MCCCD Program Description

History of Western Civilization 1789 to Present

Course: HIS102

First Term: 2023 Fall

Lecture 3.0 Credit(s) 3.0 Period(s) 3.0 Load
Subject Type: Academic
Load Formula: S - Standard Load

Description: Survey of the history of the Western world from the French Revolution to the present.

MCCCD Official Course Competencies
1. Analyze the different phases of the French Revolution and their political, social and cultural impacts on both France and Europe. (I, II) 2. Evaluate the social, economic, and cultural effect of the Industrial Revolution and its role in the expansion of Western empires. (II, III) 3. Explain how the different intellectual and ideological movements in the first half of the 19th century shaped politics and culture in the West. (III) 4. Examine the role of Social Darwinism as an imperialist ideology for the West and non-Western societies. (III) 5. Assess the causes of World War I and how the war reshaped Europe. (III, IV) 6. Assess how total war impacted political institutions, economic affairs, and social life throughout Europe. (IV-VI) 7. Examine the causes of the Great Depression and its role in the outbreak of World War II in Europe. (V, VI) 8. Identify the major developments of World War II, including the emergence of the United States as a global political and military power. (VI) 9. Determine the causes of the Holocaust and its legacy for the West and the world. (VI, VII) 10. Evaluate the causes of the Cold War and its impact upon decolonization and global politics. (VI, VII) 11. Identify the factors behind European integration and its impact on globalization and European society and politics. (VI, VII)
MCCCD Official Course Competencies must be coordinated with the content outline so that each major point in the outline serves one or more competencies. MCCCD faculty retains authority in determining the pedagogical approach, methodology, content sequencing, and assessment metrics for student work. Please see individual course syllabi for additional information, including specific course requirements.

MCCCD Official Course Outline
I. The French Revolution A. Europe in 1789 B. Early Stages: monarchy to republic C. War and the Terror D. The Directoire E. Napoleon Bonaparte 1. Expansion 2. European resistance 3. Downfall 4. Legacy II. The Industrial Revolution A. Origins B. The First Industrial Revolution 1. Why Britain was the first 2. Expanding industrialism C. Economic & social impact III. Europe in the 19th century A. Restoration Europe 1. Conservatism resurgent 2. Liberalism emergent 3. The birth of Socialism 4. The Revolutions of 1848 B. The Age of Nationalism 1. Romanticism a. Art b. Literature c. Music 2. France: The Second Empire 3. The Russian Empire a. The Crimean War b. Abolition of serfdom 4. Italian Unification 5. German Unification a. The Franco-Prussian War b. The Paris Commune and the Third Republic C. The Second Industrial Revolution D. The Age of Empire 1. Intellectual underpinnings a. Darwinism b. Social Darwinism 2. Establishment and consequences of global imperialism a. Asia b. Africa 3. Social transformations a. Urbanization and the rise of labor b. Enfranchisement and the emergence of mass politics c. Modernism 4. International politics a. Imperial Germany b. Imperial Russia c. Balkan nationalism IV. World War I A. Origins B. The European Fronts 1. Western Front 2. Eastern Front 3. The home fronts C. The global war D. Transformations 1. Technology 2. The Russian Revolutions 3. American entry V. The Interwar Period A. The Versailles Settlement 1. Weimar Germany 2. Eastern Europe B. Birth of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) C. The rise of fascism D. The Great Depression 1. Causes 2. Effects a. Economic b. The end of Weimar Germany E. The descent to war 1. German rearmament 2. Appeasement 3. Spanish Civil War 4. Munich VI. World War II A. The war in Western Europe B. War in the East C. The global war D. The turning points E. The Holocaust VII. The West, 1945-present A. The onset of the Cold War B. Reconstructing Europe 1. The Marshall Plan 2. Beginnings of European integration C. Decolonization D. The West in the 1950s and 1960s 1. Birth of the European Economic community (EEC) 2. Cold War crises 3. Social changes E. The West in the later Cold War 1. Detente 2. Stagflation and oil shocks 3. The end of the Cold War F. The West since the Cold War

MCCCD Governing Board Approval Date: February 28, 2023

All information published is subject to change without notice. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information presented, but based on the dynamic nature of the curricular process, course and program information is subject to change in order to reflect the most current information available.