Germany: The Nineteenth Century

Germany: The Nineteenth Century (HST 422D/522)

Mondays and Wednesdays, 2:00-3:50, Mod 102

Dr. David Doellinger

Department of History (HSS 212)

Office Hours: Mondays & Wednesdays 10:00-11:50; or by appointment

http://www.wou.edu/~doellind/home.htm

DESCRIPTION & OBJECTIVES

This upper-level course examines German history from the revolution of 1848-49 to start of the First World War. During that revolution, delegates from the thirty-nine German-speaking principalities and kingdoms in central Europe assembled in Frankfurt to negotiate the construction of a unified Germany. Their efforts were unsuccessful, largely due to the unwillingness of the German states to surrender their sovereignty to a united Germany. We will examine how Bismarck created a unified Germany using “Iron and Blood” and explore how he responded to conservatives, liberals, socialists and Catholics in this new empire at the end of the nineteenth century. Particular attention will be given to the emergence of Social Democracy in Germany.

We will examine primary source documents and analyze historians’ interpretations of this history from their various perspectives. In this course, students will: (1) develop critical reasoning skills through the reading of texts and the evaluation of different viewpoints and arguments; (2) learn to communicate ideas and arguments clearly and persuasively through written and spoken means; and (3) become part of a larger intellectual community.

TEXTS

Required:

Wolfram Siemann, The German Revolution of 1848-49 (NY: St. Martin’s Press, 1998)

Guenther Roth, The Social Democrats in Imperial Germany (New Hampshire: Ayer, 1963/1984)

E-Reserves:

Several required readings are available on E-RESERVE and may be accessed through the Hamersly Library home page or by going directly to: http://library.wou.edu/screens/reserves1.html

Some readings are also available on Moodle (http://online.wou.edu )

Assignments may require additional reading.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Grades will be calculated as follows:

Attendance and Participation 15 %

Map quiz 5 %

Review of Siemann 15 %

Research Paper 30 %

Midterm 15 %

Final Exam 20 %

Students enrolled in HST 522 will have additional requirements.

PROCEDURES & EXPECTATIONS

Your task for each class meeting will be to:

- Complete the assigned readings.

- Participate in class discussion.

- Take good notes.

All work must be turned in on time. Late work will be accepted without penalty only with a medical excuse or in the case of a documented family emergency. Late work will be penalized one full letter grade per day (including Saturdays, Sundays and days that the class does not meet). After three days, late work will not be accepted and the student will receive an automatic F.

All submitted work must follow the conventions of English grammar. Students submitting assignments with grammar/writing problems will receive an F for the assignment and be directed to the campus writing center. The assignment may be resubmitted with a note certifying that the student has met with an advisor from the writing center. The student will receive an average of the two grades.

All formal essays must use include footnote or endnote citations that follow the Chicago/Turabian style. Any submitted work that does not include footnote/endnote citations and/or does not follow the Chicago/Turabian citation style will be penalized at least one full letter grade. For an online guide, see http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocChicago.html.

5. Students are expected to participate fully in every aspect of the course. Attendance will affect your performance and grade. It is not possible to make-up missed lectures, class discussions, and other in-class activities; any unexcused absence will have negative consequences. The attendance/participation grade is 15% of the final grade (or 15 points out of a total of 100 points). Students with 0-1 unexcused absences will receive the full 15 points; students with 2 unexcused absences will receive13 points; students with 3 unexcused absences will receive 10.5 points. Four or more unexcused absences will automatically result in a loss of the whole class participation grade (15%). Excessive lateness and/or absences may have additional consequences in calculating the final grade. WOU is taking every effort to limit the spread of the H1N1 virus this academic year. If you have a cold (or feel like you are getting a cold), do not come to class. Stay home and limit your contact with other individuals. Simply email me a message that that is the case. I will take your word and consider the missed class excused based on that email statement. In other words, you don't need to bring a doctor's note.

6. Our class will be characterized by academic honesty. Students will take responsibility for learning and for providing work that is the product of their own analysis and study. I will not tolerate academic dishonesty in any form. Academic dishonesty consists of representing the work of others as your own and/or using notes or other aids during an examination. A cheating student will receive no credit for the assignment or examination in question and will be subject to University discipline as outlined in the Code of Student Responsibility. If you have further questions, please consult the Social Science Division policy on academic dishonesty and the Code of Student Responsibility.

7. Any student who feels that she or he may need an accommodation for any type of disability should make an appointment to see me during office hours the first week of the course or contact the Office of Disability Services (838-8250v/tty) in AP 405.

8. Honest effort, class participation, and courtesy are expected and will positively affect your grade.

Students are encouraged to come to office hours to discuss any aspect of this course.

Schedule of Classes

Monday, September 28

Introduction to Course

Wednesday, September 30

German States before 1815

Joachim Whaley, “The German Lands Before 1815,” pp. 15-37 (E-Reserve)

Monday, October 5

The German Confederation

Christopher Clark, “Germany 1815-1848: Restoration or Pre-March?” pp. 38-60 (E-Reserve)

Wednesday, October 7

The 1848-49 Revolution

Wolfram Siemann, The German Revolution of 1848-1849, pp. 1-52.

Monday, October 12

The 1848-49 Revolution

Wolfram Siemann, The German Revolution of 1848-1849, pp. 55-109.

MAP QUIZ

Wednesday, October 14

The 1848-49 Revolution

Wolfram Siemann, The German Revolution of 1848-1849, pp. 110-170.

Monday, October 19

The 1848-49 Revolution

Wolfram Siemann, The German Revolution of 1848-1849, pp. 171-223.

Wednesday, October 21

Bismarck’s Unification

John Breuilly, “Revolution to Unification,” pp. 124-141 (E-Reserve)

Primary source documents set, “The Foundation of the Empire” (Moodle)

Research Proposal Due

Monday, October 26

Midterm Exam

Wednesday, October 28

Liberalism

Theodore Hamerow, “The Liberal Creed,” pp. 135-180 (E-Reserve)

Monday, November 2

Marxism

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engel’s, The Communist Manifesto (Moodle)

Wednesday, November 4

Socialism

Theodore Hamerow, “The Emergence of Socialism,” pp. 222-265 (E-Reserve)

Monday, November 9

The Bismarck System

Guenther Roth, The Social Democrats in Imperial Germany, Parts I-II.

Wednesday, November 11

The Liberal Period, 1871-1879

Guenther Roth, The Social Democrats in Imperial Germany, Parts III-IV.

Monday, November 16

Kulturkampf

Guenther Roth, The Social Democrats in Imperial Germany, Parts V-VI.

Wednesday, November 18

The Welfare State

Guenther Roth, The Social Democrats in Imperial Germany, Parts VII

David Khoudour-Casteras, “Welfare State and Labor Mobility: The Impact of Bismarck’s Social Legislation on German Emigration before World War I,” The Journal of Economic History 1, Vol. 68: pp. 211-243 (Moodle)

Monday, November 23

German Social Democracy

Guenther Roth, The Social Democrats in Imperial Germany, Part VIII- IX

Wednesday, November 25

German Social Democracy

Guenther Roth, The Social Democrats in Imperial Germany, Part X

Monday, November 30

Germany’s Place in the Sun

Guenther Roth, The Social Democrats in Imperial Germany, Parts XI-XII.

Wednesday, December 2

The Road to WWI

Research Paper Due

FINAL EXAM

Wednesday, December 9, 12:00-1:50