GER 200NContemporary German Culture

3 credits · German · Penn State

How do we make sense of Germany, the country's history, culture, politics, and economics during the twentieth century? In modern German history, periods of impressive social, political, economic, cultural, and intellectual achievements alternated with times of violence, destruction, two world wars, genocide, and authoritarian structures in politics and society. This course helps students to understand Germany during the 20th century. The main focal points of this course include World War I, the 1918 revolution followed by the short history of the Weimar Republic, the rise of the Nazis and the Third Reich, World War II and the Holocaust, post-war reconstruction, the foundation of two German states in 1949, their development until (re-) unification in 1990, the development of Germany from unification to today, Germany's current dominant economic position within the EU, and the recent rise of radical right-wing politics in Germany for the first time since 1945. These focal areas will be approached from various perspectives: From historical (and historiographical) vantage points, from sociological and economic perspectives, and through the lenses of cultural productions such as novels, movies, and other works of art.