napoleon Revolution from Above: Cavour	Simpson, 192-224
Oct. 18 Oct. 20	Revolution from Above: Bismarck Revolution from Above: Alexander I	Simpson, 225-261
Oct. 25 Oct. 27	Imperialism Second Test	Simpson, 262-285
Nov. 1 Nov. 3	Marxism and Mass Society Culture: From Romanticism to Realism	Simpson, 311-324; Marx, all; Simpson, 121-139, 426-437
Nov. 8 Nov. 10	Student Presentations (papers due) Student Presentations (papers due)
Nov. 15 Nov. 17	France: Third Republic Britain: Indian Summer	Simpson, 325-344
Nov. 22	Imperial Germany: Delusions of Grandeur	Simpson, 345-365; Lafore, 15-54
Nov. 23-25	[Thanksgiving Vacation]
Nov. 29 Dec. 1	Habsburgs and Romanovs Diplomacy: The Forging of the Alliances	Simpson, 366-400; Lafore, 55-185
Dec. 6 Dec. 8	The Coming of the War Conclusion: Europe in 1914	Simpson, 401-426, 437-440; Lafore, 186-268
Dec. 13	Third Test (8:00-10:00)