Towards a Global Community
1600 to Present

History 150A
Fall 1999

I am the State.
Louis XIV, ca. 1680

(The sovereign) is only the first servant of the state.
        Frederich the Great, ca. 1750

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.
        Declaration of Independence, 1776

Between the people and its enemies there is only the sword.
        Saint-Just, ca. 1794

A spectre is haunting Europe—the spectre of Communism…(the) theory of Communists may be summed up in the single sentence: Abolition of private property.
        Karl Marx, 1848

As long as there are peoples on this earth, there will be nations against nations…Our rights will be protected only when the German Reich is again supported by the point of the German dagger.
        Adolf Hitler, 1929

By closing down 100 universities in our day, we, the peasants, can level the most powerful blow against the pigs who run American society…We’re using the campus as a launching pad to foment revolution everywhere.

Jerry Rubin, 1970
  These quotations illustrate some of the major themes covered in this course. First, the struggle for authority. Systems of government have come and gone in the last 400 years, but the essential question remains the same: who shall rule? Another theme is the rise of democracy and its indispensable underpinning, individualism. Many of the cultures of the world have moved from community to individuality in the past four centuries, and we will discuss the gains and losses of such a journey. A third theme is the rise and current dominance of capitalism. How did a system that did not even have a name in the 1600s emerge and eventually dominate the world’s economy? A fourth theme is diversity. How can we better respect and appreciate the richness of hundreds of cultures, without denigrating or romanticizing them? The last theme is commonality. It will be argued that despite four hundred years of incredible technological, economic, political, and philosophical change that human beings still have more in common than they have differences, and that they are as perplexed by some eternal questions in 1999 as their ancestors were in 1599.

There are several things required of every student. The first is adherence to the Roanoke College code of academic integrity. The second is attendance. You will be allowed three absences; every additional absence will result in the loss of one point from your overall grade. You will be considered absent if you miss any portion of the class period. Of equal importance is preparation and intelligent participation. The goal of the course is to improve your ability to read, think, and write clearly and critically. We will develop these skills through class discussion, papers, and tests.

Two papers are required. They will be "position papers" based on readings. Each must be 3-4 pages long. The first paper is due on October 1. The second paper is due on October 29. The paper must be typed. Penalties will be assessed for late papers.

Two classroom debates will be held. Students will present the arguments of a character in a historical novel. Debates will be graded. The first debate is on October 1, the second on October 29.

There are six grading components:

1st Test 20%
2nd Test 20%
Final Exam 20%
1st Paper 10%
2nd Paper 10%
Class Participation 20%

Students should purchase the following books: Richard Greaves, et. al., Civilizations of the World: The Human Adventure, Vol. 2, Since 1600, 3rd edition; Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities; and Emile Zola, Germinal.

CLASS SCHEDULE
 
 
Date
Topic
Readings in 
Civilizations
Sept 1 Introduction    
Sept 3 A Different World: Societies of the 1600s  ch. 23
Sept 6 Absolute Rule  ch. 24
Sept 8 Europe's Big Leap Forward: Scientific Advances of the 17th Century  ch. 25
Sept 10-13 Building and Empire: From England to Great Britain  ch. 26
Sept 15 Colonial Wars in the Americas  ch. 26
Sept 17 The Enlightenment  ch. 27
Sept 20 India: From the Mughals to the British  ch. 29
Sept 22 First Test    
Sept 24 Film    
Sept 27 The Birth of the Modern Age: The French Revolution  ch. 28
Sept 29 The French Revolution: A Tale of Two Cities discussion   
Oct 1 The French Revolution: Historical Debate: "Liberty v. the Revolution"
Paper Due		  
Oct 4 Manchu China and Tokugawa Japan  ch. 30
Oct 6 The Industrial Revolution  ch. 31
Oct 8-11 Revolutions and Reactions  ch. 32
Oct 13-15 The Mogern State Emerges: France, Italy, 
Germany and the United States		  ch. 33
Oct. 18-22 Fall Break    
Oct 25 The Industrial Revolution: The Second Stage  ch. 34
Oct 27 The Second Industrial Revolution: Germinal discussion    
Oct 29 Living History: "STRIKE!"
Paper Due		   
Nov 1 The New Imperalism  ch. 35
Nov 3-8 The Great War  ch. 36
Nov 10 Second Test    
Nov 12 Film    
Nov 15 Remaking Old Europe: The Versailles Treaty  ch. 36
Nov 17 Communism on the March: Russia and China  ch. 37
Nov 19-22 Fascism and Militarism Between the Wars  ch. 38
Nov 29 World War II  ch. 39
Dec 1 Two Paths to Recovery: China and Japan  ch. 40
Dec 3 Nationalism and Revolution: India and the Middle East  ch. 41
Dec 6 Independence and New Problems: Africa and Latin America  ch. 42
Dec 8-10 From the Cold War to the New World Order  ch. 43
Friday,
Dec 17		 Final Exam: 8:30-11:30 am    
 

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